Price Tag: $13-16.99
Official URL: www.intplay.com
Rating:

I’m always on the lookout for something that I can add to the “Eating Out” entertainment bag, a small bag of toys that I bring along to restaurants to keep my toddler entertained as we eat our meal. This set of 20 disposable placemats and a little dishwasher-safe toy car is a great addition to the bag.

THE CAR

Each pack of 20 placemats comes with an assorted-style Viking “Little Chubbies” car. There are 6 different styles of vehicle that include a jeep, a truck, a car, and a convertible in different bright colors. (Green, red, blue, yellow). These cars have a funky European aesthetic in both design and color choice. The body is all one piece of molded flexible plastic, and the wheels are made of a white rubbery material with colorful hubs. Each wheel set is attached to the body of the Little Chubbies vehicle using a metal axle.

These cars roll easily on both smooth and “off-road” surfaces, but not so fast that they roll quickly or easily out of reach of younger kids.

Train-obsessed little ones will be thrilled to discover that each Little Chubbies vehicle can hitch to other little chubbies vehicles to form a train for even more fun.

Any parent that has spent a painsaking half hour with a q-tip trying to get chewed up chicken nugget out of a toy car will be happy that these cars are easy to hand-clean. They can also be tossed into the top rack of your dishwasher for quick cleaning and sanitizing.

The ‘Little Chubbies’ are made in Thailand and are safe for children from 1 and up. They are very durable (they can withstand 220lbs of force according to the manufacturer. My husband can personally vouch for at least 160lbs of that force, seeing as both of us have accidentally stepped on all of our son’s toys more often than we would like to admit to).

THE MATS

Each mat measures 18″ across by 12″ deep. They are made of a thin flexible plastic similar to that used for zipper baggies or thicker shopping bags. They’re difficult to tear, and can hold up to rougher play. They can be recycled, so when your child is done playing with them make sure you mention that to the person clearing the table. (Or wipe them clean and add them to your own recycling at home) 10 of the mats are a “town” theme, and 10 are a “playground” theme. The town theme has black roads with white dashed lines. A fire station, a bridge, a pond, a town, a tree, a bench, and a gas station give your child a lot to look at. My son loved pointing out the different things that he could spot. New readers can read “No Parking”, “Fire Station”, “Stop” “Park”, “Gas” and “One Way”. Younger children can identify colors, animals (bird, fish, duck), plants (flower, tree, grass), vehicles (boat, plane, fire engine) and more. The “Playground” theme has sand-colored pathways, a playground, playful pooches and even more for your child to explore.

The mat isn’t just for playing, it also keeps your child’s food safely away from the germs on the table. Unlike the paper placemats offered by restaurants, this mat forms a sanitary barrier between germs and your child’s toys, hands and food.

The place mats are made in China by TableTopper.

One note of caution- the adhesive on these mats seems to “set”. When you first attach them they peel off easily. But if you leave them overnight they can pull the finish off of some tables. Most restaurant tables and home tables will be fine, but be careful about putting these onto other surfaces such as coffee tables, side tables or play tables that might have a more sensitive finish. We only had this occur with one table, a $19.99 Ikea play table with a white particleboard top. We’re not too worried about it happening with other tables, though, since the finish on this particular table was very prone to damage and could easily be scraped with a fingernail and didn’t even hold up to low-tack tape or wall stickers that are explicitly designed for use on painted surfaces.

BOTTOM LINE

These play mats add about 75 cents to the cost of your meal when you buy them at the pricier side of the cost range. This is more than worth it when you consider the fact that it keeps your child’s eating surface clean, and your child entertained. Not to mention the fact that it buys you time to eat your meal in peace.

I was worried that my son would lose interest in the mats with only two options to choose from. This need not have concerned me. Give a toddler a play mat and some little cars and they seem to be endlessly entertained. There’s a lot to be said for a simple inexpensive toy that can keep a toddler occupied for so long that we’ve actually had to drag him OUT of restaurants upon having leisurely finished our dinner and dessert.