Superyard vs. Playzone

[rgdevlin]

Hi, all,

I'm considering buying either the Superyard or Playzone for my DS to have a safe place to play while I get some things done nearby! We have a pack 'n' play, but I'm apprehensive about using it as a playpen because we use it as a travel crib. I'm concerned that my DS will see it as a place to play and won't sleep in it when we need him to.

My concern about the Superyard is that it seems very big -- 18 s.f.! What are the dimensions of the floor space that I should have available? The plus to the Superyard is we can use it next Christmas to block off the tree.

The Playzone seems smaller. Although it has baby-friendly colors, it seems like it could visually overshelm a room. Thoughts?

[o_mom]

Superyard!

We have the Superyard and my sister has the Playzone. Here is my take.

Size - The PZ not much smaller, but if space is an issue, you can use only two sections of the SY to make a small square (24x24"). We do this when travelling. Even with all three sections (6 panels) the SY is not that huge. Right now I have it in kind of a slightly squashed rectangle shape and it is about 30"x42".

Colors - you are right that the PZ overwhelms the room - the SY is very neutral.

Toys - the PZ toys do not have an on/off switch, so if the batteries are in, the toy is on and it is annoyingly noisy. We have an IKEA mirror attached to one side of the SY and a soft toy on the other end. Everything else is just floor toys. It is really easy to attach toys to the SY with links or cord ties. You can't attach anything to the PZ easily and only at the top of the walls.

Other stuff:
The SY is an open mesh that the baby can see out of. The PZ is much more solid, so they can't see much of what is going on.

The gate on the PZ seems like a good idea, but in practice is used very little and just becomes a magnet for them. It is hard to get the door aligned just perfectly for the latch to close.

Either one will slide on smooth floors when pushed. PZ will slide on carpet, SY feet will grab and not slide on carpet.

SY folds very nicely for travel and has a snap on handle/strap to keep it folded for transport. PZ doesn't travel well.

Let me know if you have any other specific questions!

ET finish after keyboard burp!

[o_mom]

DP

[Ceepa]

I don't have experience with the Playzone, but we've had the SY since DS was about 7 months old and started eyeing daddy's electronic components! lol!

The way we use it now is to fence off our large TV in the living room. The TV sits on a stand so the SY doesn't interfere with seeing the screen. We haven't used it as an enclosure but it really is very versatile.

It was worth the money and can be folded and put away when not in use.

[rgdevlin]

Thank you so much for your helpful reply! We'll go with the Superyard.

One more question: our pediatrician mentioned that a benefit of play yards is that babies can learn to pull themselves to standing. (My DS is 9 months old, so he should be developing this skill soon.) Will the Superyard allow a little guy like him some practice in this area?

[o_mom]

Yes, I can see where it might help - they can grip the mesh fairly easily, and you could link some toys up high to encourage it. However, we only got it once we had DS2, and DS1 learned to pull-up just fine without it. :-)

One other thing I just thought of - since the SY is mesh and not the vertical bars like the PZ, it is possible that they could learn to climb up/out of it at some point. Shoes would probably slow them down by preventing a toe hold. However, even when I put DS1 in occasionally (he likes the baby toys sometimes) he hasn't ever climbed out and he is 2.5 yo. He isn't a big climber, though, so I don't know if a climber would try. I think that by the time DS2 might climb out we will probably be done with it.