The answer is a resounding YES.
As we step into 2024, the question on many parents’ minds is whether this investment piece retains its value and effectiveness in the ever-evolving market of Play Gyms.
The Lovevery Play Gym continues to stand out for its thoughtful design, high-quality materials, and ability to engage little ones through various stages of development.
As parents who have navigated the overwhelming world of baby gear and as owners of the Lovevery Play Gym, we understand the importance of making informed decisions when it comes to purchases for your little one.
Our experience with the Lovevery Play Gym, coupled with extensive research and feedback from other parents, has equipped us with valuable insights into the product’s longevity and its impact on early childhood development.
Highlights of what you will find by reading this material:
- details about the play gym that usually become available after you buy it
- how Lovevery’s Gym compare to the competition
- the unique features of this gym
- 7 cons you should be aware of
- 5 alternatives to the Lovevery Play Gym
- play gym add-ons
What Is The Lovevery Play Gym?
In my opinion, this gym is the “Hello, World!” for your child.
The Lovevery Play Gym provides a safe space for your baby to reach new milestones in their development.
It’s perfect for tummy time and learning new things by exploring the foldable side zones you or your baby can open and close on demand.
Using a combination of contrasting yet not eye-disturbing colors, interesting textures, and sounds, the Lovevery Play Gym helps babies’ brains and bodies develop by exposing them to different stimuli.
Like the rest of Lovevery’s products, the play gym was designed by child development experts and is Montessori-inspired.
When To Use The Lovevery Play Gym?
Apart from the question above, you might have several other questions from the same category:
- Do I need my baby to be a certain age to use it?
- When it’s safe to use it?
- Does my baby need to meet a certain condition for using it?
Got some good news for you.
Your baby can use the Lovevery Play Gym from day 1 of life, supervised by an adult.
There are certain things you should be aware of which I mentioned below, in the dedicated chapter, so keep reading.
What’s In The Box?
Another question would be, “What do I get for the money I pay?”.
The efficiently-organized box you will receive contains the following items:
3 wooden arches – they will be the skeleton of the Lovevery Play Gym and are made of FSC-certified, sustainably sourced wood.
The plastic joint – where you will clip the arms together without any tools.
The Play Mat – the bread and butter of the Lovevery Play Gym is made of polyester(which raised many controversies) but for a good reason, to avoid shrinking during machine washing.
It comes with 5 foldable action zones allowing you to focus your child toward a certain number(s) of zones, thus preventing overstimulation.
It has quite a good cushion compared to similar items and you don’t need to place anything under it.
We’ve placed it directly on the wooden floor.
The Play Gym Cover – will allow you to turn the gym into a tent/fort/castle (yippee, you don’t need to invest money in a separate one).
The Organic Cotton High-Contrast Ball – a classic Montessori toy with unlimited play options. Safe to chew!
The Batting Ring – from the same material as the arches, this ergonomically designed toy will raise the batting and grasping to a new level.
The soft bell and castanet sounds are a nice touch.
The Organic Cotton Teether – a 2-in-1 teether made of an organic cotton teether that “hugs” a safe BPA-free silicone ring.
The Teething Ring – a second silicone ring that can be used standalone or in the Hide and Find zone.
The Black and White Card Set – a similar but not identical set to the one found in The Looker Play Kit.
The 2-faced 4 cards will draw your baby’s attention, especially in the first 4-5 months of life because of the high contrast and increasing complexity.
Tot Flash:
According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), “it is generally believed that babies have good color vision by 5 months of age“.
The Common Objects Card Set – a colored, real-life images (as Montessori recommends) deck that will give you and your baby topics to talk about.
The Faces Card Set – same as the above but with baby faces. Babies are always curious to see other babies.
The Mirror Card Set – the 2 mirror-like cards will become attractive for your baby as growing up.
The Card Set Clips – will help you position and rotate cards wherever you want around the Gym.
The Play Guide – yeap, you get one of these also.
Packed with research-backed ideas on how to obtain the maximum benefit out of the Lovevery Play Gym, this “user manual” is structured into 6 sections (bimonthly) covering at least 1 year of your child’s life.
The guide explains also developmental milestones and the benefits of each activity they propose.
Now let’s be honest, everyone is giving advice but how many are explaining the reasons behind it?
“Give your baby this and that in this quantity!”…then silence.
