Despite all my protestations, I’ve fallen under-the-spell of pink with Heidi. I was so convinced I’d have a pink-free zone and bought tons of dresses and babygros in greens, blues and yellows, but they just don’t suit her. In fact, Heidi doesn’t seem to like bright colours at all. If I’m wearing a vivid primary colour it takes her far longer to settle in my arms, and she would scream if you popped her in her Mamas & Papas Lottie play mat. So when Lollipop Lane offered to send her a new one, I couldn’t resist.

Naturally as I’m now embracing all things pink, I opted for the very pretty (and unequivocally pink) Upsy Daisy Play Mat - and I’m SO PLEASED I did. Heidi loves it and consequently I get a few hands-free minutes a day to chuck on some make-up or give one of the boys a quick cuddle.

When it first arrived the package looked thin, almost worryingly so. As we’d tried Heidi on the Lottie beforehand I was used to big plush activity mats and thought this might be too thin to provide a comfortable play surface - but I was wrong. The mat is actually deceptively padded yet gives Heidi a flat surface to lie on. It seems part of the reason she hated Lottie was that it was too soft and she didn’t like the sensation of being swallowed by foam.

The play mat arrived in a perspex bag which is incredibly handy for storing it away or transporting it to nanny’s house - big bonus points here. It also has zero set-up time. You literally unzip the bag and it springs into its regular shape. Similarly, taking it down is easy peasy and you needn’t detach the arches or the toys to stow away.

With other play mats we’ve used we’ve had to lock the arches into position using toggles which will often come undone and ping out. On the Upsy Daisy play mat the two arches are really sturdy and have already withstood a fair bit of bashing from my boisterous toddler - every time they’ve held their shape and have sprung back into position. These arches hold five sweet detachable toys; a safe mirror, two squeakers, a crinkle toy and a star-shaped plush that plays ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ when pressed. Heidi hasn’t got any fine motor skills to show off yet, but is happy gazing up at the hanging toys. She really likes the music too and it seems to nip any tears in the bud.

The mat itself is a really soft velour in a pretty garden theme with tons of interactive features. There’s crinkle paper petals, silky bits and flappy bits to keep baby engaged when they’re ready for tummy-time. From a parent’s perspective I also really appreciate how easy it is to keep clean compared to other play mats we’ve tried. Dexter spilled some milk on the velour surface yesterday but it wiped off easily and didn’t sink into the material. There are also no folds or seams which tend to collect dust and pet hair over time.

At £39.99 it’s less than half the price of the Mamas & Papas one and, in my opinion, is much better. You simply can’t put a price on a good play mat that will give baby somewhere safe and comfortable to play, relax and sleep. I’d recommend this one without hesitation.

To check out the entire range of Lollipop Lane play mats, head on over to the website. Whilst you’re there it’s worth a quick look at their cute character bedding, Moses baskets, bath and changing equipment and other nursery accessories - you’ll find everything you need to create a beautifully coordinated nursery at really reasonable prices. Lollipop Lane are also quite the sociable bunch and are happy to interact with you on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube - not often I get to say that as a blogger!

Giveaway time

Would you like to win a play mat by Lollipop Lane for your little one? Well it just so happens they’ve kindly given me one to giveaway to a lucky reader! You choose which one you fancy so if pink isn’t your thing there are three others to choose from . Just enter via Rafflecopter below and your little one could soon be chilling out on one of their very own!