The Ultimate Playmat for Little Adventurers

Hello everyone. I was thinking about how my eldest daughter always had a blanket to follow her around, to be soft, warm, and not too rough... But I decided that with my youngest, it would be different: he needed a proper mat to crawl on and explore the world.

As it turned out, though, he ended up trying out the bare linoleum first, but I'll get to that later.

So, reminiscing about last year's Black Friday on Ali, the first item that landed in my cart (before I even started shopping) was this mat. I actually stumbled upon its existence by accident, because I was looking to buy foam puzzles - you know, the ones that come in different sizes. But I was put off by how they always seemed to separate. Then I read a post from a mom who swore by this 'Wonder Mat' thing, and I thought, why not give it a shot? I ordered it, and...

The mat comes in two sizes: 2m x 1.6m or 1.6m x 1.3m.I opted for the larger one, since my kids love to crawl everywhere, and I figured it'd be better to have a bigger area to cover.

Price: 797 rubles.

I ended up buying it on AliExpress because it was cheaper, and I figured, why pay more in the city when I can get it online? Plus, it saves me the hassle of searching for it in stores.

Shipping times: 3-4 weeks

I've been waiting, and waiting, and checking the tracking number to see where my mat is... And you know, when you order something, you're always thinking about its quality, texture, price, but not so much about the shipping. It got me wondering, who's responsible for making sure my stuff gets to me safely, since the seller's already been paid and the item's been shipped out?

It's the Chinese logistics company that handles it first, and then Russia's Postal Service takes over. I've received a ton of packages from the Postal Service before, and I always wondered, what's going on with the country's top transportation company?

So, three weeks went by, and it was a Saturday evening when I got a text from Ali: 'Your package is at the Post Office. Go pick it up.'

And when I checked the tracking number on the Post Office website, I got the same message.

I've been going to the post office with the notification already, and then this invisible force pushed me, and I rushed to the branch because it's just a 5-minute walk from home.When I got to the branch, I saw a lot of people (I guess it was pension day or something, and it was a Saturday too), I walked up to the operator for package pickup, lucky me, those who don't pay can go through the separate line. I told the operator the tracking number and that I'd received a delivery notification through the app.

My precious package was found, the operator asked for the phone number on it, and after getting the info, he said it wasn't in their database or it wasn't registered. Oh well, my job was to get the package.

Exactly a minute later, the postal worker didn't ask for my passport, didn't give me any documents to sign, and just handed me the package. This was the first time in my entire history with this organization, but my task was accomplished - my Holy Grail was in my hands, and I could rush home and make the kids happy.

We were expecting guests, and I decided to dash to the nearby store to grab some cookies for tea and, while waiting in line, I'm twirling the package, turning it around, and... whoops!

Hole! Hole, just stab it... I've never had such a moment with the post office before. And the most intriguing thing is that the torn part was folded back into the packaging, so it wasn't visible to me initially.I'm not making excuses: I should've checked it right away...

When I returned to the branch, just five minutes after I left, I showed the operator the hole and asked, "What's the deal with this?" And at that moment, the line hadn't moved at all, the counter was packed, and there were about seven or eight people waiting for package pickup...

She: "Shall we process a return?"

Me: "Let me leave the package with you, and I'll come back on Monday, and we'll take another look."

On Monday, the branch manager called me and said she'd like to discuss the return on Tuesday. The next day, my husband and I went to the post office, asked them to prepare a complaint or a claim with the package opened, so we could resolve the issue of return or acceptance of the item.

After removing the shipping wrap, we got to the tote bag: it was also torn.

When I finally got to the mat, I was shocked to see that the poor thing was punctured all the way down to the foil at the bottom.

I had to talk to the manager, and it turned out that the operator had already sent a message to the seller on Saturday saying that the package had been received, so I couldn't make any claims.

I asked a pretty reasonable question: "How did you manage to process the documents without my signature, given that I had left the package at the post office and it was still there?"

The manager just shrugged and said it was all just a technicality: "You do it ten times, and then suddenly it gets accepted."

I was faced with two possible outcomes:

Provide a printout of the item's cost and have the operator who confirmed my order pay for it, but they kept switching between saying I needed to print out the order and that the dispute was closed. Get the item and then open a dispute to figure out how to get a refund. Unfortunately, sending it back to China via the post office or the seller was impossible, since the confirmation of receipt had already been sent, and I ended up taking the mat back for repair.

In the same evening, I took photos of it, all the punctures, opened a dispute, and chose to get a refund.

What's nice: a few days later, the dispute was closed in my favor, and I got back 600 rubles out of 797. Not a full refund, but still.

I had to glue the puncture in two stages with Moment glue, which was quite a challenge, and it seemed like even this tough and mounting glue couldn't hold it in place. It's likely that the problem was with the fold.

So, to sum it up: if you need to glue it in the future, be patient.

Materials:

cpp colored printing film on the surface, pe cotton on the padding, bottom - PET composite film

Okay, so it's synthetic. I read the description quickly and thought it was just a super short pile of fibers on top, but it's actually plastic.

But for a baby who's just starting to crawl, the plastic creates a more forgiving environment. Their fingers stick to it, and they try to pull themselves along. If they vomit, drool, or make a mess, it's all easy to clean with a damp cloth.

Design

Kids are naturally imaginative. That's great, because imagination should be encouraged – who knows what your little one will grow up to be? This mat visually represents an entire city! It's a dream come true for any kid, and it doesn't matter if you've got a boy or a girl – the stereotype that girls are more excited about ponies and unicorns is just that. My four-year-old daughter was absolutely thrilled with the mat and loves racing her toys along the roads.

The graphics are very simple, which is exactly what you'd want for kids under three. For older kids, the imitation of road signs and pedestrian crossings is actually pretty interesting. Learning sectionForeign languagesNaturally, this isn't a dictionary or phrasebook, but it does have the basic definitions – Police, Hospital, Hotel, Park – and you can use it to teach your child the basics by repeating the words with translations.

Road signsThere are traffic lights and pedestrian crossings, which are essential for kids to learn from a young age, and it also helps them recognize colors.

Colors:

The colors are bright, vibrant, and not at all overwhelming or eye-searing. They're actually quite tasteful and not dull.

Surface:

But let me tell you, the underside of this mat is just as impressive as the top. I thought it would be like a sticker, sticking to the floor, but nope - it's smooth and glides across the floor with ease, even with kids around. That's what I call durability and stability!

After unrolling the mat, it'll stretch out on its own, so don't worry about those initial wrinkles.

I've got to say, the insulating layer is seriously amazing. I was playing with the kids on the linoleum floor, and it was a bit chilly, but as soon as I moved to the mat, it was just right - not too hot, not too cold.

Edging: It's treated with this mesh material, kinda like those cat carriers, and it's super durable and stitched on tight.

Mobility:

Thanks to its soft surface and slim design, you can easily roll it up and stash it in the carrying bag that comes with it, and take it to the beach, a picnic, or the cabin without worrying about a bunch of blankets.

Water resistance:

With the plastic layer on top and bottom, any spills will just sit on the surface and you can wipe it off with a dry towel - no big deal.

All in all, this mat is top-notch, easy to use, and comes with no weird smells. Now, the only question is: how's the shipping going to be?