Customer Reviews

Tadpoles 16 Sq Ft Playmat Set, Pink/Brown

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(32)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I bought this mat because reviews of alphabet-type mats indicated they were hard to clean because of all the edges. This mat is easy to clean, is aesthetically pleasing for adults, and fun and colorful for our 6-mo old! He loves pulling out the circles and the borders. Thick enough to cushion his falls and durable--I accidentally stepped on it with a high heeled shoe and it left an imprint for a few days but has since sprang back to form. I would happily purchase a few more to increase the play space.

We just received this mat. So far it looks fine. I set it up on our carpeted floor, walked around on it in sock feet, and it didn't come apart. I'm sure eventually my daughter will be able to pull it apart, but hopefully by then she'll be falling over less.

I would give this higher marks except that this mat is, at most, half an inch thick. The product description says 1 inch. Since the mat is actually destined for a hardwood floor, not sure we'll keep it b/c of the thickness.

UPDATE

I researched other mat options and discovered that all the mats in this price ranges are 5/8" thick. So, the thickness is what you get with all tile mats. We walk around on it all the time, and it doesn't come apart. My daughter has recently begun to pull the tiles apart, but the material is durable and doesn't rip. She even chews on the extra edge pieces (we have a couple of sets to cover the entire space) and they don't break into smaller pieces.

In December of 2010, foam puzzle mats were banned in both Belgium and France for containing a cancer causing chemical. See:[...]

In addition to the ban, Belgium is imposing a 20,000 euro fine for anyone found selling them.

The studies found that the chemical in the mats was absorbed through contact and breathing.

I purchased this playmat for my 4 month old. She loves it so far. It measures 50 x 50 inches so it's perfect for small rooms like hers. Also the colors are beautiful! it goes perfect with her room and it's really easy to clean. Very glad I bought it.

I looked at the Skip Hop and this and read all the reviews on both. Clearly the Skip Hop is a flawed product. The Tadpoles mats are not perfect either, but considering the problems people had with the Skip Hop I think that the Tadpoles deserve 4 stars.

The squares are easy to assemble, stay together well, even on a rug and when walked on. The colors are great, very hipster and more appropriate for space shared by adults and baby's. It stays reasonably clean and wipes down pretty well.

There are two reasons why I did not give it 5 stars and I think anyone buying the Tadpoles product should be aware of these issues. They don't bother me so much, but could be a deal breaker for you:

1) Thin pads - the foam pads are not very thick at all. It seems they are intended more to provide a surface for your baby to play on and protect their knees and such versus really absorb a fall or flop while trying to crawl or stand/walk. Other reviews have said that this is normal for such mats, but looking at some of the other mat products on Amazon it appears there are some that are thicker, just none that are both thick and cool looking.

2) Removable circles - the circles in the middle of the pads can be taken out and mixed and matched. This makes for more interesting designs, but they pop out pretty easy (compared to the interlocking squares themselves which remain very well attached to one another).

The circles popping up doesn't bother me really, but I do wish the mat was thicker - thus only 4 stars.

I decided to purchase this playmat set for my 4 month old son so he could have a safe place to play on the floor (no carpet at our house). We have had the set for 2 months now and I like it for the most part. The pieces stay together nicely and the foam is cushy (about 1/2 inch thick). I like that there are endless ways to arrange the pieces (it will make a great puzzle when my son is older). The foam does indent easily so you have to be careful not to step on it with heels or shoes. The hardwood floor underneath the mat becomes very slippery when you move the mat (slippery enough that you or someone else can take a nasty fall). Also, this exact same item is available for half the retail price at Ross.

good playmat, easy to clean, brightly colored. We put this down for our baby to play on since our house has hardwood floors. When not using it, we just slide it under the sectional. Some complaints I read were about this product coming apart easily; but it's a playmat, not a carpet. I would recommend this mat.

I was so excited to receive this mat. But when I receive it and halfway to putting it together, I couldn't wait to ship it back. The only thing I liked about this is the cute polka dot colors especially the brown and pink! But it wasn't enough for me to keep it. Functionally, it was disappointing. This mat is so flimsy that it comes apart when you try to move it, even just picking up one side to slide it over makes the dots and square come apart. There's also not much cushion because its quite thin. We have all hard wood floors downstairs and needed a foam mat that is reasonably padded for our then 6 month old who was just beginning to sit up on her own.

I ended up shipping this one back right away. I ordered another mat from Amazon that cost a bit more but much better quality and super happy with it. After ordering and returning one more mat from Amazon and researching others, I finally kept this one Play & Learn Soft & Safe SoftFloors 5' x 5' x 5/8". Very happy with it. I also posted a review on the product page for this mat.

I bought this to cover the floor space inside the Superyard play enclosure.
The mat has interconnecting blocks and the circles inside the blocks are removable. My 7-month old baby figured out on her own how to rip put the circles and chew them. She also figured out that the edges can be ripped out and chewed on them. It created such a mess that I had to discard it altogether :-(. I am not sure that I checked before buying if this product was not meant to be used for babies and I did not realize that the circles come out. At an age when all babies want to do is chew on anything they can find, this is a pretty bad choice!

I bought this product to save my crawler from chafed knees. He seems more intent on pulling the pieces apart and teething on them! They look great, holds the entire room together, I love the color and the feel of it. It doesn't have a synthetic smell that you would expect from most foam products. Easy to wipe clean as well, and a safe place for him to pick up dropped food than from off the carpet.

The only problem is, we can't walk on it. Everything falls apart and bends! I spend more time putting it back together every night than I do putting his toys into the bins. Considered taping them down with painters tape or something that can come off cleanly for storage.

That said, I still love the product and would buy it again, because it's so pretty, chic and modern looking. I know babies like bright clashing colors, thanks, I'll pass. He has his toys for that. Mommy wants something aesthetically pleasing!