Spin and Explore Garden Gym product reviews

The Lamaze spin and explore garden gym is such a neat product which I first found out about at one of the daycare centres I worked at as we had just opened and this was one of the awesome toys we had received, I loved it so much and thought it was a great way to encourage tummy time so when my daughter was old enough to use such a thing I went out and brought one for her.

The mat is shaped like a flower petal and has 6 separate petals to it each one is a different colour and provides a different tactile/sensory experience, with plenty for baby to touch, discover and explore, for example there is a mirror to look in, a butterfly with crinkly wings, a bumble bee rattle and lots of different flaps to peek under. The middle of the flower consists a cushioned ladybug mat for babies to lie on which on a rotatable spinner which babies can spin around on, this is to support the babies body and help them to develop there upper body strength and lower leg strength which will aid them in learning to crawl later on.

This worked great for my daughter who honestly was not a big fan of tummy time, and also was a huge benefit to many children who I worked with who were not fans of tummy time, it is recommended for children from 0 to 6 months but I didn't feel comfortable putting my daughter on this until around the 3 month mark, which is when she had gained a lot more control over her body, but every baby is different so some may be ready earlier than this.

I really like the lamaze spin and explore garden gym. I used this product with my baby from about 6 weeks. He did not enjoy tummy time at all and would just bury his head in to the floor and cry. Using this product really helped us extend the time he would spend on his tummy as there were so many things going on to keep him distracted.

Each petal of the garden gym has a different activity to keep bub entertained. The acitivites are bright and colourful and highly interactive such as a mirror for baby to look in and see himself and different textures and noises. One of the petals features a butterfly with crinkly wings and another petal has a rattle for baby to play with.

One thing i found was that the area for baby to lie on was a bit uncomfortable but I placed a blanket over this to add extra cushioning for babies tummy.

This really was a great tool to help baby get used to tummy time and he at 7 months will now spend lots of time on his tummy this is really important to strengthen all the muscles to later help with crawling.

I absolutely ADORE the Spin and Explore for littlies! Tummy time is encouraged, but not all little ones enjoy it - and this adds a bit of variety for them, and keeps them distracted for a bit longer, allowing more tummy time.

As with all Lamaze toys, it is well made and thought out for children - to encourage discovery, play and experiences with textures/colours and sounds. The "spinny bit" in the middle means they can control where they turn to as well.

It does not take up much room (always a plus with a new baby and copious amounts of things) and can easily be taken out and about to friends places.

The age states up to 6 months, but my non-crawling 11 month old adores this still - I would be wary using it if she was crawling, or a big baby, but common sense would apply.

Lovely gift to give and receive - highly recommend!

My daughter found this so interesting, she loved all the different colours, textures and sounds. Really interested and was happy exploring all the pockets and toys. She was quite happy to lie just on the mat and play with it without the swivelling ladybird.

The only thing I didn't like was the ladybird itself was quite hard and could have done with a bit more cushioning.