By Nikolina Koevska Kharoufeh | 3 days ago

It's as easy as child's play - so the saying goes. However sometimes child's play seems not so straightforward at all.

As our babies and toddlers get older their preferences change and parents find themselves doing everything possible to keep them entertained because, let's face it, a quiet 20 minutes to ourselves can go a long way.

To help make the challenge of trying to find an activity your child will be interested in for a decent amount of time less stressful and costly, we asked 9Honey Parenting readers to share their top tips.

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From tummy time for you newborn to the playdough mess pre-schooler days - a good play mat is a must-have for the first few years.

When looking for one that will stand the test of time, new-mum Sarah recommends you ensure the mat ticks a couple of boxes. It needs to be comfortable with good padding and, most importantly, wipeable!

"I wipe Audrey's every evening so it's clean for the morning," she tells 9Honey Parenting.

While it seems like big expense, Sarah said she had no regrets about her daughter's Luxe at Play play mat , which start from $115 each. Spending that little bit of extra money means a mat will be long-lasting and survive even the most rough of play.

For those not wanting to spend so much, big retailers such as Kmart and Big W have a range of play mats for sale, starting from as little as $20.

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While mastering playtime at home is important, getting it right while on-the-go is a whole different challenge. So when looking to purchase toys for your kids, allocate some of the budget things you can bring along on outings.

Stina, mum to three-year-old Cedric, says her little boy was obsessed with the Usborne touchy-feely books when he was younger. "They are the perfect distraction for on the go as he loved exploring the textures and they fit easily into my baby bag," she said.

9Honey Parenting mums and dads all agreed on one key piece of advice when it came to buying toys - shop around for the best price.

From baby gyms and walkers, to building blocks and scooters - as your kids grow older the toy and activity purchases get more expensive - so it's important to budget and be savvy.

One easy way to do this is to check the prices online to see which retailers be offering the best price, and even request a price match or price beat where possible.

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Mum Emma says she also avoids any 'big brand' items and always aims to find a cheaper version of her son's favourite toys.

"I find IKEA has great options like train tracks, baby gyms and building blocks that are just as good but much cheaper," she says.

Better still search for second hand bargains . Local online buy/swap/sell groups often have barely used quality toys for sale at a fraction of the retail price. Most second-hand markets also have a toy section were you can nab a bargain.

Screen time usually goes hand-in-hand with parent guilt - but it doesn't have to be that way.

While too much time on devices is never a good idea for young children, there are some educational online games and activities that are proven to help with development and learning when used in moderation.

One of these is ABC's Reading Eggs - an application that aims to make learning to read interesting and engaging for kids.

Designed for ages two-12-year-olds, there are a range of activities for little and big kids, something mum-of-two Ana has been incredibly impressed with.

"It's helped my son immensely with his reading after starting Kindergarten this year and now my four-year-old is also obsessed with it," she explains.

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