Foam Playmats-Recent Health Warning

[ellasmummy]

i bought DD these for xmas - has been a lifesaver as she gets rashes from bum shuffling across the carpet. it didn't smell chemicaly or anything, but now i am paranoid

[Miss.B]

I would get rid of it hun, just to be safe. I am trying to find an alternative without spending $300. I've got a fairly large cotton playmat on the floor ATM but DS has just started to crawl (more like a forward shuffle on his elbows) and it would have been much easier on his old mat

[~StarBright~]

So is it only bad if they chew it, or is it just being there dangerous too???

[Miss.B]

SB, I've been told that just bub rubbing on it is not good, something about very fine fibers/particles can come off on skin or something like that.....chewing def. doesn't help. I think bub's skin/eyes can get irritated if they have prolonged contact with the mat. Personally I wouldn't take the chance, I threw mine out straight away.

[boomba]

Scary stuff so glad we dont have them. I would think it can leech and go into the body via skin?

The thing with chemicals is they are EVERYWHERE! Even if you only eat organic home grown food and wear organic clothes the chemicals will still be found in your system so you can not remove them but you can limit them.

I would not let my kids use them personally and when they chew them thats even worse. You will find most plastics to be bad...there is a chemical called Phthalate its is a chemical found in stretchy plastic so little plastic chairs blow up toys etc it is an hormone imbalancer etc especially bad for boys. Teflon is also another really harmful chemical...I could go on....so unless you are going to dispose of most things in your house you can never escape the chemicals.

But this mat thing worries me and I would be disposing them properly just to be safe. x

ETA Australia is the dumping ground for a lot of stuff which has been banned BPA is banned in so many countries, when USA I think banned it the manufacturers sent it all here to give to our babies!!!!!!! My mind boggles! A great book to read is Slow death by rubber duck. It really makes you think!

[beckoes]

i agree, there are chemicals everywhere....i bought some christmas lights this year and couldnt put them on the tree cause they smelt SO bad! they gave me a head ache! In the bin!!!!!
Makes you think about what others deam safe for our babies.

Our mat is in the bin too! Got one of those rugs with the roads on it and DD loves driving her little cars around it! cute! much better than the big jigsaw she used to pull apartand throw all around the house anyway

[Fuzzywuzzy]

Our mat is in the bin too! Got one of those rugs with the roads on it and DD loves driving her little cars around it! cute! much better than the big jigsaw she used to pull apartand throw all around the house anyway

Beckoes, where did you get your rug from? I have been looking for one for my DD for her b'day

[Miss.B]

Me too beckoes, that sound like a great idea! Our carpet is pretty thinck and long so DS finds getting around it hard. I think those mats you're talking about have very short fibers and easy to move on??

[Miss.B]

OK, there is heaps on ebay and Spotlight have rolls of vinyl with patterns (plus smaller 1.3 x 90 cm mats I think). With the vinyl, I think it's 1.3 m wide and you can have as much as you want in length. I saw a great rubber backing mat with roads and trucks etc. 2 m x 1.3 m. on ebay, might get it