Kinderkraft 4SMART contrasting sensory mat at a glance
A contrasting sensory mat 4SMART with 4 sensory zones supporting the development of the child intended for children from the first months of life. During the first months of their life, children notice only contrasting colours. In order to stimulate the toddler's imagination and support their growth from the first months, we have created 4SMART mat with clear contrasting colours. 4SMART has 4 zones which develop: sight, touch, hearing and concentration.
We spoke to these real parent testers to get their review...
How did this product make your life easier?
Bethany: It’s easy to assemble and disassemble, and is a great safe and entertaining place set baby down for play while you nip to the loo or peg the washing out etc, it packs up nice and small and will fold down easily so it’s great for taking in the car for a visit to Friends and family’s houses or even out on a picnic walk to entertain baby, my daughter had hours of fun with this the baby that dislikes tummy time loved this play mat. It’s definitely on the toy list for babies and part of our everyday routine. It’s a little tricky to get up and down at first ( putting the bars onto the mat) but once you have the back of it it’s easy and quick.
Stephanie: My little boy loved this play mat, the hanging toys and the patterns really entertained him. If he gets a little grumpy during the day or if he wants to get out of his bouncy chair and have a kick around this mat is perfect and the soft play ball it comes with is also good for entertaining him whilst he lies on the mat.
Angela: This product makes my life easier as a mum, as it's an all in one mat. I know Arlo is stimulated using it, and I'm confident it's helping his development with the sensory areas. It'll also last years, so I don't need to find a new, bigger mat, once he's grown. I know it's safe also, and can be easily transported, so I can take it with me when we meet family.
Would you recommend this to other parents?
Mahde: I would recommend this product to friends and other parents as it keeps little ones well entertained. It stands out and has been designed to stimulate baby's senses. The mat is of good quality and comfortable for baby to lay on and be safe. The arches can be detached to wash the mat which is handy. I found it was easy to put together and could be folded somewhat for storage.
Emily: I have recommend this to my mums friends as this mat has everything on it! The mat is a game changer when keeping babies entertained the mat has different sections so it’s like having a sensory class at home. You can start with the sounds they have; clouds, sunshine and rain which all make different sounds. The different textured really excited my baby and got her giddy to touch them. The colours and the tags they can pull on are amazing. I really couldn’t recommend this product enough. It has detachable cards which you can also take out and about with you as well. The mat on one side has focus training with a mirror so your baby can look up at themselves which is great for tummy time.
Emily: I would totally recommend this sensory mat to other fellow mums because it is so stimulating for little ones, after some of her feeds she has a roll about on it and plays with the different sensory points and within a few minutes of playing is has a little nap on it, she must feel it is comfortable to fall asleep. The other ones have a lie with her on the sensory mat and get her to practice her crawling by rustling the cloud. The sensory mat is easy to keep clean with hot water and soap and a quick wipe with a new cloth.
Would you choose this product above all others on the market?
Zoe: I would definitely choose this product over others because it has so many features for baby to interact with which means they will play for longer at a time with it. It feels of much greater quality than other play mats especially as it is cushioned so I’ve felt happy with her being on it now she is rolling about a lot. It’s really easy to put up and take down and transport should you need to. The mat is quite large which is great for us as we have a large living room, however, it may be too large for some families with limited space. The design has really thought through the different developmental stages of babies, so it is great from newborn age and my baby is still enjoying it at 7 months, so I think it has a greater longevity than a lot of other products on the market. Although my other play mat has light and sounds, my baby is much more engaged with this play mat as the integrated features are clearly much more mentally stimulating for her.
Saidat: Yes. There are loads of toys for my baby to play with. He rolls about on it and plays in the various areas. When he is bored with one area (i.e. sounds), I just move him to another area. The focus training cards are really great for teaching my baby about shapes and objects. The mat design is stylish and eye-catching. The mat feels soft and comfy for my baby.
Jodie: I have been extremely impressed with the sensory mat and would recommend this to all mums without hesitation. Despite it being more expensive than others on the market, it is extremely well designed and all of the sensory elements do help to support your child’s development in many ways. The removable elements of the sensory mat (the ball and the 12 sensory cards) are excellent to remove and take on day trips whilst still ensuring the child is being stimulated and exposed to multiple textures, sounds and colours. The moveable toy bar makes it ideal for personalising it exactly to your child’s present level of development and also makes it more convenient for placing your child on the mat or taking them off it as they can be moved to the side. We were using another play mat from a well known brand prior to receiving the 4SMART mat and there is absolutely no comparison, the 4SMART wins hands down.
What changes would you make to this product?
Angela: I would change the fact you can't wash it. It states on the YouTube video you can, but on the label it says you can't. However it really needs to be washable as my son is sick a lot, and dribbles, so I need to be able to clean it. It's OK to spot clean, but not ideal when your son uses it a lot! The price point is also quite steep. Although I love it, if I hadn't been sent it, I wouldn't have been able to get past how much it costs. And considering you can't wash it, the price would've really put me off.
Charlotte: The thing I would like to change about the mat is the thickness of the base of the mat. I have used the mat on both carpeted and hard floors. On carpeted floor, the thickness is sufficient but when used on a hard floor, it is very uncomfortable and thin. I would therefore like for the mat to have a thicker inner to make it more comfortable.
Stephanie: Whilst this mat is great and the features are wonderful, unfortunately the cost is much too high for us and many others to ordinarily be able to afford it on our income. I definitely think it is better than any other play mat I've seen before but it is definitely a higher priced item for wealthier families and those on lower incomes would unlikely be able to benefit from it.