Skip Hop Explore & More Amazing Arch Baby Play Mat Activity Gym, 36" x 19"h, Multi Colored

Overall, I really love this gym. It's entertaining for babies, and has a really nice aesthetic. Skip Hop does a really job of capturing the fun playfulness of baby toys, while still making them look contemporary, unlike Fisher Price toys which can often look garish and dated (seriously, some of their stuff looks like it was taken from the nineteen hundred and nineties!). So I gotta give Skip Hop props for style (even though your baby couldn't care less about that, lol).We had a baby gym that we had kept from when my older daughter was a baby - it was more of a typical gym with toys that hang down from the arches, but I wanted something that would be useful for tummy time, and this really accomplishes that! You just push the red buttons that are located on the bases of the arch, and lower the arch. It clicks into place and gives baby something to look at while she's on her tummy. So good for strengthening those little neck muscles! The first time I used it, my 9-week-old was pretty mesmerized! (See pics). The gym has a very nice mirror, two dangling toys (a bee rattle and a hedgehog that plays a tune when pressed), an owl that hoots when you pull on the cloud that hangs from him, a spinning ball that lights up, and a sound-activated fox that dances (he's my favorite! ...And my daughter's!)I think all of the toys are really cute, but it would have been nice if there was an option for music to play constantly, rather than just a quick tune. The big "but" with this gym is that the batteries on the light, the owl, and the hedgehog are not replaceable! ONLY the fox has a battery that can be replaced! The paperwork gives directions for removing the non-replaceable batteries at the "end of lifetime." Why would they design it like that?! I suppose the batteries may last for longer than you have the toy, but I like to hand baby gear down to friends or relatives with younger children, so it makes no sense to me to design a toy not designed to last... Anyway, I'll update my review once my baby has outgrown it. My prediction is that the batteries will last at least that long, but I still think it's wasteful to design a product with a short lifespan.Still, it's adorable, entertaining, and I recommend it.

I was really excited to get this for my 2 month old. However there are several things I do not like about it. The overall design is cute but lots of problems.1. The only music this mat has is the hedgehog teether, which once the batteries die there is no way to replace them.2. The slot to place your phone will not accommodate newer/bigger phones. (Luckily we had an old iPhone 5 that has sat in a drawer we can use but you have to remove the case to fit)3. The bars are not easily adjusted like in the video.4. The light up ball is very sensitive and goes off constantly so not planning on those batteries lasting long, which are also not replaceable.5. I’m a clean freak and the top bar pieces do not remove and Is entirely spot clean only. Not a big deal for a lot of people but I like being able to toss things in the washer or dishwasher to disinfect.My only pro to this item is the adjustable bars so you can adjust for tummy time.We won’t return because it was a gift from a grandparent but I don’t think I would recommend this to friends or family. My oldest son is 10 and the playmat we had 10 years ago did 10x as much for half the price.If your looking for something fairly simple and cute this will work for you. If you want something with lots of lights or music this definitely isn’t for you.

I think in general all these play gyms are a rip off here in the states. Just like how they show in shark tank, it would cost them under ten bugs and they price it so high and add to that mix few words like tech, developmental goals, interactivity would fetch them even more profit. However due to the dearth of better alternatives I gave in and got this skip hop amazing arch. I will list the reasons I chose this over the others including other skip hop varities. I can definitely say that it has mostly lived up to it and thats why the five stars.Decent size mat with decent padding:I wanted my baby to stay on the mat even if he rolls over. So this mat has decent real estate without being too clumsily big. The padding is not luxurious but decent. I suspect you can buy a foam layer and put it inside from beneath if thats v important. My son feels comfortable both on tummy and on his back we have this on lying on top of a half inch thick rug on hardwood floor.Stable arch:Most other models hook the arch with belts and velcros but this one has sturdy clicking anchors. Once locked in place the arches stay put. They wobble a bit but their bases reassuringly stay in place.Height of arch:This is the major reason to buy this. There is enough headroom for a baby to sit and not hit the arch. Even otherwise the second mode where you can lay the arch horizontal is so fundamental i wonder why other mats dont have this option.Tummy time:It is common sense design that when the baby is on tummy it needs the toys to be at eye level and not hanging up and in that aspect I find this mat an essential piece. I can see how every toy will be at reach and stimulating once my son is able to touch and play with it.Toys:The toys are interactive. The fox requires three aaa batteries and dances in response to a trigger. The owl piqued curiosity in my kid when it makes that funny noise and comes out of hiding. He has not found the light ball interesting yet. He just needs to grow a little older. He is now two n half by four months he should really start to interact with all these toys a lot more. As of now he enjoys the mirror and owl and little bit the fox.EngagementThis play gym keeps my son engaged for easily one hour.Price: As I mentioned it is a rip off. But i would rather spend money on something useful than on some silly piano with tiny mat or ones with guardy colors n lights or toys that hang too low or arches that are very unstable. The multiple position of the arches and the interactive toys were vital in my purchase decision.If all this makes sense to you go for it!Skip hop should include batteries and make all toys battery operated at this price point. Also should focus on aesthetics of the owls clothing and finishing of the padded mad like double stitch it instead of single and include few more toys for this price point.I have currently hung the tiny love mobile and few other toys to the arch as there arent many musical toys in this set. There is one but it is hardly audible.

