i actually bought a Big W 'laptop rester" thingy a few weeks ago, it was in shrink wrap, once i took the shrink wrap off, the item smelt SO strong, i couldn't bear to have it inside the house. So i sat it outside for a week, to "de-smell" it - and it STILL really stunk (in a chemical way). so i took it back for a refund, citing the reason "chemical smell so strong i could not bear to have it near me" - which they accepted.

I put this experience in this thread, cos i'm now thinking "how many OTHER products are made, using these dangerous chemicals?" These strong chemical smells give me migraines, so i have strong motivation to avoid them.

As for other options (when you ditch the foam mats)
- sheepskin rugs (for young bubs who are lying and rolling
- nappy free time mats
- a quilt
- wool floor rug
- cotton floor rug

for the person with the decking that gets slippery, rubber mats - you can get rolls of this stuff. cut out design.

i brought up bilby as a young bub in a place with concrete floors and lino, so i do understand about hard, cold floors. and used pillows/cushions on the floor alot when she was learning to sit up. Having a soft zone in her large playpen helped too.

She grew up in a home with hard floors and no foam mats, we found it do-able.