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    outside the labs

    Best Baby Play Gyms

    The best baby activity centers are designed for play, movement, and early development

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    a baby playing in Lovevery The Play Gym
    CR staffers put our own babies to work testing eight baby activity centers to learn which are best for play.
    Photo: Angela Lashbrook/Consumer Reports

    Babies play to learn, and in the early months, they’re constantly learning. But babies can be fickle, too—today’s favorite toy may be adamantly rejected tomorrow.

    In this article Arrow link
    More on the Best Baby Gear

    Baby play gyms, aka activity centers or play mats, can engage babies in independent play that’s great for their physical and cognitive development—and equally great for parents who’d like to finish their coffee before it gets cold. 

    With the help of our babies—a 5-month-old and a 10-month-old—my colleague Gideon Grudo and I evaluated eight popular infant play gyms to determine which are the most fun (among a few other criteria) and which make the best playthings for your little one.

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    We investigate, research, and test so you can choose with confidence.


    Angela Lashbrook

    Angela Lashbrook is a senior multimedia content creator at Consumer Reports. She has been with CR since 2021 and covers a wide range of topics, but she is particularly interested in anything health- or parenting-related. She lives with her husband, their son, and her dog, a Libra named Gordo.