Playpens

[coffeegirl]

So, my daughter is 16 months old.

Whenever we needed to get her corralled somewhere (like when we're vacuuming or moving furniture and don't want her to be underfoot), or when I just needed a break; needed to put her somewhere so I can start cleaning up the mess in the living room without having her follow me making the same messes all over again in my wake, etc....we would just put her on the couch. She didn't know how to get off, so it was great. Sometimes we'd throw a toy up there and she'd get along just fine. Sometimes she'd fall right asleep.

Anyhow, over the past couple weeks she's learned that the couch is actually very low to the ground and she can get off easily by turning over onto her belly and sliding herself off of it backwards. We knew that day would come eventually lol. So, I got out the pack n' play to see what would happen.

Now, I had tried to use the pack n' play months earlier (when my bb was a crawler, not a walker yet) and she HATED it. She screamed when I put her in it to the point where it sounded like she was having a panic attack. :( So we were like, ok, no pack n' play for her. Now that she's older, we decided to try it again and omg.....she actually seems to like it. (!!)

So, anyhow....I was guessing that a lot of moms here don't use playpens or might even be anti-playpen. But for those who aren't, or who have ever used one successfully, can you share any of your tips? I'm afraid that she might just like it now only because it's "new" to her, and once the novelty is gone, she'll hate it again. We have some toys that we're ONLY keeping in the playpen, and that seems to do the ticket. Also, where it's positioned in the living room, she can see me if I'm anywhere in the LR or in the kitchen. She plays with her toys in there, sometimes falls asleep, plays peek-a-boo with us over the railing, etc. We only put her in it when we need to not have her underfoot or when I need a break, and never for longer than 15-20ish minutes at the most at a time (unless she falls asleep, in which case we leave her to nap.) It's working out so beautifully and making life in our tiny apartment SO MUCH easier, that we just don't want this to end, you know? LOL So, please share your pack n/ play success stories if you have any.

[One_Girl]

My DD and I both loved her playpen! I put a few toys only for the playpen in and rotated them occasionally. I also talked and sang to her while I got stuff done or had a few minutes of not being touched. When she got bored I took her out. I am not into baby devices in general but that and the back pack carrier were the two baby devices I think of as essential.

[ollyoxenfree]

We didn't use a pack 'n' go much, but it was convenient sometimes.

I think it helps to take the child out of it BEFORE they become unhappy or bored or fussy, if you can manage it. Less risk that the child will make negative associations with the playpen and more likely that they will be content to spend some time there. 

[crunchy_mommy]

We have a playpen but never used it, so I don't really have advice, beyond don't ever disassemble it because IMO they are impossible to set up lol!! But this made me think of last week when my 3yo DS asked to "sleep" (pretend sleep) in a crib... We don't have one so we pulled out the pack & play from the attic and he climbed in & played dog in there. He loved it lol, we put a blanket over the whole thing and he asked us to feed him pretend dog treats. It was a really fun game. Another thing I've seen people do in some blogs I read is fill the playpen with those plastic balls to make a ball pit. Just a few ideas in case she gets bored with it!

[mattemma04]

I had some and I bet I used it here and there when I could not tie the kids to me in a wrap A few toys and books and they were good to go for a very short time. I usually ended up doing many things at night. It was good for their naps!

 I now use the pack-n-play as a chicken brooder!

[LaughingHyena]

We didn't use it much with the first child, however when the second came along it was great for having a way to keep them apart. It was often actually the older child playing in there with toys I did not want the younger one getting hold of. I've never found a better way to keep lego contained!

The other thing we used it for which both kids loved was as a ball pool. We had a couple of bags of balls and I would often stick them in there rather than inflate the pool.

[coffeegirl]

Dude, the legos thing is pure genius. LOL

[LaughingHyena]

I wish it still worked but at 7 & 5 they really are too big to fit in there. It was great while it lasted though.

[pianojazzgirl]

Originally Posted by LaughingHyena 

I wish it still worked but at 7 & 5 they really are too big to fit in there. It was great while it lasted though.

Lol!

Neither of mine were happy to be in a pack'n'play, but if yours is I say use it while you can!  I don't think there's anything wrong with any "baby devices" as long as the baby's happy.

[Youngfrankenstein]

Whatever keeps her happy.  We turned out octagonal pack and play into a ball pit.  Even the 7 year old loves it.  The legos are a great idea.  We didn't use one too much because we didn't "have" to but I think they can be great.  I'd probably use it especially when I had to take out the trash or get a shower or something.

