Things I Love – Playspot
For Today’s Thursdays Things, I wanted to focus on one of the items I bought when I was pregnant with my son that I have thoroughly enjoyed, and have not once regretted the pricey investment that I made to have them. The Playspot Interlocking Foam Tile System in Green/Brown
Now these were not cheap tiles, they cost me $79 and I bought them all by myslef! No relative gave them to me, which is often the case now a days with baby registries filed with items you want but don’t actually want to pay for. Registering for a baby is a lot like registering for a wedding , people fill their registry with things that they think would be nice to have and then end up sticking in the basement/closet/garage in an unopened box. You know who you are!
Without delving into the intimate details of the love affair I’ve had with these tiles, let’s take a trip down memory lane. They’ve been with us through it all. Oh and they are easily washable, dry quickly, are pretty stain resistant, and the pieces are all large enough that it is one of the only interlocking foam tile systems recommended from birth.
The Beginning
From a few weeks old we were already on these tiles working on our back muscles with some comfortable tummy time.
Tummy Time
I divided the 20 interlocking tiles according to color, to make tummy time areas that were soft and comfortable in both his bedroom and the living room.
Playmat space in his bedroom with light green and dark green tiles.
Play space in the living room with beige and brown tiles.
And Then Came Sitting
When Zeno was old enough to sit, I made a small beige and brown play area in the living room and a dark green and light green one in his bedroom. This way I always had a place to put him with some montessori bins, toys and cushions where he could watch me and hangout. Then of course if he fell over at least the surface was pretty soft!
I’ve made play sections in the living room……
in his bedroom…..
And eventually carved out a nice space for him in the living room, which has turned into his permanent play area.
Standing
Going back to the Montessori Method, it was recommended to put bars on the wall to help him pull himself up and stand. If I had known then what I know now, I wouldn’t have encouraged standing and walking so much, because life got crazy once this little guy started to run!
Playing
These tiles were a great way to create a designated play space for Zeno in our livingroom, without making our entire living room look like a McDonald’s play land. Our apartment is actually “big” by Italian standards. We have a gallery kitchen, a living/dining room, 2 decent sized bedrooms a big washroom and a small powder room/laundry room. We have more space than 90% of our friends.
It was important to me that he have his own space but without taking over our space.
Sleeping
The angle of the livingroom remains his play space today, but I’ve moved all the interlocking foam tiles into his bedroom to create his Montessori bed. The only sad thing is, that now his play area has an ugly blue yoga mat covering the cold marble floor.
I am seriously considering buying another $79 set of these foam tiles, but this time in either the blue/gold combination or the brights combination so they work with the living room.
The playSpot Interlocking foam tiles come in 5 different colors, are $79 for 20, an extra set of 4 is $15.
For a few more days save 20% on these foam tiles and all toys at SkipHop…..oh dear, second set of foam tiles here I come!
