But even with the sound off, toys that light up and play music aren’t for everyone — some babies, and parents, too, find them overstimulating. If that’s the case for you, this is one to skip. We spoke to three moms on the What to Expect editorial team who have three children between them and have tried several of the products on the list. Easy to use. You won’t want to reach for toys that have a complicated setup or aren’t straightforward to use. Create a circle of toys and place baby on their tummy in the middle, encouraging them to reach and stretch with fun activities. Many of our baby play mats come tummy time ready with built-in toys.

Leah also liked that you could use elements of the toy separately from the playmat. She, for instance, would unclip the handing toys to bring in the car or on walks in the stroller. This multipurpose element is a big plus with other parents too. Once your little one is comfortable sitting up, you can switch the positioning so he can access the keyboard more easily. And after your baby has graduated from sitting-up play, convert the light-up keyboard into a piano toy that parents say is popular with their toddlers — some reviewers say their 3- and 4-year-olds are still using it as a standalone piano.The bar is shallow and can lie flat during tummy time, but once your baby has learned how to sit, you can prop it up so he can still access it. It’s also lightweight enough that your little one can hold it in his lap, stroller or in a chair to play with as well. And because it’s on the smaller side, many parents say they’ve traveled with it. The only downside, if there is one, is that the story itself likely won’t captivate older babies or toddlers, so it has a shorter lifespan than some other products on this list. But for the price, it’s a great buy to entertain younger babies during tummy time and help encourage an early love of reading, too.

This light bar is incredibly popular with What to Expect parents, who say that the music and lights help grab their babies’ attention during tummy time play in particular. It has three modes — animals, colors and xylophone — and lights up with your baby’s touch. One downside with water mats is they tend to require some light assembly (in this case, inflating the mat and filling it with tap water) as well as some maintenance (parents say this mat can get some mold inside after a few months, so be sure to refresh the water regularly). We utilized a lot of tummy time toys which were all great, but could be very stimulating. With the Boppy though, my daughter could build those muscles while I read a book to her, which was a nice way to ease into naptime,” says Leah. With gentle music, buzzing sounds, and the ability to move in either a circular or random pattern, What to Expect parents say that this small but mighty toy engages babies well during tummy time play.The baby-safe mirror is held by a small fabric floor mount that places an infant’s reflection at their exact eye level during tummy time. Babies like to grab onto the soft fabric on the mount while interacting with themselves in the mirror, and parents say that the included high-contrast cards are also a big hit. As one of Lovevery’s most popular products, The Play Gym offers countless ways to entertain your infant during tummy time and beyond. There are five play zones on the mat, and your little one will love rotating through each on his tummy, interacting with the embedded crinkly fabric, squeaky toys and textured fabrics. The gym also comes with high contrast cards, photo cards and a mirror that slide into a tummy time-friendly frame, so you can rotate them out regularly and keep baby’s view fresh. This bee does a particularly good job of growing with your baby, too. It has three different play modes: one as a simple bee rattle;, another where the bee sits in the cloud and moves in a circle, which is ( ideal for tummy time;little ones on their tummies who can’t yet move to chase it around) and a third stage where it moves in a random pattern, which (great once your baby can start crawling after it).

Finally, the toy requires three AA batteries, which may be a turnoff for some parents who would prefer not to have to continuously replace them.

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The AAP recommends placing your baby on his stomach two to three times a day for a short period of time, such as three to five minutes. As the weeks go on and your baby gets stronger, you can increase the time. What are the benefits of tummy time? Christine added that it was the perfect travel toy, “because it folds flat and is soft and unbreakable.” Also nice: The high-contrast cards include a removable stroller link, so you can bring them with you on the go or remove the stroller link to loop the cards onto the mirror mount. Multi-purpose. All of the toys on this list helped entertain and motivate infants during tummy time play, but could also be used when baby has moved on to other milestones like rolling over and sitting up.