I wanted to purchase an activity gym for my baby, so had a look online. What i mainly wanted was something that can grow with my baby and have lots of eye catching parts, with movement and sound.Upon an extensive search online i found this skip hop activity gym. It came with a heavy price tag compared to others on the market. However this one had so much going for it. The vibrant colours and the arch seemed really big with the ability to be used when baby can sit up too.Upon delivery i realised how huge this will be! Nicely packed, and secured i took all the parts and assembled it, taking under 10 minutes to get it ready for my baby. I love the high arch. The mat is big and can definitely be used as time goes by. There is also a tummy time cushion which is super handy. The wide arch has a mirror, flip it over and a sleeve for a phone- to play those crazy baby shark tunes! Comes in handy when i need my baby to be distracted for a little longer. The toys/figures are so cute; the fox-you press the button and it swivles around. The pulley makes the little owl pop out, there is a ball that can be spun so it lights up. So much to keep my baby busy. I have left my baby under the arch and observed her 'using it'. She is 18 weeks so has stated tugging at the pulley and for a few weeks has been doing a 360 around the mat! When she can sit up i plan to push the arch back down and let her use it that way I absolutely adore this station/gym.Key points- Positives-Large, therefore can be used for months.- Arch can be repositioned to be used when baby can sit up-Lots of interesting parts to discover and use by baby; pulley, mirror-Vibrant colours-includes movement, sound and lightNegatives--Mat could be thicker-Parts will run out of battery eventually, some bits cannot have battery replacedOverall i rate this product a 4.5/5. Highly recommend it.

Fantastic gym and is bright colourful and very stimulating for my 3 month old baby. The only problem is I have had to get a replacement three weeks after purchase. This is due to the battery in the hedgehog. It only half plays the tune and the battery sounds like its dying already. On this product you can only replace the batteries in the fox even though the hedgehog and owl are both battery operated. This is such a shame as its the only thing that lets this product down. Apart from this its one of the best activity mats ive seen. I hope that my replacement is not faulty and lasts longer than a couple of weeks especially for the amount of money it costs! Please skip hop make your design with interchangeable batteries on all animals! Within a couple of weeks of receiving replacement batteries in hedgehog failed again. Was told i would receive a full refund from amazon but had lots of trouble with poor customer service actually obtaining it. It was lots of hassle with weeks worth of phone calls talking to advisers who did not seem competent enough to sort the issue out.

I bought this when the price dropped to £65 which in my opinion is still a little extravagant for a baby mat! However, I have to say it has been a fab purchase for us. My baby stares lovingly at the fox and owl and smiles and giggles at them. He is now 13 and a half weeks old and has learnt to swipe at the little cloud handle and can now grab it though it’ll take him longer to start pulling it. It’s great for tummy time as well as it drops down and will continue to entertain him when he can sit up. I have taken off the hedgehog and attached it to his bouncer so detachable toys are another plus. All in all an excellent buy, especially at the reduced price I managed to nab it at.

My son has been using this since he was 3 months and still does at 8 months old.It helped strengthen his muscles and encourage tummy time and now he’s crawling he still loves playing with it and in particular the moving fox!Such a beautiful colourful item and I’ve found it easy to wipe clean and pack away.Only criticism is the mat on the floor is so thin; would be more comfortable if it’s slightly padded

I am a big fan of Skip Hop products, however this play mat is average and doesn’t really worth £90 . I was tempted by phone insert section but couldnt really use it since it is a bit tight to put especially if you have relatively a big handset. My LO, loves the dancing fox and the owl, remaining items don’t take her attention too much. There is one item which plays a music however its battery died after 10 days . You can’t really change the batteries (it is stitched) unless you cut it and take out all the fillings inside which causes a mess and you have to sew it again. I am surprised that they didn’t think about this .