10 of the best tummy time toys
Our pick of the best tummy time toys for babies – including cushion rolls, standing books, sloping pillows, tummy wedges and even a vibrating croc!
Giving your baby tummy time from an early age is a key way to help them develop and strengthen the muscles they will eventually need to push up, roll and crawl.
To begin with, your baby will probably prefer to 'do' tummy time lying on your chest, rather than the floor (see What is tummy time – and how to do it, for ideas and tips). But, once your baby's happy to lie on their front on the floor with a playmat for a while (certainly by about 3 to 4 months old), you can start to introduce toys that are specially designed to make tummy time fun and stimulating.
Many of the best tummy-time toys are cushion-based and brightly coloured and have lots of dangly mini-toys to feel and jingle and stretch for. We've been trying loads out with our baby testers – and have selected the ones that kept them the most happy and entertained.
Best tummy-time toys at a glance
- Nuby Penguin Tummy Time Pillow, £12.99
- Taf Toys Savannah Tummy Time Book, £16.99
- Taf Toys 2-in-1 Tummy Time Pillow, £18
- Fisher-Price Music & Vibe Sloth Tummy Wedge, £30
- Infantino Tummy Time and Seated Support Playmat, £30
- Taf Toys Development Pillow, £17
- Bright Start Sit and See Safari Floor Mirror, £9.99
- Done by Deer Tummy Time Activity Croco, £35
- Fisher-Price-Grow-With-Me Tummy Time Llama Baby Gym, £29.99
- Mamas & Papas Elephant & Baby Tummy Time Snugglerug, £39
Here's our pick of the best tummy-time toys for babies, suitable from birth...
1. Nuby Penguin Tummy Time Pillow, £12.99
Age: From birth | Batteries: None
What it is: A 41cm x 31cm reversible tummy cushion with 4 attached toys, including a fish teether, a squeaky star, a rattling polar bear and a soft penguin with a mirror in his tummy. Wipe-clean only.
Why we love it: It’s lovely to look at and, while very soft, provides good support in a nice curve-round-the-body shape. The toys don’t detach but you do get 4 of them (great value at this price) and the penguin, with his knitted-texture body and tummy mirror, is a proper baby magnet.
Available at: Amazon
2. Taf Toys Savannah Tummy Time Book, £16.99
Age: From birth | Batteries: None
Awards: Bronze, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2021
What it is: A 21cm x 20 cm soft, colourful, textured double-sided book that can stand up on its own. One side features high contrast black and white pictures for newborns to gaze at and the other side features more colourful pictures for older babies along with flaps, mirror, teether, textures, and different prints, and fabrics.
Why we love it: The design of this book is very well thought out and we like how if folds down neatly so you can stow it easily in your pram or bag. The big mirror is a particularly nice feature and was a huge hit with all our baby testers. "The mirror seems to surprise and entrance him each time he turns the page!" said Zoe, mum of Stig, 8 months.
Available at: Vertbaudet, and JoJo Maman Bebe
3. Taf Toys 2 in 1 Tummy Time Pillow, £18
Age: From birth | Batteries: None
What it is A 2-stage pillow (40cm x 49cm at stage 2): you pull out the lower furry blue pillow for a 0-3 month old and then, for 3 to 6 months, flip it back into the black-and-white pillow for a higher, firmer support. The bigger pillow is reversible (animal print or furry grey) and has a crinkle effect. Wipe-clean only.
Why we like it: The pull out newborn cushion is very clever, offering a little baby a much lower propped position than many of the other cushions featured here – good for getting a baby used to tummy time without giving their chest and neck muscles too much work to do. The doubled-up cushion is lovely and big but, without any toy attachments and only a little touchy-feely fun (a leaf and a bit of crinkling), you’ll have to provide some extra entertainment for those grab-hungry hands.
Available at: Kidly
4. Fisher-Price Music & Vibe Sloth Tummy Wedge, £30
Age: From birth | Batteries: 3 x AA batteries (included).
What it is: A 44cm x 37cm tummy-time cushion, with a crinkle, sloth-faced playmat attached, that (when you press the music button) vibrates and plays (gentle) music for up to 10 minutes at a time. Comes with 2 detachable toys: a BPA-free leaf teether and rattling rings. Machine-washable.
