Graco Pack & Play Cubby Parade vs. French Bear

[heatherbm2000]

I registered for the French Bear because the bassinet went the full length and width of the playpen, but someone gave me the Cubby Parade as a gift. It looks like the only difference is the bassinet is 3/4 length. Does that make a difference? Does anyone have either of these?

[August Mom]

I do not have either of these, but I registered for the Cubby Parade Pack and Play. I was debating between these two styles, but I finally decided on the Cubby Parade design for two reasons. First, I plan to put the Pack and Play on the first floor and use the changing table feature to avoid going upstairs all the time. I liked the Cubby Parade better than the French Bear style because Cubby Parade has an organizer on one end. I plan to put baby changing supplies there. Second, I found the 3/4 bassinet to feel more secure than the full-length bassinet. This could have been due to store assembly, but the full-length bassinet in the French Bear store model I tried appeared to cave in at the middle (without a baby in it!) On the other hand, the Cubby Parade bassinet felt solid. The other difference is that the French Bear style has a canopy whereas the Cubby Parade has only a mobile. I would think that the canopy would be useful only if you plan to use the Pack and Play outside. I hope that helps.

[egoldber]

The canopy is also useful if you have cats. Also, I use the bassinet to store all my diapers and supplies for the changing table.

HTH,

[raynjen]

I have a full size bassinet from Graco (Princeton) and found that my child (50 percentile for height and weight) outgrew it by weight before she got too long for it. I specifically purchased a full size bassinet because many mothers said that their child was "too long" for the smaller one. I suspect that this is true for very few babies since the weight limit is so low. As to the full size "collapsing" in the center I can assure you from lots of use that it hasn't.

[suebee828]

I thought I would buy the French Bear, but chose the Cubby Parade. It's worked out well, overall.

You may not use the bassinet for long. Our son slept in the bassinet for about two months, then we tried putting him in the crib. He loved the crib, so he's been there ever since. He is long, so we probably wouldn't have been able to use it much longer, anyway.

We didn't use the changing table much, because it wasn't a good height for us, and we had a *real* changing table. (I'm 5'4 and my husband is 5'6.)

When I went back to work, part-time, Grandma wanted to watch our son. But, she also watches his three-year-old cousin. So, we took the PNP there so that our son would have his own space. And, Grandma likes having the changing table. It's really worked out well.

[tjham]

I have the French Bear and like it but I think the 3/4 bassinet would do just as well. I would like the toy bag on the end. I also would like the mobile better than the canopy!