Playpens?

[october]

So at the risk of sounding like I don't know anything at all,
are playpens a positive and helpful way to keep a crawling/rolling baby safe for appropriate moments?

My babe is 11 weeks old and can now hold herself up while sitting and is beginning to attempt rolling over. I have been taking for granted that much of the work I do around the house includes setting her down on the couch for a bit, or on the bed. Now that she will be rolling over soon I realize that this is a safety hazard.

I'm interested in hearing about what you think about playpens. Do you recommend them? Are they more like cages? Are there any other things you would do instead?

If you like playpens, would you recommend one and share a link?

I should add that I wear her as much as she'll let me, but because of her immature stomach flap (between the esophagus and the stomach) she vomits easily with pressure on her belly so there's only so much baby wearing I can do without her wailing.

Thank you!

[omelette]

I don't know that a playpen is necessary for a rolling child. I would just make sure she is on something soft enough (carpet, blanket - we use foam playmats) and let here roll around on that while you do things. She can't get into too much trouble rolling if you make sure there is a clear enough space. If you need to leave the room I would take her with you.
We do have a playpen that my sister gave us and I use it for my son when I have to go pee, switch the laundry, etc. He's a crawler and a stander and he can't be left for a second without getting into something, no matter how hard I try to make all areas safe. But that's about all I use it for otherwise he would scream blue murder. He's much happier on the floor.
If you are looking at getting one I would try to borrow one or get one 2nd hand as I don't think it's something you'd use for too long.

[wombatclay]

Playpens are tools, and like any tool they have their place as well as the potential for abuse.

I use a playpen for ds when I'm gardening... we live rurally and our yard is rocky/weedy/pitted, we're building our own home so there are often tools/nails/baby dangers around, and DS is crawling/cruising and very focused on mouthing things. So if I'll be outside and doing something where I may be distracted a bit... into the playpen he goes!

But for a rolling babe inside? I'd probably just block off a safe space with pillows and set out some toys (maybe a playmat or one of those tripods that dangle toys). For something where you really can't have an eye on them (say you're taking a shower or something) then a playpen might be a good option for that. Maybe let them nap in it too, depending on how they prefer to sleep.

But I wouldn't use a playpen for extended periods of time...

[luv-my-boys]

I agree with the othr posters, a playpen in and of itself is not the devil Used properly and moderately imo it can be a great tool. We used them with all the boys and will be getting another when this baby comes along. Our house just isnt set up for smaller children, we have a couple stairs here and there that can not be gated plus we have larger pets and well a bunch of kids running around, I worry more about the kids than the pets hurting the baby. So yeah when I cant keep my eyes on the baby I will definatley be placing her in the playpen.

I do prefer the larger squared ones (like from joovy) than the smaller rectangular ones because they offer so much space. We used ours way into toddlerhood with all the boys as a *safe place* while I showered or whatnot. Plus because it was bigger the boys never really hated it because they had room plus we had hardwood floors so those collapsible baby corrals never worked because they would just scoot them around the room.

[jdg]

I plan to just do a combo of childproofing the entire house and using baby gates as needed once LO is mobile. We do own a Pack-n-Play; it's currently used with the bassinet insert as a changing area and can be used for short-term containment when older if needed. It was bought so that we would have an area to put her down for naps on this side of the house that the dog wouldn't trample. Turns out she won't sleep in the thing and the dog is super-careful around her anyway.

[mamadelbosque]

I childproof pretty much, and have gates up so that when I'm in the room w/ babe I don't have to worry. But a play yard or crib or pack'n play *is* handy for those times when I have to go do somethign else and I just *can't* be watching ds2 - run out to feed the goats or get a box from the ups guy or go turn the water back on in the basement (and theres a trap door down to it, and its gross down there), or get a shower or just, whatever. It is handy. He's rarely in it for more than 5 or 10 minutes at a time, but its nice to have when I need it!!

[mamazee]

I use a pack n play when I have to use the bathroom or something. It doesn't get a lot of use, and I wouldnt' keep a screaming babe in there, but from my experience they don't generally mind being in there for a few minutes very occasionally while you're in the bathroom or taking something hot out of the oven or something. I don't know so much about rolling age, but if they're toddling after you everywhere and you have to open the oven door and get something out, it can help to keep them from getting a burn. So I guess I've used them more in the crawling/toddling age.

[tzs]

so far i've only needed the pack and play for travel sleeping but i have to say that not only does it have the potential for being a temporary safe spot for a crawler, it seems to also be an interesting play-thing. my 8 mo DD has always loved being in the thing for a while after she wakes up because the mesh sides are sooooooooo fun to play with/look through/scratch at/push in and out/poke back and forth with mommy.
we have an unfenced raised porch and i totally plan on setting it up out there and hanging out with her in it this summer.

[cristeen]

Just a small warning - I ran into this same problem with our guy - and it started during the cold season when I couldn't just leave him on the cold floor in a cold room. I did get a pack and play for those reasons. Talk about a waste of $70. He's never tolerated it, period. Talk about screaming fits. I packed it up and put it away a few weeks ago - it was a waste of space.

I dealt. I'd put a blanket down in a corner of the kitchen and let him roll while I grabbed a snack (I wouldn't chop or cook with him down there though). Learned to pee one-handed, and the rest of the housework either got done during naps or after DH got home.

