Melissa & Doug’s New Play Gym Helps Babies Explore Developmental Play

Melissa & Doug might be known for their big-on-imagination toys and wooden play sets for toddlers, but they just launched a new play gym for babies that stokes development, folds for easy storage, and grows with baby through year one and beyond. We sent one to a real Babylist parent, Mallorie, to test with her 8-month-old Piper to see how it stacks up to other play gyms she's tried.

How is the Ocean Easy-Fold Play Gym different than other baby play gyms?

There are usually two options for play gyms: 

1. Ones that you can fold up and store out of sight

2. More modern, stylish ones that are meant to be left out 24/7

This play gym combines both options: it has wooden arches and removable sensory toys, but at the push of a button, the wooden arches collapse down, folding flat. (INSERT GIF of mat folding.) That means when you have last-minute guests or need a clutter-free moment, you just fold it and put it away. It’s also machine washable, which is handy for when baby spits up, or your pet decides it’s their play gym. 

Reversible mat 

The reversible mat gives you extra play value because, with two sides, it feels like two play gyms in one. On one side, you’ll find high-contrast black and white for baby’s developing eyes, meant to be used from birth through three months. Flip it over, and the other side is a cheerful ocean theme with textured 3D fabric elements, like a soft crinkling clam shell baby can touch and lift. There are also silky sensory ribbons around the edges for little fingers to explore. 

Price

Other play gyms with wooden elements can run as much as $140, so at $114, this one saves you a nice chunk of change—without sacrificing the wood arches or sensory-based toys. In addition to the reversible mat and the fully assembled wood frame, you get a total of five plush toys, each with a sensory element that help grow your child’s development:

• High-contrast mirrored turtle with chimes

• Soft squeaky crab

• Manta ray kicker that crinkles and rattles

• Vibrating wiggly octopus with sensory tabs

• Minky sea star with textured fabric 

Bonus: these toys are removable, so when you’re on the go, you can clip them to your diaper bag or bring them on a stroller ride. 

How to use this play gym by baby’s age

One of the cool things about this play gym is that you can use it throughout baby's first year, but it's not always easy to understand what that looks like. So we asked Mallorie to demonstrate how to use it, starting at the 2:00 mark. Here are a few ways this gym can help you through baby's developmental changes in those first 12 months.

• 0–3 months (2:30): These first few months of baby’s life are all about making connections. Tummy time is essential for growing a strong neck and core, and hanging toys like the vibrating octopus help baby lift their head to look at objects. And, peek-a-boo, I see you; the mirrored high-contrast turtle gets baby looking at themselves and the world around them. 

• 3–6 months (2:45): Go ahead and flip the mat over to the ocean side because babies begin to notice color as they grow out of the newborn stage. They’re starting to track objects and stare at their hands, so help baby follow how the hanging toys move as you wiggle them from above. You can also wrap the manta ray kicker onto the wood frame of the play gym. Show baby how it rattles when they kick it. This helps them understand cause and effect because kick = rattle. Fun!

• 6–9 months (3:01): During this stage, your baby will likely learn to recognize people, laugh, blow raspberries, squeal and roll from their tummy to back. Squeak the crab fast, then slow, to see how your baby reacts to the sounds. Do this over and over again with all of the other toys that make sounds, like the crinkle star. And, try piquing baby’s curiosity by putting things just out of reach—like the crab under the seashell.

• 9–12 months (3:25): At nine months, you’re just a little bit away from baby turning into a toddler. They’re likely sitting on their own by now, so you can remove the wood frame for more room to explore. Your baby might be able to pull the string on the vibrating Octopus all by themselves now and tug at the colorful sensory ribbons. Surround them with the rest of their toys and watch what they can do and all they’ve learned in the past few months.

Pro tip: Melissa & Doug also includes a handy play guide that gives you a bunch of different ways to coax certain skills by baby’s age. So, when you’re staring at your baby and wondering how many times you can play peek-a-boo (there is no limit), inspiration is just a page away.

Beyond just being fun, there are so many benefits of play for your baby, like encouraging:

• Fine motor development

• Emotional learning

• Communication

• Cause and effect

The value of play helps baby build up to all of their developmental milestones—and with its easy-fold button and small footprint, this play gym is a solid choice. If a rattling manta ray can make your baby smile and encourage cognitive reasoning, we’re on board. 

Melissa & Doug Ocean Easy-Fold Play Gym

$114.99

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