Why we love it: The gently rising crescent shape of the cushion makes it very comfy to lie on – and the animal faces on the fabric are colourful and fun. We like the idea of the playmat in front, encouraging your baby to stretch out to touch the crinkly sloth face and textured hair. The music is pleasant (and not at all loud) but the best bit, in our book, is the vibration feature – our baby tester loved it!
Available at: Argos and Amazon
5. Infantino Tummy Time and Seated Support Playmat, £30
Age: From birth | Batteries: None
What it is: A tummy-time toy that stacks up (with Velcro fastenings) into a 31cm x 46cm back support for when your baby is older and nearly able to sit. Comes with a detachable BPA-free textured teether and a detachable crinkly cloth sun. Wipe-clean only.
Why we love it: It’s a good size, and is soft and well-padded. We love that it can adapt into a supportive seat, making it a toy that will last many months. The colours are bright and, in the opened-out tummy-time position, your baby can see that lovely, smiley caterpillar face.
Available at: Argos and Amazon
6. Taf Toys Developmental Pillow, £17
Age: From birth | Batteries: None
What it is: A 42cm x 23cm sloped soft pillow with a vintage green cover printed with a friendly rabbit and some fluffy clouds. Comes with a detachable rattle and teething ring.
Why we love it: Our baby testers loved the gentle slope of this pillow that offers support right down to the tummy. It’s only got 2 play accessories but the rattling beads are fun and the teether's a good size.
Available at: Taf Toys, Earthlets and Amazon
7. Bright Start Sit and See Safari Floor Mirror, £9.99
Age: From birth | Batteries: None
What it is: A 28cm x 17cm soft-pyramid tummy time toy with a large baby-safe mirror and a couple of 3D crinkle leaves on one side. Folds down flat. Wipe-clean only.
Why we love it: Sometimes the simplest toys are the biggest winners – and our baby testers were mesmerised by the large mirror that reflects their face so clearly back to them. Not a bad price, either – although, as this toy’s been on the market a while and stock is sometimes limited, you should watch out for re-sellers looking for a lot more.
Available at: Amazon
8. Done by Deer Tummy Time Activity Croco, £35
Age: From birth | Batteries: None
What it is: A 41cm x 18cm croc-shaped pillow with soft, furry scales and a jittering tummy. Comes with a teether, rings, mirror, ribbon tags and crinkle elements attached. Choose from green (pictured) and powder pink. Wipe-clean only.
Why we love it: It’s got oodles of Scandi chic as well as baby appeal – and the vibrating tummy is a brilliant sensory treat. It’s quite solidly stuffed, so may better suit a baby who’s not a tummy-time novice and is already well used to a bit of prone play.
Available at: Kidly, John Lewis and Uber Kids
9. Fisher-Price Grow-With-Me Tummy Time Llama Baby Gym, £29.99
Age: From birth | Batteries: None
What is it: A 43cm x 39cm soft toy llama with a wedge-shaped body for tummy-time play and a side pocket that opens out into a sensory blanket with a detachable carrot teether, mirror and watermelon rattle. Designed to work as a sit-up toy for older toddlers, too. Machine-washable.
Why we love it: It’s very cute and it props a baby nicely for tummy-time play. We like the big mirror, which will also attach under the llama’s chin for happy-reflection-staring when your baby’s lying on their back. We’re impressed with this toy’s long-term appeal too – 1 of our baby testers lost her llama for a while to her much older sister…
Available at: Amazon and Smyths Toys
10. Mamas & Papas Elephant & Baby Tummy Time Snugglerug, £39
Age: From birth | Batteries: None
What is it: A 60cm x 21cm elephant cushion that comes trunk to tail with a soft baby elephant toy with a rattle inside.
Why we love it: This is one of those toys where a picture doesn’t tell the whole story: the mummy elephant cushion is super-snuggly (our baby tester fell asleep on it), not too squidgy and very large – the largest in our list. And the baby elephant is perfect baby-fist-sized and beyond cute. Not a lot of other features but adorable.
About the author
Helen is Deputy Editor of MadeForMums and author of Parenting for Dummies (Wiley, £17.99). She runs our MadeForMums Toy Awards. She has written about parenting for Mumsnet, Pregnancy & Birth, Prima Baby, Boots Parenting Club and She Magazine and she's also been Consumer Editor of Mother & Baby. She has 3 boys and a heavy-duty washing machine.
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Authors
Helen is author of the classic advice book Parenting for Dummies and a mum of 3. Before joining MadeForMums, she was Head of Community at Mumsnet and also the Consumer Editor of Mother & Baby.
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