Children's developing rug

In the modern world there are a great many educational toys and games for children from infancy and older. A very popular attribute among them is considered to be a children's developmental rug, which is a small soft canvas with various gaming elements: bright toys, noise and rustling objects. These rugs are suitable for both newborns and older babies.

As noted earlier, this developmental product has a very huge functionality. The presence and variety of small parts not only contributes to the development of motility and vestibular apparatus, but also trains memory and intuitive skills. The children's developing rug stimulates the kid to knowledge of everything that surrounds him. In addition to all this, this game canvas will easily interest and entertain the baby, while his parents are forced to devote their time to other activities.

It is safe to talk about the following benefits of children's educational mats:

• If it is necessary to transport such a product, there will not be any difficulties: it is light, compact and quite simple to fold.
• The function of this product is not only the development, but also the entertainment of the baby. The baby learns to interact with objects and toys, while experiencing the first emotions.
• Over time, when the child grows up a little, such a canvas can be updated with various additional details corresponding to the level of the child’s development, used in other didactic games, in the interior of the nursery and on a walk in the park, for example.

There are many variations of children's educational mats:

• For newborns: a soft canvas of various shapes is used, bright, with inserts of thread, fabric and foam rubber.

• With arches and sides: the most common product. The arcs intersect and you can hang toys, rattles, musical elements, etc. Also, these arcs are easily detached from the canvas. The sides can be of soft fabric, similar to low walls or oblong rollers.

• Musical;

• Folding and roll;

• Bilateral: the main plus is the change of the playing field of the baby’s activities;

• "Transformers": rugs simply fold up and transform into a portable cradle - a cradle or a handbag for toys;

• With a rigid frame;

• In the form of gaming houses;

• In the form of small tracks - labyrinths;

• In the form of puzzles: these rugs are made of various materials. The most common are PVC products, as you can safely leave your child to play on the floor, being sure that this playground will not let the cold from the floor. No less popular and tissue version of this model. The idea of ​​puzzle mats is as follows: the product consists of several elements that are attached to each other with a groove, ribbons, cords, zippers, sticky technical tape or buttons.

We will tell a little more about the most popular models of educational mats, based on the experience and feedback of young parents, published in print media and on various forums.

• Musical (electronic)

Pros: low cost; a large number of musical elements and a variety of sound effects; bright; small-sized.

Cons: mainly targeted for children aged 3 months and older; need a constant change of batteries; little or no toys and additional items in the kit.

• Tiny love (Israeli brand)

Pros: ideal for newborns; for the manufacture of high quality and safe materials; thoughtful set of features and good sound of musical and noise devices; hard or soft folding sides; the presence of removable arcs; the ability to self-update the game environment.

Cons: high cost.

• Fisher price (made in England)

Pros: high quality fabric and plastic parts; musical toys can be positioned vertically and horizontally, as well as used separately; arc securely fastened to the base of plastic; colorful canvases; oriented for children from 0 to 3 years.

Cons: price; sensorimotor toys are extremely inadequate.

• Rug "Transformer"

Pros: convenient to travel, as waterproof, and inside is a heater; soft; bright; easily transformed into a bag, cradle - carrying for the baby and a toy.

Cons: high cost; most often the number of game elements is limited.

• Rug - Puzzle

Pros: reasonable price; promote the development of logic; colorful; suitable for outdoor use; some models prevent the development of flatfoot; enough quality materials.

Cons: only suitable for children who already know how to crawl or walk; lack of additional game details.

All of the above gaming mats can be both folding and roll, which is very convenient to use, during storage and transportation.

Having decided to purchase a developing mat for crumbs, it is necessary to pay attention to the following details:

• For the manufacture of the product should be used only natural materials. This requirement applies to both fabric and additional gaming parts. This is important in order to avoid an allergic reaction in a child.
• No defects (various damage, scratches, chips, etc.).
• The product must be properly assembled. All small parts are firmly sewn or attached.
• Rugs of small size are suitable for babies from 0 to 6 months, as children of this age do not need a lot of space for playing activities. Accordingly, the older the child, the larger the product is.
• For newborns and babies are ideal rugs with sides. But since children grow quickly, the best option would be to purchase a floor model with folding edges for easy crawling. Most often, such rugs are warmed and oilcloth, as they are intended for playing on the floor. This is important for the child to be warm and comfortable, as well as for easy cleaning of the canvas from dirt and stains.
• It is desirable to have arcs on the mat, since it is on them that you can fix and change various game elements at any time. Arcs must be strong and firmly fastened to the canvas.
• The presence of various elements of material, color and shape: noise, ringing, rustling, squeaking, sensorimotor, light, moving, interactive, mirror, etc. The more of these toys, the easier it is to interest the baby.
• The ability to shoot music and electronic parts. This is very important because the mat must be periodically washed.

Of course, when choosing a developing rug for a baby, young parents expect full compliance of the upcoming purchase with all the above requirements.However, the quality of the product determines its price. The cost of such a child's game is quite high. But there is a solution to this problem. It is worth trying to make such a rug yourself.

For the manufacture of this canvas may need the following materials:

• Fabric of various textures and all sorts of applications;
• Needle, thread, scissors;
• Candy wrappers for making rustling items;
• Various accessories (buttons, ribbons, zippers, clasps, etc.). If when decorating a rug it is desirable to have a lock - lightning, then it is better to choose a model whose teeth are rare, large and rounded.

Next, we consider a plan of action for the manufacture of a developmental mat:

• Make a sketch in the form of a picture and reflect on it everything that should eventually turn out;
• Determine what size the product will be;
• Decide on the choice of fabric and make a pattern from the material for the parts of the game canvas (for the bottom and the top). For the base of the product, a baby blanket, a small soft blanket or an easy-to-clean fabric with bright patterns is best suited. The bottom (seamy side) should be sewn of non-slip fabric.
• Sweep the edges carefully, make sure that the threads are not sticking anywhere;
• Choose fabric applications and sew them onto the upper fabric, which is the basis of the rug. To do similar actions with the prepared fittings;
• Further, decorative trim is attached, rustling and sound details are sewn.

• Next, sew the upper and lower parts of the canvas. In order to make the product soft, you can put foam rubber or synthetic winterizer between them.

Each loving parent is able to independently create such a developing attribute for his child. Later, when the baby grows up, this mat will become an important object for him in an emotional sense. The child will know that this canvas was made just for him with unlimited warmth and love.

For information on how you can easily make a beautiful rug for a baby with arcs with your own hands, look in the program "Everything will be good."