Lovevery
Lovevery The Play Gym
Lovevery's flagship product, an award-winning stage-based activity gym and play mat built for the first year, with a fort conversion that extends its use into the toddler stage. It's the most recognizable single Lovevery item and the one most likely to already be on a new parent's registry.
See current price on Amazon (opens Amazon in a new tab)About Lovevery The Play Gym
Lovevery isn't a toy brand that added a Montessori label onto its packaging after the fact. Jessica Rolph and Roderick Morris co-founded the company in 2017 in Boise, Idaho, and built the whole catalog from the start with input from child development experts, physical therapists, and developmental psychologists, organized by developmental stage rather than by generic age brackets. The Play Gym is the product most people picture when they hear the word Lovevery: it's the brand's original flagship item, the one that predates the subscription Play Kits, and it won a Parents' Choice Gold Award in 2018, the same year Lovevery's Play Kits were named to TIME's Best Inventions list.
Once it's assembled, which takes about two minutes with no tools or batteries, the Play Gym opens up to five developmental zones: Learning to Focus, Making Sound, How Things Feel, Hiding and Finding, and Exploring Colors. Each zone reveals or conceals so a newborn isn't hit with everything at once. It comes with five detachable toys, including a high-contrast ball, a wooden batting ring, and an organic cotton teether, plus three sets of black-and-white, mirror, and object cards you rotate in as your baby's vision develops. Amazon's own listing states the mouthable pieces are OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified and made from materials like organic cotton, silicone, and real wood, with the mat and its zones machine washable in cold water on a gentle air-dry cycle. The included Play Guide walks you through what to actually do with each piece, month by month, and the double-sided Play Space Cover later converts into a small play fort once your child is sitting and moving on their own.
This is the pick for a parent who wants one well-built, first-year centerpiece instead of a drawer full of smaller toys, especially if you're starting a Lovevery collection from zero and want to know where to put your money first. That's also why it's the Best Overall pick in our guide to the best Lovevery toys.
The Honest Take
What We Like and What We Don't
What we like
- Materials feel like a real step up: organic cotton, silicone, and solid wood pieces that are safe for a newborn to mouth
- Five zones plus card sets keep a newborn's attention without overstimulating them
- Genuinely grows with your child: the same base doubles as a play fort once your toddler is sitting and standing
- The included Play Guide gives you concrete, stage-based activities instead of leaving you guessing
- Machine washable and quick to set up or break down, no tools or batteries required
What holds it back
- Priced well above a basic tummy-time mat, a real barrier for some buyers
- Fabric shows dust and lint easily even though it washes clean
- Mat padding is thin on its own; some parents add a foam mat underneath on hard floors
- A few buyers report rough, unfinished spots on the wooden batting ring and legs
- No tummy-time support pillow included at this price point
Is This For You?
Who Should (and Shouldn't) Buy This
Get it if…
you want one well-built, all-in-one activity space designed to be used from the newborn stage into early toddlerhood, and you'd rather buy one flagship Lovevery piece up front instead of collecting several cheaper mats and toys separately.
Skip it if…
your budget is tight and a basic tummy-time mat with a couple of hanging toys would cover your needs just as well for the first few months, or you already own a play mat you're happy with and don't need the fort conversion or card-based activities.
The verdict
The Play Gym asks a real premium over a generic tummy-time mat, and several owners say so upfront, but the pattern across reviews is consistent: parents who buy it keep using it well past the newborn stage, from the black-and-white cards in week two through the toddler fort a year or two later. If you're deciding where to start with the brand, this is it, which is also why it's the Best Overall pick in our guide to the best Lovevery toys.
What Real Buyers Say
“Absolutely love this play gym! It's light weight, easy to clean, and I love all the colors, textures, and fun little attachments it comes with. I find that our baby truly enjoys laying under it and examining the high contrast cards and loves the bells. It's a perfect addition to everything I have purchased to strengthen our baby's development while having fun.”
United States · June 1, 2026
“I love this playmat for my kid and enjoy giving this gift to other newborn kiddos. The mat is soft and the building of the top part is pretty easy. The playmat is made out of clean materials and is super safe for newborns to use. It's big enough for a baby to do their tummy time, roll around on and practice their sitting and standing. My kid was able to use the wooden frame on top to help teach them to stand. It was sturdy and supported their weight. I also love that now that he's a toddler, he's enjoying the tent version of this playmat.”
United States · February 17, 2026
“This product is an excellent option for families with twins. Its size is appropriate, allowing both of my children to enjoy it simultaneously, even starting at five months old. The product is comprehensive and offers an all-in-one entertainment solution for babies. The fabric is soft to the touch, and the entire item is easy to clean, which is a significant practical benefit. The twins are particularly engaged by the wooden rattles, which produce sounds when grasped. I prefer their early childhood toys to align with Montessori principles. This product perfectly satisfies that requirement, offering engaging, natural play without digital overstimulation.”
United States · November 16, 2025
“What I love most about this play gym is how thoughtfully it's designed to grow with our baby. Each activity is perfectly tailored to different stages of development, making playtime both fun and beneficial. The gym is super versatile, with parts that can be adjusted or removed as your baby grows, so it keeps things interesting over time.”
United States · September 3, 2024
“Overall this is a great play gym. We've had for 4 months now and our LO loves playing in this play gym. It's been a joy to watch our little one be entertained for long periods of time with all of the different sections and the hanging toys. That being said, there are a few things that could be improved with this product to make it a 5 star product: the fabric is a magnet for dust and dirt, the mat is somewhat thin and lacking in cushion, and there are some unfinished, rough sections on the wooden batting ring and the wooden legs of the gym.”
United States · August 20, 2019
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Play Gym actually made of?
The mouthable pieces (the ball, the batting ring, and the teether) are OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified and made from materials like organic cotton, silicone, and real wood. The mat itself is made from polyester fiber and is tested to be baby safe.
Does it come with actual toys, or is it just a mat?
It comes with five detachable toys (a high-contrast ball, a wooden batting ring, an organic cotton teether, and teething rings) plus three sets of cards (black and white, mirror, and common object and faces cards), along with a Play Guide.
Is the Play Gym machine washable?
Yes. The play mat and its developmental zones are machine washable in cold water on a gentle air-dry cycle. The wooden and plastic pieces just need a wipe down with a damp cloth.
Will my baby actually use this past the newborn stage?
That's the point of the design. The five zones are built to take a baby from newborn through 12 or more months, and several real buyers say their toddler still uses the Play Space Cover as a small play fort long after the newborn stage is over.
Is it worth the price compared to a cheaper baby gym?
It costs more than a basic tummy-time mat, and reviewers say so directly, but the recurring theme in their reviews is that they kept using it well past the first few months. If you're trying to decide where to start with the brand, our best Lovevery toys guide covers this as the Best Overall pick and compares it against the rest of the lineup.
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