[Letitia]

We used one a lot with DD when she was itty-bitty, but it wasn't to keep her from getting into things, it was to keep her safe from our cranky, elderly kitty while we did things. It was a Fisher Price model where you could hand basically a second-story so she didn't have to be all the way down in it when she was too young for there to be any chance of climbing out. I never thought it seemed cruel or limiting - she wasn't going anywhere anyway, so she might as well sit there as on the floor.

Then the kitty died, we had DS, and we had to keep him safe from DD, so out it came again.

When older, both our kids have been set in it briefly while we did something where we had to take our eyes off them for a little bit (we have no goats, but that example seems perfect).

[Peony]

I never used one until #3 then I needed a place to keep baby away from the pack of overzealous children that always seem to be running through my house. More of a tool to keep other children out than a baby contained! Before then I just put baby on the floor on a blanket.

[russsk]

My mom got me one when DS was a newborn. I was working from home and he mostly hung out on my lap because he nursed all the time, but he also wanted to roll around on the floor. I had no problem with him on the floor by my feet, but I liked being able to pop him in the playpen when I wanted to run upstairs to pee or get a drink. We had two dogs, and though they were wonderful with him they could have easily gotten overexcited and stepped on him or something. Not to mention the fact that he started army crawling at four months, so there was no way he would be where I left him if I stepped away.

With the new baby I will probably use it sparingly - as a safe place to put baby while I go to the bathroom or if DS is tear-assing around the house.

[tzs]

Originally Posted by russsk

We had two dogs, and though they were wonderful with him they could have easily gotten overexcited and stepped on him or something.

it happens. our dog stepped right on dd's face and i was sitting right next to her.

[confustication]

We use two- one beside my side of the bed for him to start the night in, and another beside my desk for naps. I will also pop him in to sit for a bit if I have to be out of sight and can't take him with me (we have three children, and live rurally as well- reality means that sometimes I ocasionally have to set him down in a safe space.) I don't think they are at all 'bad' things. Used wrong sometimes- sure, but I prefer them to cribs for safe sleeping spots when they are transitioning from full time cosleeping, and having a safe spot where an older sibling can't pester while napping is a must.

While we are inside and he is awake, DS is usually on the floor. We have wood floors, so when he was smaller I put down a blanket, now that he's bigger and the weather is warmer, I just set him down. At 9 months he's all over the place anyway- so he wouldn't stay on a blanket long enough to make it worth setting it down. If you can keep the space you are in clear of clutter, letting them roll and roam on the floor is, imo, the best approach, but a pack and play is great for the times you want to pee or take a shower without worry about rolling off a bed when they wake up early from a nap.

[lolar2]

This one was expensive, but DS liked it and I could get in there with him, and it has a built-in busy-box: http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/...mSource=Search

We gave it away when we moved, and he's outgrown it now anyway, but if we have another baby at some point, I will get another one of those! It was very nice.

[scrappin-mama]

I barely used one with dd, but with ds I used it a lot more, simply because dd was 20 months old when he was born, and I was worried about her stepping on him or 'playing' with him too roughly when I wasn't in the room. The playyard kept him out of her reach and gave me some peace of mind when I wasn't right there and wasn't wearing him.

[MommatoAandA]

I use the pack and play I bought for DD1 as a crib for DD2. She sleeps in a HUGE walk in closet (yeah I know it sounds awful, but we are renovating a room for her) She LOVES darkness and quiet and she goes to bed significantly earlier than all of us. She cannot sleep in our room, the blanket moves and she wakes up. So a quiet dark walk in closet it is in her beloved pack and play. I put her in sometimes too if she is overwhelmed (she is sensitive to stimuli sometimes) by noise or seems irritable. If I am mopping or showering sometimes I use it (although these days she uses a walker in the bathroom or an excersaucer so I can make faces at her and make her laugh and still watch her while I am showering).

I like my pack and play. Some babies will tolerate them, others not.

[MariesMama]

Like some PPs, I didn't use mine much when she was rolling, it was more when she started crawling.

When she was just rolling around, I simply blocked off an area with furniture and placed her on a blanket. I did use the playpen quite a bit as a single mom, when I needed to shower or catch a mini-nap after a late shift at work. I probably used it more than most, but DD learned to play by herself at an early age. She loved being in the playpen because she could do what she wanted while in it, and I wasn't constantly redirecting her.

Once she started speaking, it was a little awkward when she called it her "pen" and would ask "I go in pen?"

[snoopy5386]

The only time I used one with DD1 was in our garage/basement when I needed to do laundry when she was a very young toddler because the garage wasn't babyproofed.

The rest of the house is babyproofed and is/was safe for her to roll/crawl/toddle/walk/run around. IMO you are eventually going to have to babyproof anyways, after all your baby is a person who lives in your home - as she gets older and more and more mobile you can't keep her in a box all the time. For us it was much easier to babyproof to the point where we felt safe leaving her in one room while we went to another and 95% of the time she just followed us anyways.
With DD2 I expect to use the pack and play a bit more - for laundry again, for playing outside during the eating everything in sight phase and for peace of mind when leaving the room around DD1's toys with small parts.