My Itzy Ritzy Activity Gym Review: Is the Itzy Ritzy Wooden Activity Gym Worth It?

The Itzy Ritzy wooden activity gym is a premium wooden gym, set of 3 hanging toys, plus a quilted rainbow play mat. It’s intended to entertain babies from newborn to around 6 months, as well as help them build their strength and hit development milestones.

Pinnable image with text: "Itzy Ritzy Baby Gym (Itzy Ritzy Wooden Activity Gym Review)"

Below, I’ve shared my thoughts on this play gym. Broadly speaking, this article covers the following info about this baby gym:

  • What’s included in Itzy Ritzy’s baby activity gym and play mat;
  • Need to know info, such as assembling it, dimensions, and care instructions; and,
  • What I love about this play gym, and what I think could be improved.

Disclosure: Recently, Itzy Ritzy reached out and offered to send me their Itzy Ritzy Bitzy Bespoke™ Ritzy Activity Gym in Pink Rainbow in exchange for a review. I’ve had my eye on this play gym for some time now, so I happily accepted in order to check it out for myself. All opinions remain my own.

What Is the Itzy Ritzy Activity Gym?

The Itzy Ritzy wooden activity gym is a premium wooden gym and quilted rainbow play mat for babies, from newborn to around 6 months of age.

You can buy it directly from Itzy Ritzy, or on Amazon.

As with most baby gyms, it comes with a set of toys that hang from the gym frame. When your little one is very young, they can look at the toys. As they grow and get a bit older, they can try to reach for the toys with their hands or feet – great for building strength!

Unlike some activity gyms, this one comes with a play may to use under the wooden frame. The play may and toys can also be repurposed for tummy time activities.

 
4.6
Pros:
  • Great value, offering a baby play gym and tummy time mat (plus toys) as a 3-in-1 buy
  • Quick to put together and take apart, even if you're working on your own
  • Adorable, whimsical design
  • Multi-sensory components to the hanging toys, allowing baby to explore using sight, sound and touch
  • Good value for what's included
  • Machine washable play mat
Cons:
  • Requires tools to assemble/disassemble
  • Frame is made of soft wood (pine) which is easy to scratch/gouge
  • Unclear the different fabrics and materials used in the play mat and toys - would love more transparency
4.6
Pros:
  • Great value, offering a baby play gym and tummy time mat (plus toys) as a 3-in-1 buy
  • Quick to put together and take apart, even if you're working on your own
  • Adorable, whimsical design
  • Multi-sensory components to the hanging toys, allowing baby to explore using sight, sound and touch
  • Good value for what's included
  • Machine washable play mat
Cons:
  • Requires tools to assemble/disassemble
  • Frame is made of soft wood (pine) which is easy to scratch/gouge
  • Unclear the different fabrics and materials used in the play mat and toys - would love more transparency

What’s Included with the Itzy Ritzy Activity Gym?

Play Gym Frame

The activity gym requires minimal assembly out of the box.

Disassembled, the wooden gym comes in 5 pieces: 4 legs (2 for each end) and a cross bar that stretches between the pairs of legs on top. They fit together with 4 screws and a hex key, all of which comes in the box.

Itzy Ritzy premium wooden gym frame in pieces before being assembled

We live in a fairly small apartment, so I’m always interested in baby gear that I can put away when we want our living room to look a bit more adult (after bedtime, when friends come over, etc.).

For this reason, I’m generally fairly skeptical of baby gear that requires tools to set up or takes up a lot of 3D space – it seems like a psychological barrier to putting it away when we want to.

Out of curiosity, I timed myself setting up and taking down the Ritzy Activity gym, and I was pleasantly surprised:

  • It took me 3 minutes and 38 seconds to assemble to Ritzy Activity Gym frame. I did it by myself, and find it’s quite easy to set up on your own – you don’t need an extra set of hands.
  • To put it away, it took me 1 minute and 46 sections to take it apart. Again, this was working on my own.

Itzy Ritzy Hanging Toys

The Ritzy Activity Gym comes with 3 detachable hanging toys that tie onto the play gym’s to cross bar.

detachable dangling toys hang from the Itzy Ritzy baby play gym and quilted rainbow mat sits underneath

The 3 toys vary slightly based on which model you buy: Rainbow vs Pink Rainbow.

The Rainbow version comes with a bunny, panda, and koala toy. The Pink Rainbow version comes with a bunny, snail, and a mushroom toy.

Mushroom, Snail, and Bunny Multi Sensory Toys that attach to the toy bar for the Itzy Ritzy Play Gym

Each of the toys have different sensory elements in addition to being cute to look at, keeping your little one’s attention with interesting textures and sounds including crinkles, jingles, and more.

Soft Teething Ring

Itzy Ritzy is known for its silicone teething rings, so it’s no suprise one of the toys comes with teething ring attached!

Braided soft teether included in the Ritzy Activity gym. The soft teething ring perfect for grabbing and mouthing.

In the Rainbow version, the panda toy has a jingle noise and a teething ring, and in the Pink Rainbow, the mushroom toy has a jingle noise and teething ring.

Crinkle Paper

In each of the activity gym versions, one of the toys makes a crinkle noise, with a hanging plastic toy to grab.

In the Rainbow version, the bunny toy makes crinkle sounds. It also has two hexagon clinking rings to grab at. When your baby hits them, they make clinking sounds when they hit.

In the Pink Rainbow, the snail toy makes crinkle sounds, and it also has a hanging yellow star to grab at.

Crinkle snail and yellow grasping star included in the Itzy Ritzy baby Activity gym

Clinking Sounds

Each version of the play gym has a toy with clinking sounds made from plastic rings or shapes that bang together.

