PnP's - How do you use them, when, why, etc?

[amldaley]

We have a small Safety 1st PnP with bassinet in the living room which we have only ever used for the bassinet part when dd needed a safe place to lay while I sorted laundry etc. She has never even napped in it (then again, she never really naps much!)

She is 5 months now. When do we put her in the PnP to "play"? How useful is a small PnP? Would a gated play yard be better?

Any advice and useful commentary appreciated :)

[mariza]

I used mine whenever I needed to keep DC's safe and out of the way while cleaning, working on the computer, etc. In my old house (where we lived when DD was that age) I kept the PnP in the living room which was in the center of the house so it was easier for me to keep an eye on her while I was in the kitchen cooking or doing laundry in the garage.

I didn't use it for regular play time, when I wasn't doing something else, I would put her on the floor and get down there and play with her.
When DS came along, the PnP was mostly a spot to keep him safe from DD :)
We lived in a much smaller apartment when he came along so it never got as much use with him as it did with DD (we moved from FL to MA right before DS was born). We bought a bigger house when DS was about 1 year old and got rid of the PnP at that point since he never wanted to be in it and could climb out.

[jgenie]

We have both a pnp and a play yard - both in our main living area. I can't remember exactly at what age we started using the pack n play - not until he was able to sit up well on his own. I started using it as a safe place to leave DS while I ran to the bathroom or changed out the laundry. I found that if I gave him a few toys he would be content to play on his own for a little while and I would just pop in on him to see how he's doing. We don't use it every day and generally for not more than 20 mins or so.

I bought the play yard when DS became more mobile
for the same purpose - it has enough room that he can crawl around and I don't worry that he's going to hurt himself while I'm out of the room.

HTH

[wendibird22]

We used our PNP like others said...grabbing the laundry, trips to the potty, etc. We used our SuperYard far more often when DD was crawling. Much more room to move around. We still use our PNP on occasion to "contain" DD if DH or I are home alone and need to shower and it's not nap time.

[mikeys_mom]

We really only use ours for when we are travelling, or if we have friends over who need to put their child down for a nap.

[o_mom]

We used the bassinet part as a safe place to lay the baby the first 2 months or so - it was high enough to be out of reach of the toddler. We had it set up on the first floor (used the crib upstairs). Other than that, we use it when travelling as a bed and if someone is staying that needs an extra crib.

We have a playyard (Superyard XT) that I used as a containment as needed, but for the most part the house is well childproofed (well, the old one was - if we have another I'll have to do more here).

[ahrimie]

We had it set up on the first floor (used the crib upstairs). Other than that, we use it when travelling as a bed and if someone is staying that needs an extra crib.


This is how I used ours. It's packed away now but when we recently went traveling, it was nice for her to sleep in her own space and keep her off the icky hotel floor. I put toys in it for when we were busy getting ready and couldn't watch her crawling all over the bed.

[carolinamama]

We didn't really use ours a ton except for sleeping while traveling etc. We really child-proofed our old house very well and it was pretty small. Now we are in a much larger house that will be more difficult to baby-proof so much and will probably use it for DS2 more when he gets mobile. If he is anything like DS1, he'll be into EVERYTHING and we will need it.

I do think we went through a period where he stayed in it while I showered but I can't remember the age. Older than your DD though. I just changed out the toys frequently and didn't leave him in there too long. He was just fine.