Are There Any Safe Foam Mats for Toddlers to Play On?

Question:

Does anyone know of an organic foam mat for infants/toddlers to play on? Apparently, the popular interlocking ones are toxic and were just outlawed in Belgium.

Answer:

Last week, news stories reported that Belgium and France have plans to ban the sale of soft foam puzzle play mats in 2011 due to test results showing the mats contain Formamide, a reproductive and developmental toxicant.

The situation isn’t as clear-cut as it would appear, so before you toss your play mat, consider a few things…

1. Many play mats are made of EVA, which has been the standard safer substitute for PVC – even approved by the prestigious international organization, Health Care Without Harm, for neonatal intensive care use.

2. The European ban hasn’t specified what levels of formamide they found in products that triggered alarm and what manufacturing processes may have led to it. There’s also no information yet about updated safety standards and which foam play mats might be safe (they don’t all contain these chemicals).

3. At least one manufacturer of “safer” play mats has responded with some insightful information:

Skip Hop responded with the following statement: All Skip Hop products, including the Playspot, meet or exceed regulatory safety standards in the USA and Europe, without exception. We do not add Formamide to Playspot, although it can be a byproduct of the EVA foam manufacturing process (which includes such items as flip flops and many bath toys). That said, due to these concerns, we have tested Playspot using ISO 16000 methods. We are pleased that our Playspots received the lowest possible score, <2ug/m3 (less than 2 millionths of a gram per cubic meter) for Formamide emissions, the lowest measurable result with this testing method. These tests show that – within the limits of the test – its presence is essentially not detectable. Therefore, the Playspot is a safe EVA floor mat option for children and you should feel confident that we have specifically tested for this issue.

What should you do?

• If you have a play mat, you should contact their customer service department directly for more information.
• If you’re looking for a safer play mat, consider Skip Hop (above), Natural Foam Playmat (“Formamide, Acetaphenone, 2 Phenyl 2 Propanol free”); or Plan Toys Play Mat (“Plan Toys are made from natural, chemical free rubber wood and finished with non-toxic and child friendly colors”). Their company statements have not been verified by us, but these companies have historically provided safer products.
• If you’re still skeptical and concerned, consider play mat substitutes like natural yoga mats and natural, untreated textile rugs.

This answer was provided by our fabulous Chief Communications Officer, Janelle. See all of our questions and answers at Get Answers. Do you have a question? Let us know!