Read our first review ever: An honest test of the eco play and crawling mat by www.eco-krabbelmatte.de. About three years ago we reached out to the company and asked for a free sample. This was shortly before our sons cardiac defect was discovered. With a dramatic shift in focus our blog was put on hold and the promised review never made it online. Now, three years later we are more than happy to not only resume the work on our website but to present our first product review: An involuntary long term test of a simple but great and super useful item we learned to love a lot.
Summary - Turning our couples household into a family-friendly apartment, the play and crawling mat by Eco Krabbelmatte was by far the best acquisition we made. It's a straight forward product that once put into place, you can totally forget about. It's been a steady companion in our everyday life for almost three years and has served well beyond our expectations. We would definitely buy it again and can honestly recommend it to anyone looking for a floor mat, not only for the little ones but for the whole family. For more information read on or visit the Eco Krabbelmatte website.
Why - The reason we wanted this product is pretty easy. We are not the sort of parents that put rubber protectors on every single item of furniture and inwardly wish to cover their kids with bubble wrap. Don't get me wrong, we do care about the integrity of our son a lot, but as well want him to learn about and be aware of everyday hazards by himself. We want our kid to grow up independently with a good sense of self-assessment. Back than we just moved into a tiny basement flat with tiled floor. It was turning winter and the apartment ground was freezing cold. Nothing you could leave your newborn son crawl around. We partly covered the floor with carpets but for the rest I wanted something easy to clean with some sort of thermal isolation and cushioning. Searching the internet for an eco- and child-friendly solution we pretty soon nailed it down to the play and crawling mat by www.eco-krabbelmatte.de and were luckily rewarded with a free sample.
Look and feel - The play and crawling mat by www.eco-krabbelmatte.de has a straight forward appearance. It comes in a matt finish and the color pretty much met our expectations. For our living room we decided to get the cool gray version to best blend in with the rest of our household. If it would have been for a separate kids' room, our choice might have been a bit more colorful. The mat has a discreet top pattern and precise cuts on all four corners. Taking a closer look at the cutting edge reveals a fabric grid that is incorporated into the product, probably adding weight distribution and enhanced durability. I was a little surprised by the higher than expected weight leaving me with the overall impression of a high quality product with nothing to complain about.
Smell - Just as it was a big factor for me, smell might be something you are concerned about, too. Having in mind the ecological background I honestly expected little to no smell. Straight out of the box the mat did smell more than I would have thought. It was not a particularly unpleasant odor, but definitely noticeable. Just to be safe, and probably totally unnecessary, we left the mat outside for the first night. The next day we took it inside and the smell was barely noticeable. Within the next days it totally disappeared and has never ever bothered us again.
Features - As simple as the product is, it is loaded with features. The play and crawling mat is made from a high density PVC material with roughly 4.5mm of material thickness. It has a sticky surface on the bottom and a non slip pattern on the top. The high quality material will absorb impact energy and bounce right back, giving you a nice soft feel while walking or playing on the mat. It further acts as a thermal barrier providing some extra isolation from cold floors and tiles. There are 3 different sizes ranging from 120cm to 160cm and 180cm square and a choice of 6 different colors in nice pastel tones.
Eco standard - All play and crawling mats by www.eco-krabbelmatte.de are made in Germany and are certified with the highest OEKO-TEX® (baby standard) available. The used material is free from phthalates and AZO dyes. If you consider the time and physical proximity of your child towards this product, this was a major concern of ours. As far as we can tell from the companies information on their website and our own, personal communication with the operator of the business, we are full of confidence and have a good conscience exposing our child to this product day after day.
Durability - After three years of constant use and abuse there is nothing left to say than outstanding quality and durability! During this period the mat was confronted with everything you can think of and we still don't have a single tear or scratch. Not even the partial exposure to UV light has left a trace. Overall we are more than happy if not surprised on how well this product has taking the beating and more or less looks like the first day.
Cleaning - Shit happens, but with this mat it's never been a big problem. The high density foam does not absorb liquids and anything spilled on the surface can be wiped off easily. Dust and small particles can be vacuumed, you just have to make sure to use a low power setting so the mat will not stick to the vacuum cleaners head. Probably the worst case we had was our son drawing some pictures on the mat, well beyond the borders of the tiny piece of paper he was using. Taking a sponge, some soap and water even this mishap was fixed within a few minutes.
Additional use - There is so much more you can do with this mat than just using it for your kids. We pretty soon discovered that it's a perfect fit for our indoor sport sessions and provides enough support for yoga and light fitness. We once used it as a sleeping pad for our family tent and like you might have guessed by the pictures of this review it makes up for a pretty good photo background. These multifunctional and creative uses make this product far more valuable than you might think in the first place.
Price performance - At 59,95 Euros the play and crawling mat by www.eco-krabbelmatte.de is not cheap and without the knowledge of today I am not sure if I would have spent the money. Today, looking back of three years of intense use and taking into account the great quality and high eco standard I would be more than happy to buy this product at full price. If you are looking for a quality item with a clean design and ecological peace on your mind there is not much choice around anyway. Going down this road will definitely be a decision you will not regret.