Then you need to research, spend time, argue with friends, doctors, etc.
Lovevery does that and it’s making life so EASY!
The Guide also contains advice on other activities you can engage your baby in, unrelated to the Lovevery Play Gym.
All the toys and cards are detachable/removable.
Is Lovevery Play Gym A Montessori Play Gym?
The correct answer would be that the Lovevery Play Gym is the most Montessori-oriented play gym out there.
It contains both toys and concepts that fit within the Montessori philosophy:
- The Card Set is entirely Montessori-based.
- Out of the toys, the Organic Cotton High-Contrast ball is Montessori-inspired.
- The 5-station design of the Lovevery Play Gym is one of the Montessori concepts at work – the baby can choose and move from one station to another to play and learn, under the guidance of an adult.
One thing we didn’t like, although we found a workaround, and is not quite Montessori, is the fixed places for the hanging toys.
Other than that, please take our word that, currently, there is no play gym or play mat out there more Montessori than the Lovevery Play Gym.
Lovevery Play Gym vs Others
To understand what differentiates the Lovevery Play Gym from other Play Mats out there we need to have a deeper look at its features:
The Lifespan
It is safe to use it from the first day your baby arrives in the world.
It’s recommended from 0 to 12 months, but I assure you it can be used way past that period because of the next feature.
The Versatility
The Lovevery Play Gym has 5 developmental zones with activities fostering exploration and development and a fort concept.
Hide and Find
It was our daughter’s favorite, early teaching the object permanence concept to your child.
Although simplistic compared to other zones, she loved this hide-and-seek for many months.
Even today she keeps hiding things in there from us.
This colorful zone contains a pocket hiding one of the toys coming with the Gym, the Teething Ring.
You can replace the ring with whatever you like.
Feel
5 material tabs of different textures your baby will love exploring…or not.
In our case, this was the least used zone of the 5.
Not sure why, as it doesn’t feel strange like some felt items from the Lovevery Play Kits.
Sound
Probably the first zone of interest for your baby because of the various sounds coming out of it when kicked, pressed, or grabbed.
This zone teaches the cause-and-effect concept.
In our case, this was the first zone that got ignored somewhere around 7-8 months.
Colors
Containing 8 soft material tabs of clear colors, this zone becomes attractive for babies around 5 months.
That’s when they start seeing colors, in case you were wondering what’s up with the Black and White Card set and Organic Cotton Ball.
Focus
Versatile itself, this zone is the stage for the various card sets of the Lovevery Play Gym.
We like this zone because it’s growing with your child since complexity can be increased multiple times.
Our daughter had so much fun here and we saved memorable moments.
The Play Space Cover (The Fort)
The Lovevery Play Gym can be transformed into a wonderful fort with a finger snap.
Lovevery Play Gym Setup And Folding
When thinking of buying a play gym or play mat, among the first thoughts for parents is the (painful) setup.
What if I don’t receive the instructions?
What if I don’t have the tools?
What if they don’t send batteries? Should I order some? How many? Which type?
Well, with the Lovevery Play Gym, you don’t have to worry at all because they got you covered:
- you don’t need batteries
- you don’t need tools
- you don’t need assistants unless your baby is eager to help
- you need between 2 and 5 minutes for setup
You can check the Lovevery Play Gym video setup created by Lovevery below.
Check also how to set up the fort.
Now seriously, they are thoughtful and we love how much Lovevery cares about all aspects.
This is something you won’t see in too many baby products.
To fold it, you follow the same process backward.
A walk in the park, for real.
Safe And Sustainable Materials
The product contains:
- low amount of plastic (BPA-free) – opposite to other play gyms where plastic is the main material because it’s cheap
- organic cotton
- FSC-certified baltic birch wood
- PVC-free silicone
- baby-safe polyester fiber
How To Clean Lovevery Activity Mat
Everyone with babies is aware that things can get dirty, A LOT and often.
Another question on all parents’ lips when purchasing a fabric item is “Can I machine wash it?” or, “Can I machine wash it without ruining it?“.
How many times have you ruined items in the washing machine?
We can’t even remember.
I am personally guilty of ruining a couple of Merino wool clothes for our daughter because “it didn’t make sense to use the Gentle cycle and wool detergent for only two items“.
Back to the matter at hand, being able to clean baby products is always a must and not a luxury.
