Pack n Play instead of bassinet or cradle?

[Jenfed]

I was originally going to get a bassinet or cradle for use during the first few months, but I don't have a lot of storage space. I was wondering if a pack n play with the bassinet feature would be enough? Are the mattresses good enough with the pack n plays or do they make better mattress pads for them?

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

Jen

[mom@home]

I bought a new Graco Pack 'n Play with bassinet for my new daughter, which she slept in for the first 4 months of her life. I bought extra sheets for it through the Graco owner's manual and my baby seemd nice and cozy in the bassinet. I think it's definitely worth the money considering once your baby outgrows the bassinet, you can use the Pack 'n Play as a playpen or travel crib for the next two years or so. I highly recommend it!

[Gary]

i intuitively agree, and tried to get my wife to see this as s real solution - both she, and my smother in law, want a cosco portable crib ($80) - i was planning to buy 2 pack n plays (about $119 for the graco 5 in 1) so i'm kind of saving money with the cosco - but i still liked the idea of the pack and play for portability. further, i collapsed the store model and then reassembled it (it was hysterical - sweat dripping down my forehead and back, wife cringing then leaving that department, etc.) - anyway, the bassinet is only supposed to be used with a child up to 15 pounds - i used my open palm, and leaned heavily into the bassinet (hey, i wasn't buying that floor model!!!!) - anyway, i put about 50 pounds of force on the pad, and there was no sound of stress, ripping, etc. - i THINK it would hold substantially more than 15 pounds, but you're also not supposed to put a baby in that can reach out of the bassinet. as a final note, my smother in law didn't like the padding - i went to the bassinet sectino of BRU and brought over a bassinet "mattress" - it was thicker, but much smaller than the bassinet in the graco 5 in 1. in my opinion, an under 15 pound baby will not have that much force in a particular spot - the weight will be distributed over essentially the baby's entire back side - using my palm, the padding felt more than adequate. hope this helped!

[mkkrum]

We have the Cosco Eddie Bauer version of the portable crib/playyard/whatever. We used it as an alternative to buying a bassinet or cradle when our son was born, then later as a travel crib and playyard at home.

Just two points to make:
1) Our kid just liked his crib better. He slept better there than he did in the PNP's bassinet insert. Later, when we took out the bassinet and traveled with the PNP, he did just fine. Evidently he didn't like the bassinet insert.
2) The Cosco EB version has a nice padded mattress thing, but it is CLOTH-COVERED. There is no way to wash this thing other than spot cleaning. Even when I put a waterproof pad between the sheet and the bottom, our above-average child manages to spit-up just enough to the side/edge/end that is not quite protected. What a hassle! Next time I'll get one with a vinyl-covered mattress.

Personally, I'd skip the bassinet or cradle and get something you can use for longer term. Just my two cents! =)

Good luck!

mkkrum

[cabote]

I agree with the first writer. I have a PNP by Graco. My 3 month old daughter sleeps in it in our room at night and takes naps in her crib in the day. I like to have her close at night so I can check her breathing (new mom :)). I plan to move her into her crib permanently at around 4 months. Then we can use the PNP as a play space when she is active and I need to turn my back for a moment. We haven't traveled with it as of yet. But the pad is firm enough and there are sheets that fit it. Of course it is nothing like the Colgate Classica mattress which we have in her crib, but she sleeps on her back and has had no problems. I was concerned about the sheet not having elastic around it (it velcros on) but it has not moved an inch. When she is more active in the PNP then we will discontinue use for sleep. Co-sleepers and regular bassinets or cradles are cute but expensive. My bet is that you won't use them for long. With the $ you save on the PNP you can get a good crib (I splurged on a beautiful Legacy crib and dresser)and lots of fun accessories for baby's room!

[sarsah]

That is exactly what we did. We got the Graco 3-way Pack & Play and my son slept in it in our family room for the first 6 weeks of his life (because his bedroom -- where the crib was -- wasn't finished). After he was sleeping at night in the crib in his room, he still took naps in the Pack & Play until he got too heavy (the weight limit is 15 lbs, but my son weighed more than that and we had no problems, except that you could see the bassinette part sagging a little, like the straps that are sewen on it were streaching maybe.

As far as the mattress goes, it's not the same as a crib mattress, but fairly similar to most of the inexpensive basinettes or cradles I've seen, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. My son is now 15 months old and still sleeps in the Pack & Play (bottom part, not the basinette) when we travel. He sleeps just as well in there as he does his crib.

One thing to look at, though, is finding good sheets for the Pack & Play if you are going to use it a lot. The cheaper sheets (store brand) are not very good -- not soft, and cheaply made. I bought 2 of the Nojo brand terry cloth sheets and they have worked fine for us. Someone recommended using a pillow case, but I'm not sure if it would be wide enough -- haven't tried it myself. If you are crafty, you could buy a good quality twin sheet and sew your own larger "pillow case" for the mattress.

Also, the 3-way Pack & Play includes a changing table, which we have used almost every day since my son was born. We keep the Pack & Play in the family room and his bedroom is upstairs. Since my son is now too big to play in the playpen, we use it to store toys, but still use the changing table.

Sarah

[frckls18]

I was shopping today, considering the purchase of a Pack N' Play. The store employee actually told us that a lot of parents return the PNPs because they are not safe. The older versions used to have braces that kept the sides up, whereas now, the sides can fall easily. People have told me of babies sleeping in PNPs for months, but I felt nervous when the EMPLOYEE was telling me that the baby can hurt him or herself on the PNPs side when it falls, or that the overall safety can be compromised because of unsteady walls.

[jenfed]

We actually decided on a co-sleeper that can be converted to a play pen when the baby outgrows the bassinet. It seemed sturdier than the pack and play and we'll be able to use it longer than cradle or bassinet. Baby will be here soon...so I guess I'll see how it works out!! :)

Jen