Changing table on PnP useful?

[star04]

I've decided to get a Graco Pack n Play for the first couple of months, but I'm trying to decide if the changing table option is worth the extra money.

Here was my first choice, with the changing table at $100(Classic Pooh - Let's Fly a Kite (http://www.target.com/Graco-Classic-Pooh-Pack-Play/dp/B001F6WJJS/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_4?ie=UTF8&pf_rd_r=1F012V07MX3TZKW7MFF2&pf_rd_p=447415501&pf_rd_i=B001GQ2PLE&pf_rd_s=left-5&pf_rd_m=A1VC38T7YXB528&pf_rd_t=201)). I don't believe this has the extra storage like some others do.

Now I'm looking at this one, without a changing table at $70 (Kensly (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B001GQ2PLE/ref=pd_luc_mri?%5Fencoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance)).

I love the colors in both, so I would be happy with either one, but I just thought I'd see what people used. Thanks! :)

[WatchingThemGrow]

Depends on where you're going to use it, I think.. We didn't have a changing table on our original one and never missed it because our house is small and DD's room is in the center of the house. We just used her regular changing table. Same thing with DS. We just took him into his room to change him during the night.

We got a 2nd PnP b/c we had 2 DC sleeping in them at the same time, and we found it was handy to have the changing table when we were on vacation with it. But...we didn't leave it up there while baby was sleeping and I think they have a weight limit (25 lb), so that's a consideration as well.

The 2nd and 3rd PnPs we've bought have been in VERY good condition and only $25. We don't actually take the changing table with us when we travel b/c we have to set up a changing place for our >25lb child anyway, so there is no need to set up 2.

Will you have another place to change the baby or do you need one there?

[srkaplan]

I think it depends on your house & how you have things set up. I live in a 2 story house with DD's bedroom upstairs. We have the PnP with changing table downstairs and I can't imagine life without it. Otherwise we would be chaging diapers on the couch or floor, or going up & down the stairs every time. If your regular changing table is centrally located, then maybe you wouldn't need one on the PnP.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I think it depends on your house & how you have things set up. I live in a 2 story house with DD's bedroom upstairs. We have the PnP with changing table downstairs and I can't imagine life without it. Otherwise we would be chaging diapers on the couch or floor, or going up & down the stairs every time. If your regular changing table is centrally located, then maybe you wouldn't need one on the PnP.

Ditto.

The downstairs' PnP served as a changing area for the first few months. At first we just changed him in the bassinet but when he maxed out the weight on that we used the changing table topper to buy us an extra month+. I was happy to have that option.

Beth

[edurnemk]

If you don't have a changing table, or if it's far from where the baby will be sleeping or fed, it's good to have. But I find that it's only practical if you get the kind that folds up and down. The ones you have to snap on and off because you can't leave it on when the baby is in the PnP are a PITA. So if you aren't considering one that folds, I'd say you can skip it.
I got the Graco BErmuda for our house and never ever used the changing table because of this, I just put a changing pad on my bed and changed him there at night, and in his room on the changing table during the day.

However my mom got a nicer PnP for her house, with the folding changing table, the Graco Devon, and I love it, but of course she doesn't have a changing table in her house. It has a 25 lb limit, but my son is 15 months old and only 23 lb, so if your baby is not big you will get at least a year of use out of it.
For our second child I am seriously considering selling our PnP and spending the extra bucks for one with the folding changing table.
Oh, and I think the little hanging baskets thant come with the Devon or the Bermuda are enough storage, the DEvon comes with a little diaper hanger.

[MontrealMum]

We got a 2nd PnP b/c we had 2 DC sleeping in them at the same time, and we found it was handy to have the changing table when we were on vacation with it. But...we didn't leave it up there while baby was sleeping and I think they have a weight limit (25 lb), so that's a consideration as well.


We found ours invaluabe while travelling and for visits to the ILs; and our DS (20 mos) has only now hit the 25 lb weight limit, so we're lucky with that. My knees and back just couldn't take floor or bed changes. I don't know what we'll do this year w/o the changing table option and DS not yet pt'ed. Be sore I guess! We were able to fold it up while he was sleeping, it wasn't the snap-off kind.

[sail731]

We live in a 2 story house and use it several times a day to change while downstairs. Have also used on several vacations and over nights. I would spend the extra $$ if you think it would be of use to you.

[firsttimemama]

used mine on the main floor (bedrooms/changing table upstairs)
loved the changer
honestly used the changer more than any other part of the PNP

[srhs]

We used ours in the living room for the first weeks; it was very convenient. We put a TV tray next to it with all the supplies. That said, the height was a back killer. When I started using the (taller) changing table in the nursery exclusively, my lower back thanked me.

[mommy2amelia]

I thought it was worth it. We have 3 levels of living in our house. We kept the PNP on the middle level and it was just so convenient to either have it right there on only have to go up one flight of stairs to do a change.

[erincarter]

Yes! We used our PNP in our bedroom for the first couple months and used the changing table exclusively for longer than that. It's nice because the walls help keep the baby in the right place. Also, we're tall so it was more ergonomical than at our regular changing table (a dresser) or the bed.

[kijip]

We have three floors as well. Our 3 in 1 PNP in the living room is a lifesaver and my favorite feature is the changing table. By craigslist luck it is the exact same model and pattern we had for T 6 years ago, it was his entire nursery then because we lived in a studio at the time. Loved it then, love it now.

[nellonello]

Our DD is 1 tomorrow and we have used ours since day 1 as a changing table on the main floor of our house. Ours does not have the separate changing table topper so we just have a changing pad that we put in the bassinet part of the table.

[L'sMommy]

Yes, absolutely!! We live on 2 floors and in the beginning every time I had to change DS i would run upstairs. That got old quick! We have our PNP on the main floor and I love this changing table better than our regular changing table because it's deeper. So, when DS has a blowout, and I need to run over to the sink or laundry room to grab supplies (just a few feet away), I can leave DS lying there without worrying about him rolling over. Granted, once he can roll over or pull himself up i have to stop doing that, but in the early weeks it worked very well. In fact, I prefer to use this changing table for all blowouts and getting him dressed after a bath.

[GracieCat]

How do you know which PNP have changers that flip to the side vs having to be snapped on/off? Is there any way of knowing based on online descriptions instead of having to play with them in the store?

[citymama]

I'll differ with the others and say NO, not in my experience. Loved the bassinet, but the idea of projectile poop and pee right over where your kid sleeps - uh, no thanks. Changing diapers can be messy and I personally preferred doing so in a space that could be scrubbed down/covers changed rather than right over my baby's crib. I prefer a changing pad on a dresser to something like this.

[pamxch]

I have never used the changing table on my PnP, and now I realize why. I have the Graco PnP Bermuda with the snap on changing table. It was too fiddley to put on and off. The manual said you weren't supposed to leave it on when the baby was in the PnP. I didn't know there were other types.