Updated August 2023
Parents looking for non toxic playmats is something I see regularly. Unfortunately that is kind of an oxymoron, and the answer is that no perfect playmat currently exists.
#whyshouldwecare: Babies spend most of their time on the floor, touching it, sitting and rolling on it, and breathing the air right next to it. So it’s important thing to ensure is Toxicant free!
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Best Options
1. The best option is a 💯 certified organic cotton rug from Under the Nile. You can stack them to make them thicker. They are somewhat small at 4 by 6 feet, but the great thing about that is they are machine washable!
https://underthenile.com/collections/home/products/big-rug
Organic Weave is another GOTS certified rug to look into, though it is expensive.
2. A latex mattress topper covered with organic fabric, sheet, blanket, rug, etc. Check out my mattress post for tips on how to make sure they are actually non-toxic.
Better Options
1. Toki Mat makes a mat made of organic latex foam and a certified organic cotton cover (they also have non-organic foam and other cover options so look at the options carefully), and now arrives in a cotton bag (it used to be PVC and I’m glad they changed it!). I did see home XRF testing that showed no heavy metals.
2. The best option for a waterproof foam in my opinion is polyethylene plastic foam/ XPE, which is usually considered a safer option (the material is similar to pool noodles). If you’ve seen other blogs recommend the “Myline” mat, they are no longer available but are the same type of mat as the link I’m providing. I have purchased a Myline and had it tested for heavy metals (there were none) as well as purchased this: Toddleroo by North States 71″ x 71″ Folding ABC Play Mat – Extra large, designed to fit 6 panel or 8 panel Superyards. Foldable. Almost 36 square feet of play space (ABC multicolored) . I have a bought this; affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3KEmmmc
There are tons of others similar available on Amazon from various sellers in China, but North States is a well known name brand that makes it more likely to be a legitimately safe product. It says it is free from formamide (that might be in EVA foam) and formaldehyde.
3. Creamhaus is a brand that appears on other lists of non toxic playmats. The foam is polyethylene. The cover is polyurethane which is usually not good, BUT they have lab reports and say it’s PVC, lead, etc free of the major bad things. I own one of these (a tri-fold one that looks like a gymnastics mat) too and it tested as free of heavy metals.
Worst Options
-Polyurethane foam and puzzle mats made of EVA foam. Also, unfortunately even most of the mats marketed as non toxic have been found to be problematic. Here are some examples:
-The organic Baby Mushroom mat is suspected of containing soy (which is often GMO). Affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3rGaqYk
-Corkimat has polyester padding and the older versions had GMO waterproofing. Home XRF testing showed 193ppm Antimony.
-House of Noa/ Little Nomad claims to be “non toxic EVA” but as far as I know, EVA is not truly non toxic.
-I really can’t understand why Lorena Canals ends up on so many other “non-toxic playmat” lists. I emailed them directly recently and they told me straight up that they aren’t organic. Apparently some of their listings say organic, but unless they can provide documentation of organic certification, I would not trust that at all.
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Enjoyed looking through this, very good stuff, regards. “All of our dreams can come true — if we have the courage to pursue them.” by Walt Disney.
Did you have the Toddleroo mat tested as well? Or just your Myline mat?
No, but based on it being a reputable brand and using the same materials, it’s presumed safe.
Just the myline but my bet is the toddleroo is the same
Thoughts on toki mats?
What about antique wood dressers? Can these be tested with 3m swab?crockpots?
The info I have on Toki is confusing, so if you are interested I recommend writing to them and asking lots of questions to get the most recent info.
-It’s unclear which things might be organic or oekotex. Sounds like certain things (the latex inserts) are organic but the certificates only for the raw materials, not final product. The cotton covers are not organic or water proof.
-It’s unclear what the water proofing on the bamboo cover is. Bamboo takes a lot of chemicals to prices.
-the mat looks very small
-It arrives in a PVC bag but sounds like you can request a different bag.
-As a small business they are exempt from safety testing
Swabs would work on dressers, but not crockpots. See info from Lead Safe Mama for both.