Can other mattress be placed in PNP?

[MomToOctBaby]

I am wondering if I can place another mattress in the pack-n-play. For example, I see that a portacrib mattress is supposed to fit in the PNPs. I was searching the internet and I see a heading stating that no other mattresses should go in the PNP, but I can't get the site to connect.

If you used another mattress, what size sheet did you use?

Thanks!
Stephanie

[Marisa6826]

Stephanie-

Just out of curiosity, why would you WANT to use a different mattress? The PnP one is comfortable for infants. They aren't supposed to be on anything "cushy" because it can affect their breathing.

-m

[MomToOctBaby]

The PNP baseboard has almost no padding (it is the cosco brand). It is very thin and just seems too hard. My daughter is going to be on it alot during our vacation. I didn't know if I should put something more comfortable in the bottom.

Stephanie

[Momof3Labs]

Steph,

Someone here reported finding a portable crib mattress that fit in the PNP, and used that on top of the PNP "mattress". That said, my personal concern would be that it would give Sydney a few extra inches of height if she decided to stand and try to take a dive over the side. But you know her better than I, and can make a better decision on this one.

At her age, SIDS is a very small risk (it drops off considerably by 6 months) but I suppose that there is still the possibility that she could get her face stuck between the extra mattress and side of the PNP.

This is a tough one because there are a lot of unknowns - specifically, the risks are unknown, so to be safe, the companies recommend to not add anything that hasn't been tested for safety with their product. You ultimately need to make the decision.

BTW - welcome to my second "home"!

[MomToOctBaby]

more things I need to consider. While she isn't trying to pull up yet, by Sept, she may be. I don't know how sturdy the PNP would be for standing babies either.

I have worried before about her being able to breathe with her face next to the sides. She was lying face down with her face turned to the side the last time we used it.

Ugh! I don't know what to do!

I thought this message board would be better for getting the best feedback on safety issues. I have been here before, on your guidance, asking about carseats and knew this was a great place. Thanks for the tip then and the advice now!

Stephanie

ps- Love that cute pic of Colin!

[lukkykatt]

I just used our PNP last weekend with my 13 month old, who is walking, with no problems. It is very sturdy, even when a baby is standing inside it.

I put a small mattress pad on top of the PNP mattress - just so that it wouldn't rustle as much when DS moved while asleep inside it. Have you thought about doing something like that?

It is recommended that babies sleep on very firm surfaces, so I would be hesitant about making the PNP too cushy.

BTW, are the sides of your PNP made out of mesh? If so, I wouldn't worry too much about the breathing issues. If your baby can pull to standing then she should also be able to move her head to the other side if she needs to.

[MomToOctBaby]

That sounds like a good idea. Where did you buy it?

The sides of our PNP are mesh. However, the mesh doesn't go all the down to the baseboard. There is a small (maybe 2 inches) strip of fabric between the bottom edge and where the mesh begins. When she is scooted into that edge, her face would be against fabric.

Stephanie

[daisymommy]

We used the NOJO portable crib mattress from Babies-R-Us on top of our PNP mattress. We rolled up a sheet into a long log and wedged it in the 2" gap between the mattress and the mesh siding of the PNP. Trust me, it was a very tight fit, and there was no way my DS would have gotten stuck, or pulled the sheet out over him. We used a NOJO terry play yard sheet on this mattress, but regular (more scratchy IMO) PNP sheets fit too. This mattress is more cushy than the board mattress that comes in the PNP, but it's still firm enough not to be worried about SIDS. It's more like a regular firm crib mattress.

[mom2kandj]

I don't know how much you will be using the PNP, how much lead time you have to order a new mattress custom made, or how much $ you want to spend. I've got an old family cradle that DH slept in as a baby that we had a new mattress made for us by the Colgate company. I know that they carry different size foam mattresses in stock and can also do custom. Our cradle was an odd size, so we had them make our mattress for about $50. The mattress was only 2" thick, so I wouldn't have a problem placing that thickness over the PNP mattresses and using the PNP sheets. HTH!

Rose
mom 2 Katie (32 months)
& Jack (16 months)