Skip Hop
Silver Lining Cloud Activity Gym
7/10 overall£70.00
A cloud-shaped mat with a plush toy bar and a matching tummy-time bolster pillow, pitched as a softer middle-ground between budget and premium gyms.
The verdict
The Silver Lining Cloud is a cushioned cloud-shaped mat with a plush toy bar and a matching bolster pillow that doubles as tummy-time support — best for parents wanting a quieter, softer sensory gym that looks good left out, sitting between budget and premium options. Only the mat and pillow are washable; the toys and arch are surface-clean only.
Skip Hop's Silver Lining Cloud is built around a large, cushioned cloud-shaped mat with a plush arch overhead carrying a musical sheep, a light-up star, a crinkly cloud squeaker, a bird rattle and a sunshine mirror. A matching cloud-shaped bolster pillow doubles as head support for lying flat and chest support for tummy time, which is a genuinely useful touch most flat mats don't offer.
Against the Fisher-Price gym, it trades some of that gym's noise and light-up gimmicks for softer, quieter plush toys and a more considered aesthetic that fits a living room rather than a nursery. Against the Little Bird Told Me Softly Snail, the two sit in similar territory on price and softness, though Skip Hop's toy bar has more individually detachable sensory toys, while the Softly Snail leans harder into its bolster-cushion tummy-time design.
It suits parents after a mat that looks good left out permanently and offers a gentler sensory experience than the battery-powered options, without stretching to Lovevery money. It's less suited to parents who want a mat that clearly reconfigures stage-by-stage, since the toy bar here is fixed in scope even if the individual toys detach.
The one real limitation: only the mat and bolster pillow are machine washable — the plush toys and arch are surface-clean only, which matters given how much face-down drool ends up right where the toy bar hangs.
Is the Silver Lining Cloud Activity Gym worth it?
- Bolster pillow doubles up for lying flat and tummy-time chest support
- Softer, quieter sensory toys than most battery-powered gyms
- Mat and pillow are fully machine washable
What are the downsides of the Silver Lining Cloud Activity Gym?
- Toy bar and arch are surface-clean only, not machine washable
- Toy selection is fixed and doesn't reconfigure by developmental stage
- Sits in an awkward middle price point without a standout headline feature
Specs
- base
- Fabric mat over foam padding
- mat_size
- Large cloud-shaped mat with matching bolster pillow
- washable
- Mat and bolster pillow are machine washable; toys and arch are surface-clean only
- age_range
- 0-12 months
- arch_toys_detachable
- Yes, 5 sensory toys detach from the plush toy bar
How we scored it
Developmental Value
How well the mat/gym supports tummy time, reaching, grasping, tracking and sensory development across the newborn-to-infant stretch, and whether it genuinely grows with the baby rather than being outgrown in weeks.
Build Quality & Washability
Fabric and foam quality, how the mat copes with milk, dribble and inevitable nappy leaks, and whether it's actually machine washable rather than spot-clean-only.
Mat and pillow wash well but the plush arch and toys are surface-clean only
Value for Money
What you get for the price versus rivals in this list, factoring in how long the mat stays useful before it's outgrown.
Weighted by importance for this category — see our editorial policy for how we test.
How it compares
|  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £70.00 | £69.95 | £140.00 | £35.00 |
| Overall score | 7/10 | 6.6/10 | 7.8/10 | 7.3/10 |
| base | Fabric mat over foam padding | Velour fabric over deep foam padding | Fabric mat over foam padding | Fabric mat over foam padding |
| mat_size | Large cloud-shaped mat with matching bolster pillow | Large padded mat with snail-shaped bolster cushion | Large, roughly 120cm x 127cm when fully open | Large fold-out mat, portable for travel |
| washable | Mat and bolster pillow are machine washable; toys and arch are surface-clean only | Yes, mat is washable | Yes, mat and fabric zones are machine washable in cold water, air dry only | Yes, mat is machine washable; piano panel is wipe-clean only |
Frequently asked questions
Is the Skip Hop Silver Lining Cloud washable?+
Only the mat and bolster pillow are machine washable; the plush toy bar and arch are surface-clean only, which matters since face-down drool often lands right where the toys hang.
What makes the bolster pillow useful?+
The cloud-shaped bolster pillow doubles as head support when baby lies flat and as chest support during tummy time, a feature most flat mats don't offer.
Does it have lights and music?+
Yes — the arch carries a musical sheep, a light-up star, a crinkly cloud squeaker, a bird rattle and a sunshine mirror, though the toys are softer and quieter than most battery-powered gyms.
Does the toy selection change as baby grows?+
No — the toy bar's scope is fixed rather than reconfiguring stage by stage, though the five sensory toys detach individually from the bar.