[nextcommercial]

Mine loved her pack n play!  It was actually a full sized playpen, but she was very content in there.  She had a toy phone in there, and had many long conversations in her playpen.

[coffeegirl]

Originally Posted by pianojazzgirl 

Neither of mine were happy to be in a pack'n'play, but if yours is I say use it while you can!  I don't think there's anything wrong with any "baby devices" as long as the baby's happy.

I agree with the "as long as they're happy" philosophy. Funny thing is, the first time I tried to put her in the playpen, when she was just crawling, she full out had a screaming panic attack. It was the worst that she'd ever cried. :( So I just packed it away and mentally crossed the pack 'n play off our list of things A. would tolerate. It wasn't until she started walking and figured out a way off the couch that my husband convinced me to try it one more time. So I did, sorta to prove him wrong. lol. And what do ya know....she likes it now.

[november]

I didn't find a need for one w/ DD, personally. I'm sure that has a lot to do w/ the fact that she is my only child so she had 100% of my attention and I didn't really NEED one. I am not the biggest fan of the idea but if a child is okay with it, I don't see the harm in it if used sparingly, you know? I babysit a friend's little girl the other day who is 9 months old and in to EVERYTHING and I put her in the play pen for about five minutes and was thankful I had it. I can see where they would come in handy for a few minutes when you're outnumbered by children and need to keep the little one safe.

[lilbsmama]

We bought one for about $60 brand new, but it was only used as a blockade and a catch-all for things we didn't want the boys getting ahold of. It eventually became a stuffed animal "pit"  for my then 3 yp to play in, until we gave it to my cousin.

[Youngfrankenstein]

Originally Posted by november 

I didn't find a need for one w/ DD, personally. I'm sure that has a lot to do w/ the fact that she is my only child so she had 100% of my attention and I didn't really NEED one. I am not the biggest fan of the idea but if a child is okay with it, I don't see the harm in it if used sparingly, you know? I babysit a friend's little girl the other day who is 9 months old and in to EVERYTHING and I put her in the play pen for about five minutes and was thankful I had it. I can see where they would come in handy for a few minutes when you're outnumbered by children and need to keep the little one safe.

I guess I don't understand what the problem is.  If the baby is happy, then why do we nit-pick ourselves about if there's something wrong with what we're doing.  Now granted, someone could feed a newborn ice cream and declare it "ok" because they like it but to me that would be harming the child.  If my baby lays in a bouncy seat while I brush my teeth so that she can be right next to me and see me, it is bad because I didn't wear her or not carry her? 

I'm not trying to pick on the pp, but I don't like the implication that other parents are declaring that it's "okay" with reservations.  Let's hold each other up and not try to color our advice.

[sahmof2girls]

As long as she is happy I don't see the problem.  After I had my second I tried it to separate them when in shower etc...  Well I only used it once cause dd hated it, so in turn it turned out to be a WAY too big catch all...lol, I love the ball pit idea!!!

[coffeegirl]

Originally Posted by Youngfrankenstein 

I guess I don't understand what the problem is.  If the baby is happy, then why do we nit-pick ourselves about if there's something wrong with what we're doing.  Now granted, someone could feed a newborn ice cream and declare it "ok" because they like it but to me that would be harming the child.  If my baby lays in a bouncy seat while I brush my teeth so that she can be right next to me and see me, it is bad because I didn't wear her or not carry her? 

I'm not trying to pick on the pp, but I don't like the implication that other parents are declaring that it's "okay" with reservations.  Let's hold each other up and not try to color our advice.

Well, what she said before the part you quoted was: "I didn't find a need for one w/ DD, personally. I'm sure that has a lot to do w/ the fact that she is my only child so she had 100% of my attention and I didn't really NEED one." And....to be clear, I'm NOT dissing november or her post. In fact I agree with most of it. :) But the implication that a child would overall get less attention if a parent uses a playpen is unfounded, imo. A playpen is just a tool....the use of it can be good, bad or neutral as far as I'm concerned, depending on the situation. Same with any other tool....like baby wraps, toys, highchairs, etc.

[Youngfrankenstein]

I did read her whole post and I didn't use a playpen either but I guess after being at MDC for a bit I feel like there needs to be another voice out there sometimes.  A lot of MDC can be "Well I wouldn't do it, but you could I guess..."

[coffeegirl]

Originally Posted by Youngfrankenstein 

I did read her whole post and I didn't use a playpen either but I guess after being at MDC for a bit I feel like there needs to be another voice out there sometimes.  A lot of MDC can be "Well I wouldn't do it, but you could I guess..."

Oh yeah, I know what you're talking about. Totally.