Do I need a playpen?

[cara1]

DS is 8.5 months, and seems reasonably content to play in his PNP at Grandma's for at least 20 minutes. I'm not sure if I need one for home, too, though. We have a small 1BR apartment, so it would definitely take up a lot of space. He really seems to enjoy crawling around and exploring; I'm afraid I'd just feel awful cooping him up in a playpen. I work full time, so when I'm home with him, I want him to be able to roam around and do what he likes. (Can you smell the guilt here?) But, DH and I really can barely go to the bathroom unless he's asleep. Sometimes I just stick him in his crib if I need to do something. But basically when I'm home with him, I'm sitting with him all the time. (Which I don't really mind, actually).

Should I just get a playpen? For how long will it really be useful? Do they sell them without the basinett feature and stuff since I wouldn't really need that at this point?

I've looked into some of the gated off play areas. Although I would feel better giving DS a bigger area to play in, I'm not sure if this would be too big. Also, I've read that some of these are not so sturdy, and one-year-olds have been seen pushing them around while inside!

Any advice? Thanks.

[m2tandk]

If you are okay with not having one great! It does provide a few minutes to get things done sometimes, but if you don't mind him crawling around or following you or being right there holding him, who needs the PNP. The ONLY reason I am getting one when I get PG again is to use as a bassinet in our room for the first couple of months and for traveling(which we do alot of). Otherwise, go without it!!

Kelly

[camommy]

We used the packnplay for the bassinet when baby was little, so we used it until he was 3 months old. We now have one at my SIL house for when he goes there. He can take a nap in it. We don't use it other than that (yet)

[megsmom]

Once your baby is really mobile, a playpen, gated playyard, etc. can be a lifesaver. I have used the pack and play for Meghan for several months now (she's 15 months). She's fairly content in there for short periods of time playing with books and toys. I don't have her in there much preferring to let her have the run of the house while she's up, but I find it absolutely essential to keep her safe now that she's walking and running. I work part-time and put her in there in the mornings to take a shower/get ready and while I load the car with our stuff. I also put her in there while I cook, run to the bathroom or do anything with the oven. My dd is fast and wants to be in whatever I'm doing and where the bathroom and kitchen is concerned, that's not always safe. I don't know what we'll do once she starts figuring out how to climb out , but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it I guess.

Jen W
mom to Meghan
born 7-13-01

[suzska]

Here comes my recommendation once again for the Kidco PlayDen. This is one of those gated play areas, but it is VERY sturdy! We have hardwood floors and got a large area rug to put under the PlayDen. Evan was never able to push it around (or not more than a few inches). We also put a play quilt inside to make the rug a little more comfy. The PlayDen's made out of metal (powder-coated steel? Can't remember right now), so it's pretty heavy and sturdy. Yes, it looks a little like a cage, but I was worried about the plastic ones with the criss-crossing slats--I've heard stories of kids climbing those. Also the PlayDen has a gate (some of the others don't). The gate makes it easier to get the child in and out without having to lift them over. It also makes it easier for you to get in and out without having to climb over.

The basic PlayDen comes with six 2-foot panels/sections. We wanted enough room for us to play with DS inside the PlayDen so we bought two more sections/extensions. I actually measured things out on the floor before we ordered ours to figure out how many panels to get. You can place the panels at almost any angle, so we originally made ours sort of an elongated octagon (more oval-like). This gave us enough room to play with Evan, and even lie down inside the PlayDen. I often would put Evan inside while I ran to the bathroom or got something to eat. He would also nap there sometimes. And there was plenty of room for toys. He never figured out how to climb out, although he would stand on his toys sometimes. At the time it was also easier for us to just get the PlayDen then to try and babyproof everything.

Now that Evan is older and happier running around (and around) the house, we decided to re-configure our PlayDen into a 4' square and place it around the TV stand. This keeps Evan away from all the equipment and tapes, but still allows us to enter through the gate to change tapes/DVD's. Our TV stand places the TV at a viewing height so that it is just higher than the PlayDen.

I got mine from http://www.babycatalog.com. I was buying other stuff at the time as well, so I got the membership for $25, which then gives you a 10% discount. PlayDen's aren't cheap! But I think that we've gotten our monies worth out of it and then some! Personally I think the PlayDen lasts a lot longer than a playpen, so I didn't mind spending a little more on something we would use a lot longer. We have a PNP, but hardly ever used it. And certainly haven't used it since we got the PlayDen.

If you haven't alreay, give the PlayDen a look.

[brubeck]

If you've made it to 8.5 months without a playpen you definitely are wasting your money buying one now. Once your child is crawling and walking that playpen will get old VERY fast. Could you make one room completely babysafe for your child (perhaps your child's nursery/bedroom)? Then you'd just have to get a gate for the doorway. We managed to gate off our dining room (we didn't have dining room furniture anyways) and it was a nice, big spot for our daughter to roam in.

I will also second the KidCo gates, although we have the ConfigureGate (that you attach to the wall in whatever size/form you want). It looks attractive and is adjustable in whatever way you want. It is good if you want to section off part of a room or if you have a room that isn't completely enclosed by walls.

Whatever you decide, remember that you can buy a lot of gate for the money a nice Pack N Play would cost!