Well, believe it or not, the components of the Lovevery Play Gym can be cleaned very easily and efficiently.
| All fabric items | Machine wash using cold water and a gentle cycle. Ideally, they should be air-dried. |
| Wooden and plastic items | Wipe down with a damp cloth and non-abrasive cleaner when needed. |
| Silicone items | Wipe down or wash in lukewarm water with a gentle, baby-friendly cleaner. |
The activity mat needs a bit of preparation before washing, like removing any cards from the Focus Zone and closing each of the three corner attachment straps to prevent snagging.
More details are also available on Lovevery’s website.
Our experience with the cleaning was decent, I guess it could’ve been better with the following advice:
- Wash the Lovevery Play Gym fabric items ALONE – the material tends to attract lint from other fluffy products. A real pain to clean it out after.
- Air-dry horizontally if possible – after a couple of washes and drying it vertically, we have the feeling that some areas changed their size.
- Not so “pet-friendly” – if you have hairy pets, try to keep them out of the mat. It’s like a magnet. Or get stock of lint rollers.
Lovevery Play Gym’s Unique Features
There are a couple of unique features of the Lovevery Play Gym.
These were the “extra mile” that convinced us to go for it:
| Multiple activity zones | Most Play Mats have 1-2 activity zones while Lovevery Play Gym has 5. |
| Foldable activity zones | Most Play Mats’ activity zones are permanently there, in some you can’t even remove them temporarily without breaking the mat. |
| Montessori inspired | Most Play Mats ignore the Montessori concept or they barely scratch the surface. |
| Minimalist design | Most Play Mats contain complex shapes and patterns, thus disengaging babies. |
| Friendly colors and patterns | Most Play Mats have flashy or chaotic color patterns that are very disturbing for newborns. |
| Ear-friendly noise (no music) | Most Play Mats have loud electronic sounds or disturbing music. Some don’t even have a sound-level adjuster. |
| Designed with baby experts | Very few Play Mats out there were designed following expert advice. |
7 Cons And Aspects To Be Aware Of
The Size
Is not necessarily a minus but you need to be aware it will take quite significant space to accommodate the Lovevery Play Gym:
- Play mat zones closed (inches): 23.9H x 37.9W x 42.9L
- Play mat zones open (inches): 23.9H x 50W x 47L
Therefore, not ideal for small rooms.
It’s also a bit complicated to move it from one room to another without dismantling it.
However, this is a minor issue since this process takes around 2 minutes when you are “skilled” enough.
The above also applies if you wanna travel with it.
Lint And Pet Hair Magnet
One of the biggest minuses for us as we constantly need to clean it out.
Keep pets out and wash the mat separately and you’ll be safe.
Immobile Hanging Toys
You attach the hanging toys using the slots drilled in the arches’ wood.
Therefore, they are always in the same location, an aspect contrary to the Montessori guidelines.
We decided to shorten and lengthen the straps from time to time.
We also changed them at some point with some flexible (jiggling) ones.
If the baby is small, there is a chance that not all toys are within the reaching area, creating frustration.
Since we were in this situation, we changed the straps to longer ones.
Head Bump Risks
The Play Gym’s arches are wooden.
This positive feature can turn into a disadvantage sometimes if the baby is rolling at a high velocity.
It happened a few times to us, however, the bumps were minor.
We wrapped the arms in some cotton clothing to eliminate any further accidents.
The Batting Ring can turn into a potential risk if the baby manages to swing it very fast.
Although, this didn’t occur for us because when our daughter was strong enough to turn it into a sling, she lost interest in it.
The Price
There is no way around it.
The Lovevery Play Gym is pricy, at least compared to their competitors (see comparison below).
But let’s reconsider this statement until after you finish the reading.
In our case, after digesting the available information, we decided to go for it.
We hope the information provided so far will help you make an educated decision that fits both your budget and your goals.
Two years after we got it, we still use some parts of it for daily games, like the canopy and the Montessori ball.
In my opinion, the price is right for the value it provides.
Almost $12/month.
Are you a smoker?
Just “forget” about 1 pack per month.
Do yourself and your baby a favor.
Mismatch
Same as with the Lovevery Play Kits or any other baby products, there is a chance your baby will not engage with (some parts of) it.
Our daughter didn’t like the Feel Zone.
So in the end, it was a big win.
Music
Although I am totally against loud music, I believe a feature to create or listen to some relaxing tones would be a huge plus.
