Your views on Pack N Plays

[HonkyTonka]

So I like the idea of the Pack N Play (the ones that come with a bassinet and a change station) but I'm wondering if there are alternatives out there that I haven't heard about.

My issue is that the bassinet is designed to be used for babes up to 15lbs. What if I want to keep the kid in my room next to my bed when (s)he is 30 lbs? I know the playard portion of the Pack N Play can be used as a bed when you are traveling - which sounds fine to me for short periods... but every night? If it was designed as a proper bed I think it would be advertised as such.

I'd love to hear your opinions on the Pack N Play, or about alternatives that you'd suggest. All I'm looking for is a bed that I can use for at least the first year, that I can put next to my bed, and that is easy to get (baby) in and out of (for nighttime feedings and such). I have no need for portability, and I am not comfortable with kid sleeping in the bed or in a side-car crib...

Anyone?

[chels_c2000]

I would look at arm reach cosleepers. This is just one of them,
http://www.amazon.com/Arms-Reach-Nat...4300523&sr=8-1
It is acutally a good price I think right now. It is meant to be slept in and is similiar to a pack n play. We are using the arms reach this time around so we can keep the baby next to us longer.

[SeattleRain]

Originally Posted by HonkyTonka

So I like the idea of the Pack N Play (the ones that come with a bassinet and a change station) but I'm wondering if there are alternatives out there that I haven't heard about.

My issue is that the bassinet is designed to be used for babes up to 15lbs. What if I want to keep the kid in my room next to my bed when (s)he is 30 lbs? I know the playard portion of the Pack N Play can be used as a bed when you are traveling - which sounds fine to me for short periods... but every night? If it was designed as a proper bed I think it would be advertised as such.

I'd love to hear your opinions on the Pack N Play, or about alternatives that you'd suggest. All I'm looking for is a bed that I can use for at least the first year, that I can put next to my bed, and that is easy to get (baby) in and out of (for nighttime feedings and such). I have no need for portability, and I am not comfortable with kid sleeping in the bed or in a side-car crib...

Anyone?

I can see if I can look up any real evidence of this, but local moms have told me that the biggest problem with the pack n play for long periods of time is that the mattress isn't exactly very supportive. If you're looking at using it for a year, I'd be nervous about putting baby in a substandard mattress. Maybe you could use a mini crib or portable crib which uses a real mattress (but smaller). Here's an example: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index...ductId=3917841

[sweetpea_119]

We've used ours for quite a long time now...I used it for the portability for my first two kids, but then we really just needed the bassinet feature for #3 so that he was safely out of reach of the others while sleeping. It's been his bed for 22 months now...it's holding up just fine We cosleep when the babies are littler, but for naps, he's been in it nearly the whole time & now he's been in it for every night for a long time, too.

Even though I have a crib, I'm thinking about getting another Pack n Play for the little one who's gonna be popping out any day now since it is so convenient & easily moved if I need to clean, etc. It was nice to have something somewhat smaller than a big crib next to my bed! Those things are really pretty huge when you try to sidecar them!

[Chamomile Girl]

Our kid finds the "mattress" in the pack and play to be very uncomfortable. Plus, you are right, its not really designed for full-time use (ours is a little on the jenky side). It would also be very unsafe once the kid started to pull up which usually happens between 6-9 months I think. Why are you uncomfortable with a side-car crib? It seems that would be the most logical option.

FOr what its worth we had a co-sleeper that was great, but only went up to 20 lbs. He outgrew it length-wise at like four months. I think babies tend to do this (length out of things before they are too heavy).

[etsdtm99]

a pack n play 'mattress' is just a thin piece of foam (about an inch) and cardboard.. not much different from sleeping on the floor.. and when you put baby down inside the 'play yard' (after 15lbs) it would be easier to get them out of a traditional crib.. a small 'travel' crib is another option if you're looking for something smaller but with a more substantial mattress and higher weight limit..

we have used the play yard part of the pack n play to keep baby safer and out of reach of older kids.. and the changing table part is pretty nice too, but not a necessity and it has a low weight limit too..


personally, we use a side car crib .. i use to just have the crib next to my bed until DS was 15 months old and started to climb out.. then we did the side car thing becasue i figured that was safer than him trying to climb over the side of the crib.. i wish i had done it sooner and next time we will use a side car crib from day one..

[akat]

Arm's Reach also makes this

http://www.amazon.com/Arms-Reach-Co-...4300777&sr=1-3

by the way, the side goes up and down, so I'm pretty sure you can use it as a free-standing bassinet, not just attached to the bed [research that, don't trust me on it, I didn't scrutinize the info].

[Grace and Granola]

I definitely don't like the pack n play for an every day bed. We have one and have had it since day one and barely used it. I like the bassinet feature mostly to keep in the living room as a changing station. I love having it now that my kids are older, just so we have it if friends come for a visit and we need a quick bed for a baby. But it seems like it would be so uncomfortable. The mattress can't be more than 2" thick. I would go with something else as the every day bed.

And your point about the weight limit being 15#....by the time your baby is 30# or even 20, they will be rolling and crawling and pulling up and would need to be down lower so as not to climb/fall out of the bassinet. So, you could still keep the PnP next to your bed, but only at the lower setting once your baby gets more mobile.

[finnegansmom]

Originally Posted by akat

Arm's Reach also makes this

http://www.amazon.com/Arms-Reach-Co-...4300777&sr=1-3

by the way, the side goes up and down, so I'm pretty sure you can use it as a free-standing bassinet, not just attached to the bed [research that, don't trust me on it, I didn't scrutinize the info].

Hi, we had this for #1 - it does go up and down, you don't have to attach it to the bed, but the weight limit is only 15#... which when you have a 10# baby, is literally a matter of a few months at that (I guess why they call it a bassinet).

