Play Gym

After weeks of searching the internet for the perfect baby play gym, I was finally intrigued by one. Mostly because I was confused how it could be so much more expensive than all the others I was looking at. But, they happened to be selling it at one of my favorite baby stores, Right Start. So I decided to head over to take a look.

Mamas and Papas Magic Stargaze Playmat & Gym

I had read the reviews online and it appeared to be Europe's best playmat according to everyone leaving reviews. I couldn't find any American reviews and didn't really understand exactly what it does. So while at the store I asked the sales associate what was so cool about this playmat to warrant a price tag of $159.99. He had absolutely no clue what it did. He said it was expensive because of the fabrics...uh I'm pretty sure that's not it. Anyway, I checked out the box and read all the information and still wasn't convinced, so I went and checked out their other play gyms.

The two other play gyms they sold were okay looking, but it was pretty obvious they just hold toys for your baby to reach and swat at. There were no lights or sound, which could be a good thing. But, they were both priced $79.99. I find it hard to imagine spending $80 on a small blanket and foam sticks holding toys. So again, I went back to the first playmat and tried to figure out if the price reflected some sort of value that wouldn't be gained from the two $80 mats. Well the sales associate came back over and said something to the effect of, "If you don't like it you can bring it back within 30 days." I was sold. I could check it out and see if it was really the coolest play mat out there. So I brought it home, put it all together and let Aiden do the inspection.

After a few short seconds Aiden  had it all figured out and was happily kicking away and lighting up the backdrop with glowing lights and music. He was having so much fun! I was even having a good time watching! When I took him out from under the gym he stuck out his lower lip and gave me a little pout until I gave in and put him back under. He immediately started grinning and cooing and kicking away. Now, I still don't know if I'd say it's worth the price, but Aiden sure loves it, I'm pretty sure we won't be taking it back unless it manages to stop working in the next 30 days. It is really cool. And Aiden literally gets a "kick" out of it. Here's a video for your viewing pleasure.

So, for those of you who are still wondering what exactly it is and why it is so expensive, here's a brief run down:

It's like an old-school Nintendo on the back-you slide cards in that have different themes and sounds. The one that came with the mat is called Musical Fun. They sell additional cards like Jingly Jungle and Mini Explorers. Since I haven't used those ones I'm going to assume they play Jungle and Transportation noises.

When Aiden lies underneath the canopy, there's a kick plate for his feet and three hanging pendulums. He can kick or swat at any or all of them making the music change and making lights appear on the backdrop. It kind of reminds me of a baby version of Dance, Dance Revolution.

There is also an option to plug in your MP3 player and just play your own tunes while the baby plays, but then just the lights change, not the music.

Unfortunately this is all powered by (3) AA batteries, you can't plug it in. So I'm not sure how long it's going to last on those batteries, but so far it's been going strong for probably about 3 hours.

It also has an auto power-off option so if Aiden falls asleep or I take him out and forget to turn it off it does conserve the batteries.

The mat itself is very plush and will be great for tummy-time, even comes with one of those pillows. It has a mirror, squeakers, ribbons, flaps, and crinkly material all built in for baby to explore. Unfortunately this makes the mat "spot clean only" (Big negative for a spit-up prone Aiden, thus the burp cloth under his head.)

There are also hooks to hang other toys from the other side of the gym and it comes with a few colorful hanging toys.

If you can overlook the price, I'd say it's an awesome product and I'm happy Aiden seems to really enjoy it. So, Merry Early Christmas, Aiden!