Lovevery Play Gym Add-Ons
First-Year Lovevery Play Kits
They can be used inside, attached, or mounted in the Gym.
Some examples:
- from The Looker Play Kit, we particularly liked the Mobile and the Sensory Links
- from The Charmer Play Kit, our daughter enjoyed the Framed Mirror and the Black and White Card Set
- from The Senser Play Kit, we mostly enjoyed the Rainbow Ball (similar to the one that comes with the Gym but multicolor)and the Wobbler
I have to admit I like how they imagined this ecosystem.
As a former Apple employee, I fully understand and appreciate the concept.
The Sensory Strands
The Sensory Strands addon was created for the Play Gym.
As the name suggests, this is a sensory toy, designed together with child development experts to encourage cognitive and sensory exploration, motor skills, and auditory & tactile stimulation.
This baby-safe product is made of 90% organic cotton and 10% polyester silk.
It’s also filled with 80% plastic film and 20% polyester fiber.
With all the items from the Gym and the Lovevery Play Kits, we decided to pass on this one.
One of my friends has it because they missed the first year Play Kits and the feedback is positive.
Their baby was engaged by it and spent a lot of time playing with it.
There was nothing negative about it.
Keep in mind the Sensory Strands are NOT washable.
Lovevery suggests you clean them with a damp cloth and mild cleaner.
With the help of the integrated straps and the safety loop, you can easily attach it to the Lovevery Play Gym in a few seconds.
In conclusion, this easy-to-attach addon can be a nice touch but it’s also something you can survive without.
If you don’t go for the kits I strongly suggest getting the sensory strands.
Alternatives To The Lovevery Play Gym
You can find on the market a huge amount of Play Gyms.
Some are “similar” to the Lovevery Play Gym, and some are far away in quality and design.
The reasons we chose the Lovevery Play Gym over others are multiple.
Among the most important:
- already convinced by the quality of the Play Kits
- low amount of plastic
- easy setup
- foldable activity zones
- easy cleaning
- the Lovevery ecosystem
I’ll drop below the alternatives worth mentioning in my opinion (in random order):
Lovevery Play Gym vs Lovevery Play Kits
You are probably wondering, “If I have the Lovevery Play Kits subscription, does the Lovevery Play Gym make sense?” or the other way around.
Truth is, the focus is completely different, although the same.
Sounds complicated right?
Let us clarify that.
The Gym is designed to “follow” your child’s development for at least 1 year.
On the other side, Lovevery Play Kits are delivered every two months in the first year.
Therefore, we can say the Kits are hyper-focusing on 2 months whereas the Gym is offering 1 year of play but at a different granularity.
So the overlap between the two is small to inexistent, which is great, at least from the perspective of not paying two times for the same features.
The Play Gym and the Lovevery Play Kits from the first year are designed to support each other.
Where To Buy The Lovevery Play Gym
The good news is that the Lovevery Play Gym and The Sensory Strands Add-On, compared to the Play Kits, are available both in the Lovevery webshop and from external partners.
Because of the price, it’s also free shipping.
I strongly suggest you get it directly from Lovevery because in my experience they tend to care way more about the delivery than other vendors.
They even have carbon-neutral shipping.
Several people complained about receiving damaged packages from other vendors.
On the other hand, their partners might have options for monthly installments with no fee.
Alternatively, Amazon is a good and fast place to get it from, especially if you have a Prime subscription.
Key Takeaways
After 2 years of playing with the Lovevery Play Gym, we were considering donating it.
The fort is still in high demand even at the age of 3 and a half, so keep postponing it.
Same as for other toys, this is good to have but it’s not the end of the world if you don’t.
It helps your baby in the first year but it will not replace your presence and love.
Worst-case scenario, your baby will be late for the party but catching up is guaranteed.
Comparing her to other kids I see or know, these tools from Lovevery are providing the extra edge I was looking for.
In the end, every child is developing at their own pace but I am now more certain than ever that development can be stimulated.
As always, I hope I was able to put in the spotlight all the useful information about the Lovevery Play Gym and that you enjoyed the lecture.
If you are not familiar with Lovevery world I strongly recommend reading our exquisite Lovevery Play Kits review which contains comprehensive information about the company and its products.
If you have any questions, tips, curiosities, or experiences to share, please use the comments section below.