4 Affordable Lovevery Play Gym Alternatives

Lovevery’s Play Gym is lovely.

We used ours daily during our daughter’s early months. Later, the cover turned it into what we called her “disco tent.” It became one of those baby purchases we felt we really got our money’s worth out of.

But was it worth the money?

At $150, it’s worth looking at what else you can get. We’ve compared four affordable alternatives: where they’re similar, what they do differently, and who we’d choose each one for. Then we’ll share whether we’d still recommend the Lovevery Play Gym.

The quick comparison

Prices exclude tax and shipping. Original retail and kit catalog prices checked October 21, 2026; alternative prices are reference prices from the linked retailers. Subscription and single-kit prices describe the whole kit, not a standalone toy. Offers and availability can change.

Lovevery Play Gym: what earns the $150 price?

The original includes a wooden frame, a mat with five activity zones, detachable toys, three sets of cards, a play guide and the Play Space Cover. You can change what is visible and available without assembling a collection of separate toys. See Lovevery’s complete setup.

The cover is a particularly good example of the design earning its keep. It changes the setup into a little enclosed play space rather than simply adding another hanging toy. Our daughter’s “disco tent” phase is why we’d count that versatility when deciding whether to spend more.

The compromise is the price: IKEA supplies a complete gym for $100.01 less. Lovevery’s collection makes sense when you want those different ways to use one setup. If you mainly want a mat and toys overhead, you can keep a substantial amount of money without giving up that central purpose.

Our take: We’d buy Lovevery again for the whole package and the use we got from it. We’d choose IKEA for a tighter budget, or Melissa & Doug when a folding wooden frame matters more than Lovevery’s particular accessories.

1. IKEA GULLIGAST: our pick for keeping the cost down

At about $50, the GULLIGAST gives you a mat, hanging soft toys and a mirror in one purchase. There are different sounds and textures to explore, and the figures detach for play away from the arches. See IKEA’s GULLIGAST.

It covers the reason many parents buy a gym in the first place: somewhere to put their baby down for play, with interesting things overhead to look at and reach toward.

The biggest compromise is the design. You get soft arches rather than Lovevery’s wooden frame, and a simpler mat rather than its five activity zones. If the wooden look is what you’re after, the next two options are closer.

We’d choose IKEA if the goal is a useful baby gym for about a third of Lovevery’s price. You can save the remaining money without building your own collection of accessories.

2. Melissa & Doug Ocean Easy-Fold: for a wooden frame and an activity-filled mat

This is the option we’d look at first if you like Lovevery’s wooden frame but want to spend less.

The Ocean Easy-Fold has wide wooden arches, five attachable toys and a reversible mat. One side is black and white; the other has an ocean scene with sensory ribbons and a crinkly clam. A play guide is included, too. See the manufacturer’s features.

The folding mechanism is a practical selling point. A button releases the frame so you can fold it with the mat and toys still attached. That makes it appealing if your living room also happens to be your baby’s playroom.

You’re getting a different collection of activities rather than Lovevery’s particular zones, cards and fort cover. Still, this has more going on than a wooden bar with a few toys hanging from it.

We’d choose Melissa & Doug for the combination of a wooden frame, varied mat and folding storage. Target listed it at $65.99, comfortably below half the original’s price.

3. Ingenuity Cozy Spot: for keeping everything together

The Calla Cozy Spot pairs a wooden toy bar with a reversible, padded duvet mat. It includes five detachable toys, a mirror among them, plus a tummy time pillow. The mat and removable cover are machine washable; the toys wipe clean. See the Ingenuity Cozy Spot.

What makes it worth a look is how it packs away. The wooden bar folds down, and the mat has handles so you can gather the setup together for storage or carrying.

Compared with Melissa & Doug, we’d pick this for its duvet-style mat and carrying handles. We’d pick Melissa & Doug for the black-and-white side and the activities built into its ocean scene.

We’d pay the extra $4 over Melissa & Doug for the duvet-style mat and gathering handles if those suit our home better. Otherwise, Melissa & Doug’s reversible activity mat makes it our first wooden-frame comparison.

4. Cloud Island Wood Play Gym: for parents who already have a mat

Cloud Island’s wooden gym costs $29.99 and includes three hanging toys. The mat is separate. See the Cloud Island gym.

That makes it particularly appealing if you already have a suitable floor playmat. You can add the wooden frame without buying another whole setup.

Starting from scratch? Target’s Geometric Interactive Playmat is another $29.99, bringing those two purchases to $59.98 before tax and shipping.

At that total, we’d also consider spending the extra $6.01 for Melissa & Doug’s included mat, folding frame and broader toy selection. Cloud Island’s strongest advantage is the low price of the frame on its own.

Is the Lovevery Play Gym still worth buying?

Yes, if you want the full collection of activities and the cover. Our family’s experience would make us comfortable choosing it again.

For a complete gym at the lowest price here, we’d buy IKEA. For a wooden frame that packs away, we’d choose Melissa & Doug. Cloud Island is most appealing when you can use a mat you already have; buying its separate mat brings the total close to the more complete Melissa & Doug setup.

Looking at other Lovevery toys? Our Lovevery dupes and affordable alternatives guide compares ten popular picks.