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View Full Version : Crib Activity Center: Good or Bad?


August Mom
02-28-2003, 12:28 PM
At what age is it appropriate to put an activity center in the crib? It seems that the baby would have to be old enough to activate it, but not old enough to use it to climb out of the crib. Is such an item useful? Ideally, I would like DS to be able to wake up and amuse himself for a little while before crying for me to get him up and also to occupy himself while I shower. Also, is it a problem that the baby accidently bumps it during the night, thus making noise and waking the baby? Finally, any suggestions on which models to look at or avoid?
Andrea S
02-28-2003, 12:59 PM
Funny you asked this DH and I were just talking about this a few minutes ago. Andrew also born on 8/14/02 has been playing more in his crib with his blanket, aquarium and I have one of those animals that you pull their tale and it plays music. I did not know if I should get an activity toy or is it better to limit the toys so they associate crib with sleep? I am looking forward to seeing what people think.

Andrea
mom to Andrew 8/14/02
August Mom
02-28-2003, 01:23 PM
Andrea,

I must tell you that I love the name Andrew. That was our favorite name, but friends had a boy first and named him Andrew. However, now I can't think of my DS as anything but Justin. It would have been funny to have 2 Andrews born on the same date with moms on this board, though. It's neat that our son's have the same birthdate, though.
egoldber
02-28-2003, 03:54 PM
Rather than buying a crib activity center, why not just use toys that you already have? That way you can rotate toys through the crib. Babies sometimes get really tired of the toys that stay in one spot all the times. And sometimes seeing a familiar toy in a new location is amusing for them.

But always be careful about what you leave in a crib for a long time. ANYTHING that you leave in the crib they could get attached to as a "lovie". So my motto is I don't have anything in the crib on a permanent basis unless I am willing to take it on vacation with me!

HTH,
Andrea S
02-28-2003, 04:03 PM
That would have been funny to have 2 Andrew's born on the same day. We have friends that had a baby in Jan. and they would have named their son Andrew if we had not already used it. My DH's middle name is Andrew. I also liked Benjamin, but now I could not imagine Andrew being a Benjamin.

Andrea
mom to Andrew 8/14/02
Andrea S
02-28-2003, 04:05 PM
I never thought of that. Thanks!! Justin and Andrew share Sarah's b-day they are just a year younger.

Andrea
mom to Andrew 8/14/02
August Mom
02-28-2003, 05:48 PM
I currently do have other toys that I put in the crib during shower time, but they don't seem to occupy DS for very long. Moreover, I'm not sure if I want to hang any soft toys on the crib overnight. Have you had any problems/scares with attaching soft toys to the crib?
brubeck
02-28-2003, 06:48 PM
Just to get in on this, my son was born in December and his name is Andrew. :-)
egoldber
02-28-2003, 08:29 PM
I have never attached a toy to the crib, except for a crib mirror. In that case it velcro'd very tightly to the crib slats and I took it out before she could pull on it, etc. I usually have a random toy or two (not necessarily a soft toy) in the crib. When she was really little I had several small stuffed toys (about 3" high) scattered around her crib. Now I sometimes put a book, a puzzle or something else that she like in the crib.

Personally, I would be concerned about tying (sp?) a toy to the crib. I would be afraid of the baby getting caught up in it.

HTH,