The mattress was just as thin as the pack and play we got for #2. He slept in the bassinet of that, maybe 3 times?

Why not just get a smaller styled (yet full crib-sized mattress) crib and just had it next to you bed, without sidecar-ring it? I really like this IKEA crib. No movable sides, but the platform can be moved up or down and you can remove one side to make it a daybed later on. It's just so simple...

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00116005

[RedOakMomma]

We used the pack-n-play as a crib because both ds3 and dd slept better in it. I jazzed up the mattress a bit...put down a big sheepskin, then a waterproof pad, then wrapped it all tightly in fleece and pinned it down underneath.

Ds3 slept in it until he was almost 2, Dd slept in it until past 2. I don't know what it is about that thing, but they both absolutely loved it for naps. The regular crib they didn't like at all.

Personally, it's one of my must-have baby items. I wouldn't use it for nighttime sleeping, though...especially not for an infant. THey're too close to the floor, and in our house that's too chilly.

I don't have any experience with the bassinette. Ours didn't come with one.

[nameisrio]

I think we used our Pack n Play once on a vacation. It's not really THAT portable...it's kinda heavy and bulky to take with you! On subsequent vacations I just had her sleep in the bed with me. And the matress was definitely not comfortable as she got bigger. I have friends who use it as a changing station b/c they live in a 2 story house. That makes sense, but was not needed for us in our small place. I used a hand-made cradle in our room when she was a newborn, but would definitely get the Arms Reach co-sleeper if we have another one.

[cheerios]

because her real bedroom and nice crib with amazing mattress are on the first floor, while the rest of us have bedrooms on the 2nd floor, my 10 month old has been sleeping in a non-infant pack n play (in our room) ever since she outgrew the bassinet. It has a sheet on it, and it's right next to the heating vent. She's usually in a sleep sack plus a light blanket. She sleeps like a rock. I think she is more comfortable than anyone in the house. Maybe it doesn't work for everyone, but it's been great for us. I think it would be harder for her to jump out of than her crib. Good luck!

[GuavaGirl]

If portability isn't an issue, I would look into IKEA cribs. They're simple & affordable. I plan to get the second one down.

$79.99 http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60091931
$99.99 http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00116005
139.99 Same as the one above, but in Birch instead of White

I plan to use the pack in play in my art studio, so he has somewhere to nap and/or play while I'm working...and we'll use it when going out of town too.

[sheriwx]

Interesting thread! Our pack n' play has been hands down THE most useful baby item we've ever had. We use it for a little bassinet when they are little, and we use it as a crib when they get bigger. We put a soft blanket on it to make it more comfy, and my babies sleep in it until they are 2 and move to a toddler bed. They LOVE sleeping in that pack 'n play, and have never given any indication of discomfort. They love it in there so much, that we gave away our actual crib because it was never used. My youngest is now 2, and she refuses to nap unless she's in that pack 'n play. We're trying to get her out so the new baby can have it in July.

They have no back problems from the lack of cushiness, and even if it offered no more support than sleeping on the floor, lots of people all over the world sleep on the floor without ill effects.

[kalamos23]

Haven't read all the responses, but ours has been wonderful as a toy box... thank goodness it was given to us and we didn't buy it!

We were given a convertible crib (converts to a toddler bed) and sidecarred that to the side of our bed even with our mattress. It is AWESOME. Seriously - we should have done that from birth! It gives her her own space, but she is right there for nursing at night.

[MyFour]

Originally Posted by sheriwx

Interesting thread! Our pack n' play has been hands down THE most useful baby item we've ever had. We use it for a little bassinet when they are little, and we use it as a crib when they get bigger. We put a soft blanket on it to make it more comfy, and my babies sleep in it until they are 2 and move to a toddler bed. They LOVE sleeping in that pack 'n play, and have never given any indication of discomfort. They love it in there so much, that we gave away our actual crib because it was never used. My youngest is now 2, and she refuses to nap unless she's in that pack 'n play. We're trying to get her out so the new baby can have it in July.

They have no back problems from the lack of cushiness, and even if it offered no more support than sleeping on the floor, lots of people all over the world sleep on the floor without ill effects.

Same here. We used it for our 2nd and 3rd child from birth, every day and night until about 2 1/2-3 years of age. I will be buying another for this baby as well since we thought we were done and sold the last one 3 years ago.

[MamaMonica]

Moved to LWAB.

[Sharon, RN]

We actually have 2 of them... 1 upstairs, 1 down, both bought from Craigslist.

We use ours for the diaper changing station and to store toys in. :-) Right now, the bassinet part is still installed for both of them. However, think he's only napped in there once. (We cosleep.)

He's getting too heavy to use the diaper changers. I like the idea of jazzing up the "mattress" and using them for naps, like the pp dd. However, realistically, I'll probably just use them to store toys in. lol I like having them around because we have 3 dogs, so I like having a safe place for the baby if, God forbid, the dogs decided to get into a throwdown and I needed to separate them, or if the baby was bothering them, I could put him in the PNP while getting the dogs into another room/behind a gate/etc.

I don't know if it's NEEDED, but I think they can be useful.

[Ammaarah]

A P&P bassinette is not safe for a baby who can roll over and/or pull up, regardless of weight. I am 5'9" and it was still a reach to place my baby in the bottom part of the P&P. They are OK but I might look into an Arm's Reach if I have another baby.

[Super~Single~Mama]

What makes everyone say they are unsafe for baby's who can roll over/stand up? My son sleeps in one every night (I'm poor and can't afford/don't have room for a big crib and can't co-sleep) and we've had no problems with it even though he's been walking for 4months now.