Do I really need a Pack N Play??

[anng]

We may get an Uppa Baby Vista stroller and use its bassinet for the baby at night. My parents have a crib at their house, and my in-laws have a pack n play.

I am trying to justify the cost of the stroller by seeing if I can get away with not having a PNP........

Any advice would be appreciated!!

[larig]

we have a pack n play on loan from my SIL. We used it a lot for DS's first couple months, because he slept in our room in it (full-sized crib was too big for our small bedroom). After we stopped using it in that way we really haven't used it very much at all. We did take it on a weekend trip (as a 7 month old) for him to sleep in, but that's really been it.

[Dandi799]

I've heard that the pack n play is particularly helpful if you live in a 2 story place, with the bedrooms on a separate floor from the main living area. I'm anticipating a certain level of pain/exhaustion and will use the pack n play as a changing area downstairs so that I don't have to walk upstairs to change the baby/get things. ;)

[nellonello]

will use the pack n play as a changing area downstairs so that I don't have to walk upstairs to change the baby/get things. ;)

My DD is 11 months and we have used it for this purpose since day 1! It is also nice to have for travel to friends and when family comes to stay with us.

[newg]

We bought one with the bassinet and that was dd's place for sleep in our room 'till she was four months. It's what we take when we go on vacation for her to sleep in; and now that she is mobile I have it set up all the time in the family room so I have a safe place to put her (out of reach from our two dogs) when I need both hands...like going to the bathroom or running up and down the stairs real quick.....

If you don't plan on using it for sleeping the first few months and don't need any fancy bells and whistles you can get them pretty cheap...less than $100....that's what we did for both grandparent's houses.

It's such a nice thing to know you have if you need it.....even if you have a friend you can borrow one from.....I don't think I could live without mine!!!

[arivecchi]

I've found the pack n play super useful. Our has a diaper changing area and has seen heavy use with both DSs as infants. We have also used it whenever we travel as a travel crib and have also used it in our living room as a place to contain the kids when they are babies and not walking yet. I would say get one.

[maylips]

We did not use our PnP that much - but we have a one story house. I say splurge on the stroller you want and if you find out later you miss not having a PnP, you can talk DH into it after the fact! :)

[Melaine]

I suggest buying the stroller you want and then watch out for a super clearance on a PnP in the months to come (if you decide you need one). Or look for a good deal on a barely used one on CL ( got mine for $15 on craigslist and it works great).

[citymama]

If you travel a lot, a PnP is essential. We still use it for our 3 yr old on trips! It helps her sleep well in new places. We got it on sale at BRU for $45 - a basic model, which is all you need. Note - we didn't use it in the first months, perhaps starting around 4 months on our first big trip.

[misshollygolightly]

DS slept in the PNP in our room for the first two months, and we've taken it with us on vacations/visits to family. It's also nice for a contained playpen once your LO becomes more mobile. Depending on how your home is laid out, you might like to have it set up as a place LO can play while you cook, iron, or do other things that might be dangerous and require your full attention. Not sure if this would affect you at all, but our daycare (a small in-home daycare) required us to bring a PNP for DS to nap in, etc. So currently our PNP is w/ our DCP, but of course we take it with us when we need it for traveling, etc. Oh, one other thing: if you don't have a fenced-in yard and you enjoy working outside (gardening or whatever), you might like setting up the PNP outside in the shade so LO can be near you while you're working there for short periods of time.

[GraceH]

I didn't get a pack&play originally because DS slept in his crib...
THEN summer rolled around and we were going outside and going camping... at that point, I got a Graco Pack & Play SPORT off eBay in great condition - it's an indoor/outdoor one with a removable UV roof that changes into a play tent for later & I LOVE it.
that said, if I had registered for one of the huge ones with all the features that registry lists claim you 'need', it would never have met my needs -- evaluate where you may need one, perhaps even waiting until after your LO arrives, then carefully decide what you really need - then, as pp have suggested, check eBay or CL for a barely used one from a parent that got sucked into thinking they 'needed' it

[Vetchic]

Another vote for craigslist.

[caheinz]

I've heard that the pack n play is particularly helpful if you live in a 2 story place, with the bedrooms on a separate floor from the main living area. I'm anticipating a certain level of pain/exhaustion and will use the pack n play as a changing area downstairs so that I don't have to walk upstairs to change the baby/get things. ;)

This, exactly. I can't imagine life without the extra changing station it provides!