In the Rainbow version, both the bunny toy and the the koala toy have clinking rings.

In the Pink Rainbow version, just the bunny toy has clinking sounds.

adorable bunny toy with clinking rings and grosgrain ribbon tabs from the Ritzy baby activity gym

Grosgrain Ribbon Tabs to Grab

The bunny toys in each version of the play gym also have grosgrain (ribbed) ribbon tabs to pull at.

hanging toys hang from the Itzy Ritzy play gym and tummy time activity center

Quilted Rainbow Play Mat

The quilted rainbow play may is one of the most adorable features of the Itzy Ritzy wooden gym and mat set.

The design is “babyish” and whimsical without being obnoxious for parents, which is a great combination for newborns and their adult housemates.

Ritzy activity gym and quilted rainbow play mat create a comfy, safe, and fun space for newborns

We have the Pink Rainbow version, but in both versions the top of the mat is made of a neutral-colored 100% natural cotton fabric that reminds me of linen.

Close up of the materials tag on the Itzy Ritzy activity gym shows the outer part is natural cotton fabric and the inner part is polyester

The top of the natural cotton mat has a purposely crinkled look to it, which is handy after you’ve washed it or packed it to take on the go, as it doesn’t look as if it has to be ironed.

Close up of the natural cotton mat included in the Ritzy wooden activity gym

It’s quite soft to the touch, although it’s not as soft as some other play mats I’ve tried, such as the Pehr or Wee Gallery.

There’s also a nice element of texture on the top of the play mat. The “rainbow” on the Pink Rainbow version is comprised of quilted ruffles, made of a fabric similar to a stretchy velvet. The ruffles are extra soft and comfy to the touch and add a nice bit of extra softness (and maybe a gentle tickle) for baby’s skin.

The inside of the mat is made up of a polyester fiberfill, and the back has a soft polyester liner, similar to a sateen fabric.

Bitzy Bespoke™ Ritzy Activity Gym™ play mat with the mat folded over to show the bottom liner fabric

In my experience, the amount of padding is fairly standard – it’s certainly not overfilled, but there’s enough padding to ensure it’s super comfy for baby.

For newborns and babies who can’t roll over, sit or lift their head, I think the padding in the rainbow play mat is adequate.

If you have an older, more mobile baby, however, you might want to add a bit of extra padding beneath it, such as by setting it on an area rug vs. a hardwood floor. If your little one does take a tumble or let their head down too quickly, they won’t get too much of a bonk that way.

There are a ton of play gyms on the market that don’t come with a play mat. This is one of the great features of the Ritzy gym – it’s really a two-in-one.

Added together, the play gym and rainbow play mat create a comfy, cute, and fun play space for your youngest family member.

Best Traditional Gym
Itzy Ritzy Wooden Activity Gym

The Itzy Ritzy gym comes with a baby play mat included, perfect for tummy time and for lying on their back while working on the gym and toys. The Ritzy Activity Gym has the most whimsical look among my top picks, and comes in rainbow or pink rainbow, with textured ribbons and detachable multisensory toys to help keep baby engaged.

Check Price
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. Itzy Ritzy provided us with a free activity gym and mat.

Need to Know

Size and Dimensions

Size wise, this is a fairly standard-sized baby gym.

The gym’s footprint measures 24″ (side to side) by 22″ (front to back).

dimensions of the Itzy Ritzy baby activity gym frame: 24" wide by 22" deep by 18" tall

Standing 18″ inches tall, it’s slightly taller than the Finn & Emma play arch, but much smaller than the Montikids Level 1 play gym.

Montikids play gym frame (back), finn and emma play arch (front left) and itzy ritzy wooden gym (front right)

The rainbow play mat measures 34.5″ long x 21.5″ wide, and has a fairly standard thickness.

Dimensions of the Itzy Ritzy activity gyms play mat: 34.5" long by 21.5" wide measured personally on my gym play mat

Machine Washing & Care Instructions

Machine Washable

Inspecting the rainbow portion of my play mat, I was definitely a bit worried about washing it.

The edges of the ribbon rainbow aren’t finished/stitched, and I had to wonder if they would hold up in a washing machine.

fabric edges of the quilted rainbow play mat included in Itzy Ritzy's wooden baby play gym

The care instructions say to machine wash cold on gentle (no bleach) and drip dry.

To test it out, I washed it myself to see.

As with pretty much any piece of baby gear I put in our washing machine, I used a large mesh laundry bag to protect it from snags.

Itzy Ritzy quilted rainbow play mat in a large mesh laundry bag before being put in the washing machine to clean

I opted for a gentle, eco-friendly laundry detergent (we use Tru Earth fragrance-free eco-strips currently). I also washed it along with some soft items – towels and a bath robe – to give it a bit of padding in the washing machine.

It came out beautifully! The edges of the rainbow showed no signs of fraying, and it dried fairly quickly, in a couple of hours.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I think the Itzy Ritzy baby gym is a great piece of baby gear that will work well for most families.

In particular, I think it’s a great choice for:

  • Parents who want a high quality play gym that will last multiple children
  • Caregivers who prefer purchasing from a known and trusted brand with a history of making great baby gear
  • Anyone looking for a great baby shower gift
  • Families who love the whimsical look, and want baby products that aren’t too bright and childish looking
  • People who live in a small space, and like the 2-in-1 aspect of this product (play mat + gym)

It may not be the best choice for:

  • Families who want to be able to put their activity gym away without using tools
  • Parents who want more clarity on the entirety of materials used in the products they buy
  • Families on a strict budget

About The Author

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Don’t miss our regular updates, new content, and free offers!

Scroll to Top
Skip to content