Playard tents - anyone use them for confinement purposes?

[KathyO]

Okay - here's the problem. I'm going to be visiting friends in a few different households over the next few months, solo with DD. DD currently sleeps in a crib, and has shown no interest in escaping from it yet. However, our "travel crib" has always been the Pack 'n' Play... which she can now climb out of without a second thought.

I've read about the Tots In Mind Crib Tents and Playard Tents. The crib tent is explicitly pitched towards (among other things) confining baby Houdinis. The playard tent mentions it, but not prominently, and none of the online reviews I've read categorically state that it's good at that task. I don't know if it'll do the job I have in mind.

It's NOT that I want to pen up a child who's crying and fighting to be let out... it's more that I'm scared that she will slip out silently during the night, or during naptimes, and make free in a not-very-childproof environment while I'm asleep, or in the next room enjoying (ye gods!) a bit of adult chat. I could bring a portable gate for the door, but this little monkey is unbelievably resourceful when it comes to finding trouble, so just putting in a couple of plug covers and removing the breakable tchotchkes in the room just isn't going to cut it.

Does anyone have any experience with the Tots in Mind playard tent? Or any other suggestions for confining my little destructo-toddler during travel naptimes?

Thanks much,

KathyO

[egoldber]

I have the PNP tent since it came with mine. We used it in the beginning to keep the cats out of the bassinet while she was sleeping. After a couple weeks, my cats were able to figure out how to get around the tent. I would imagine a determined toddler would figure it out much faster!

The only other thing that comes to my mind is a video monitor. Could you set one up so that you could SEE her when she gets out of the crib? Those crib tents aren't cheap and a video monitor may not be that much more expensive.

HTH,

[KathyO]

As near as I can figure, the PNP tents are not fastened down all the way around the rail, so they'd be pretty straightforward to defeat. The Tots in Mind do fasten all the way around (again, as near as I can figure), so hopefully might do a better job.

The video monitor would do for naptimes, but I was hoping that I could find something that would also cover the times when I'm sleeping in the same room as the Silent Escaper... (she really is!) I guess the fallback position will be to get most stuff out of the room and gate it. Fortunately, I have tolerant friends!

Thanks,

KathyO