Selecting the Right Changing Mat to suit your needs

There are so many kinds of changing mats in the market. They come in all sorts of materials, layers, sizes, shapes and designs. What is good for me, you may wonder.

 At AgapeStar, we know best, and we are happy to share knowledge to consumers, to make an informed decision.

 Let’s take a look a few considerations.

• Use / Purpose

Diaper changing mats and urine pads are products that serve different purposes despite being marketed to be almost similar.

(Diaper) Changing mats primarily work as a waterproof barrier to protect the surface of a changing station from getting stained with urine. Babies pee, we all know. And since their primarily source of food before 6 months is milk and water, they pee a lot. Sometimes they will pee during diaper changing and stain the bed if the baby is not placed on a changing mat. Thus a changing mat only needs to be waterproof and need not be so efficient in absorbing liquids. That’s the reason many changing mats in the market may have a top layer made of polyester, milk fiber, PUL (Polyurethane Laminate Fabric) or rubber, since changing mats are not required to absorb much pee.

For many, air-filled rubber mats are a great choice due to its waterproof properties. You need not wash the mat and can simply wipe off the stain easily. The only shortfall is, rubber mats are essentially quite expensive and tear easily with use. Why is that so? Rubber mats cannot be folded, but we tend to fold it as anyone typically use it to keep it at one side. Secondly, temperature changes cause rubber to expand and contract. Due to changes to temperature, the tension over time will cause the rubber to tear. Usually any rubber mat don’t last longer than a year and lower quality rubber mats come with a smell. Even so, rubber mats remain popular as it is cool to lie on and it is easier to wipe off any stain with a wet wipe without the need to wash it frequently.

• Baby Age

Size becomes a key consideration as we always try to buy something we can use for as long as possible. Why is that so? Well, a baby grows exponentially in the first year.

Source: https://www.healthline.com/health/parenting/average-baby-length#length-chart

(compiled information adapted from World Health Organization)

 My son is 52cm in height at birth. We know some babies grow really huge, with tender care and great nutrition (or maybe due to genetic factors), stay in the 90^th percentile throughout their first year. That’s the reason why purchasing a newborn diaper mat (30x40cm) is a waste of money. For premature babies, or smaller babies, maybe that can last for 1 or 2 months. A diaper changing mat size of 50x70cm can be considered for up to first 4 or 6 months.

 It is good to have 2 to 3 pieces of changing mat for replacement, just in case any of them got dirty. This is quite possible especially for newborns who need diaper changing as frequently as 6 to 8 times a day (once every 3 hours). As a baby grows to become a bigger toddler about 2 to 3 years of age, depending on individual child, some children will have so much poo that the situation may become messy than you think. So there is a need for the changing mat to be washed and changed.

 Then, when you think your child is ready for potty training, that’s when we parents start to take off the diaper. In this process, your child may wet the bed anytime. That is when a large urine pad or changing mat is much needed.

There aren’t that many changing mats of that size available in the market, but in Singapore, at least, we at AgapeStar sells a wide range of designs for our 3 Layer Bamboo Large Changing Mats (150x100cm), at affordable prices! We have great partners who supply us great quality mats to serve your needs. Our 4 layer mats come with a soft cotton top layer, thin microfiber absorbent layer, a PUL waterproof layer and a bamboo terry bottom layer. This is the perfect size and thickness for your little ones.

 There are some mats which comes with silicon non-slip layers and 5 or 6 layers. There are fine too but one shortcoming is, it feels thick and hard with the non-slip layer. And such mats are heavy, thus, you cannot find any such mats selling at larger than 80x100cm.

 As changing mats needed to be line dry or hang dry, the best size is 150x100cm. This size is good enough to be placed vertically or horizontally to fit any large bed. Pillows and bolsters can be placed at the corners of the mat to stabilize the position of the mat. Since it is large enough, once the corners are stabilized, the mat will never roll backwards or shift in position. Isn’t this the perfect solution for toilet training during long hours of sleep?

• Maintenance / Ease of care

Understanding the materials a changing mat is made of is crucial in understanding how to take care of it. If anyone tries to sell you any changing mat without full confidence of care instructions, you may want to reconsider purchasing it. One key thing to note is that all changing mats are WATERPROOF. It is waterproof because of a waterproof layer known as TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane). This is also a layer used to laminate fabrics to make them waterproof.

 Since this is essentially a plastic material, we CANNOT put the mats into a dryer for tumble drying. The plastic layer will melt or crack, thus damaging the waterproof function. Thus, you need to hang dry any changing mat or urine pad because they are made with this waterproof material.

 Thus weight is definitely a factor to consider when it comes to changing mats. We all know fabrics absorb water, and once it does, the mat gets really heavy. That’s why nowadays we seldom handwash anything big because it becomes too laborious. All our mats are machine washable though handwash is still very much recommended.

Our Best Baby Changing Mats are one of the best selling products at our online store. This is a good quality 2 layer large changing mat measuring 98cmx 72cm. We tried and tested the product and sees the following qualities as great for a changing mat:

• It is light, thin and compact. Easy to handwash, hang dry and fold to keep.
• Top layer is made of polyester or milk fiber which is smooth and breathable. Stains can be easily wiped off without needed to wash it frequently.
• It is large. You can use it up to a child which is 4 year old and still on diapers. The child can lie comfortably on a large surface.
• Dries fast. The thin material can absorb a bit of water, but not much. But the polyester milk fiber dries fast under the hot sun, making it easy to wash and use.