Toki Mats promises the perfect play mat for tummy time, but is it worth the luxury price tag? I’m sharing my personal experience to bring you an in-depth Toki play mats review.
Thank you to Toki Mats for sponsoring this project.
Pros and Cons of the Toki Mat
Toki Mats gave me a leather vegan mat with a cotton cover to try, and here are my thoughts:
Pros
Waterproof and easy to clean: The vegan leather can be easily wiped down, which is especially great for life’s little messes (hello, spit-up!) and those with pets.
Padded: Padded mat ensures baby’s safety, plus it won’t slide around like a blanket would on a hardwood floor.
Versatile use cases: Tummy time, picnics, playroom furniture “rug,” beach day with the kids, outdoor arts & crafts, baby changing station, a landing place at the park, landing zone for Pikler triangles, playpen mat, backdrop for baby milestone photos
Perfect density: A soft yet firm surface is perfect for fragile little ones, but it also supports walking.
Non-toxic and vegan: Both foam insert options are 1” of 100% natural dunlop latex foam. The Classic is Oeko-Tex certified, and the Organic is GOLS certified.
Easy for on-the-go: all three materials fold up easily for transport, and the vegan leather version even has handles.
Very aesthetic: Gorgeous patterns to choose from that really elevate your child’s nursery or play space.
Cons
Expensive – $225-$355 for the vegan leather mats and nearly $500 for the epic size
Not a “must-have:” You already have to buy so much with infants – this is a luxury, but it’s not an absolute necessity.
Simple alternatives: You could use a simple blanket or thicker rug instead.
Vegan leather not in epic size: the vegan leather option only comes in the small and medium size, not the largest one
Hard to replace cover: the non-leather options are removable for washing, but actually doing it is a full-body workout
Toki Mats has everything you would want in a playmat, including little details like side zipper closures, a removable fabric cover option, and the safest materials.
My only complaint revolves around the price. It’s not overpriced for what you get, as you’ll see in the next section, but it’s still expensive.
We have a lot of things to purchase when we have a baby, and technically, this is something you could go without and be just fine. But is it really nice to have? You bet.
Toki Mats vs Competitors
I took a look at some other popular play mats, and here’s how Toki Mats stacks up.
Toki Mats | Bub Mats | Shwalley | |
|---|---|---|---|
Price | $185-$225 $295-$325 $495 | $189-$199 $250-$279 $389 | $199 |
Size (inches) | 40×40 55×55 60×84 | 40×40 50×50 50×75 | 78×56 |
Thickness | 1″ | 1″ | 0.6″ |
Padding material | Natural or organic latex foam | Natural latex foam | Memory foam |
Cover material | Organic cotton, vegan leather, or bamboo jersey | Organic cotton or vegan leather | Not disclosed |
Designs | Sophisticated and playful patterns | Playful and solid options – more “baby” prints vs trendy patterns | Traditional rug pattern on one side; unique fantasy world on the other |
Waterproof* | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Non-toxic | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Handles for easy carrying | ✅ (vegan leather version only) | ❌ | ❌ |
These brands are similar in a lot of ways, but Toki Mats and Bub Mats have a larger thickness of 1″, making it better than Shwalley for softening falls but still suitable for walking.
Toki Mats also has more mat options, giving us more control over what we get for the price. If organic is important to me, I can pay for that upgrade, but if not, I can save that money.
The patterns are also a huge differentiator – if the aesthetic is important to you and your space, it’s worth browsing all three brands. Shwalley stood out to me for the two-sided designs, but Toki Mats definitely has more trendy patterns.
Finally, Toki Mats offers one thing neither of its competitors does: a handle! If you opt for the vegan leather mat, you can fold it up and carry it by the handles, making it convenient for on-the-go use.
Toki Mats vs Dupes
I also wanted to do a quick comparison between Toki Mats and dupes, or products that seem the same for a much lower price.
Amazon has two Toki Mat dupes with lots of reviews and great prices: JumpOff Jo’s large mat and the LITTLE Bot Ofie Mat.
The two biggest differences:
- Both of the dupes are half the thickness of Toki Mats, offering less padding for falls
- The type of foam used on the dupes isn’t as high of a quality as Toki Mats latex foam; plus no organic options
If having the highest quality materials and safety are important to you, I would splurge for the Toki Mats.
But if you have to shop on a budget, I’d side with JumpOff Jo’s large mat. It has more positive reviews and a dirt-cheap price tag.
Related: Our 5-Year Lovevery Play Kits Journey: 2024 Review
How to Use the Toki Mat
As I mentioned in my pros and cons list, the Toki Mat is very versatile.
Here are a few different ways you can use it to get the most out of it!
- Baby’s Tummy Time: practice tummy time on the Toki Mat starting as soon as you get home from the hospital. The cotton cover would be a nice option for a soft, warm landing zone.
- Picnics and Outdoor Fun: the vegan leather option can be wiped clean, making it ideal for outdoor picnics or an arts & crafts activity. No worries about getting paint splotches everywhere – you can clean it without any hassles, and it makes for a very comfortable space.
- “Rug” for Playrooms: you can put this playmat under a table with chairs or a Pikler triangle for a gorgeous safe space. It’s like a rug but more practical.
- Pool or Beach Day Helper: I could see you using this underneath a baby or toddler while you build sandcastles at the beach or as a changing mat at the pool with your infant.
- Photo Backdrop: this would be ideal as a mat for baby milestone photos – just place your baby on top, add any decor you like, and snap your aesthetic photos each month.
Highlights From Toki Play Mats Reviews
Of course, I like to share my own Toki Mat review and experience, but I also love compiling other people’s experiences so we can have a broad, full picture.
Here are some highlights from other reviews that I found helpful:
- Using a blanket instead of a Toki Mat is cheaper, but if you have hardwood floors, slipping and sliding is a problem the Toki Mat solves.
- The non-toxic materials are a huge selling point for many moms, especially ones that identify as “crunchy.”
- It really is the perfect landing pad for Pikler triangles or other Montessori play furniture.
- Pet owners love how easy it is to wipe off dog fur and wipe up muddy paw prints.
- The vegan leather option is a newer addition to the Toki Mats line, but it seems to be the preferred choice – the fact that it’s a waterproof cover is ideal for easy clean-ups.
- The mat is comfy for babies, but it’s also comfy for parents. Moms who deal with bum and back pain say it’s a game-changer to sit on this playmat with their baby during playtime.
- There’s no off-gassing, as Toki Mats adheres to the strictest standards.
Conclusion
Toki Mats is like the dream mat – it’s perfect in every way, but it does come at a luxurious price tag. It’s not overpriced for what you get, but it’s still a larger purchase.
If having a great mat for floor play and beyond is a top priority for you, there is no better brand than Toki Mats, in my opinion.
Let me know in the comments if you have one!
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