Is a playpen even necessary? - Page 2

[katydid317]

We had one, because my ex-mil got one from somebody she worked with for cheap. It didn't get used much. we tried using it as a portable bed but ds always co-slept so it just got lugged around. When he got older it ended up being his bed at mil's house for when he has sleepovers there. I wouldn't have bought it new, that's for sure.

[JamesMama]

We never had one with James, our first baby, but we got one for this baby. I figure there will be times when I have to set the baby down (play with big brother, clean, dishes, pee, etc) and since we will not have a crib at all I need somewhere safe to put her out of reach from the Toddler Monster (AKA- Big Brother)

As for it being a 'need' that depends on your definiton of 'need' for a first baby, I don't think I needed it at all, I could easily put him in the swing or on the floor on a blanket if I needed to put him down...when you add a Toddler Monster into the mix those low down places are DANGEROUS.

[Longhorn]

Wow that great responses! It looks like the general consensus is that it isnt needed, and those that did use one used it sparingly. One of the main appeals of it for me is that it has a diaper changing station but I can just buy a mat and do that on the carpet. And I plan on getting a swing and a bouncer so I'm sure when it isnt napping on me, it can nap in there. I want to use a sling and or wrap most of the time though. :

[UlrikeDG]

My mom thinks so. She put the Christmas tree in it so I couldn't pull it over on top of myself.

[staceychev]

Didn't use a playpen. Used a bouncer if I needed to put her down.

[annethcz]

All of my kids are older now, but I never had a playpen.

[Longhorn]

Originally Posted by UlrikeDG

My mom thinks so. She put the Christmas tree in it so I couldn't pull it over on top of myself.

[PatchChild]

We have one as well, but it rarely gets used. Lots of time on a blanket when DS is not in my arms. He won't be in a sling in the house though. Somehow, he became convinced that slings are just for walking outside, we're working on that though...

[Leilalu]

For us, we got a co-sleep attachment for our bed, but then never used it, as we all fit in bed just fine.
Instead we converted it into the playpen you could also use it as. it gave dd a safe space to crawl in the kitchen while I cooked, and gave ds a safe place away form his sister when I had to put him down.
My kids never liked being slung all day. They were way too active. I don't think you NEED one at all, but for us, with the kids only 19 months apart, it was good to have a safe spot.

[maymorales]

my MIL always urged me strongly to get a play pen and dismayed that I never did. I think they take up space. But that's just my opinion.

[jocelyndale]

We have a small house and don't use ours often, but it has come in handy a few times now that he can sit up and play with toys.

Working outside. Sometimes I can wear him, but gardening and deck work goes much more smoothly when he's in the pack-n-play with mosquito netting over top.

Camping. I typically poke myself in the eye several times when DH and I are erecting the tent. Much easier (and safer) to put a happy babe in the playpen while we do this.

My best friend used to drop her son off with his pack 'n' play when I babysat. Since the babysitters she had were all college kids (we were young), most of us did not have baby-safe homes. We could let her kiddo play and self-feed in the playpen when we needed to attend to dishes or housework or homework. We never let him sit to cry, obviously, but he was often content to play in there, rather than explore our mazes of wires.

I take it when we travel. We pile laundry in it and use it to hang-dry diapers. Very handy.

[Kino]

Everyone told us we would need one. So we bought an inexpensive one. It sits in the garage unopened

My daughter always had to be worn/in someone's arms! I take my showers before DH leaves for work anyway so constant contact wasn't that hard. Now she's crawling off on her own adventures and would scream if confined:

[loree]

I wore DD as an infant all the time around the house.

I do have a "play pen" -- "pack & play" that we got as a shower gift for DS. As pp said, these are great for when you are going to grandma's house and need a place for a nap, staying overnight somewhere, etc.

Neither of my children ever "played" in them.

[runes]

Originally Posted by filiadeluna

Aren't there screen-like covers you can purchase just like with cribs?

so it becomes even more like a baby jail?

if i really needed to keep my animals away from my child, i would choose putting the animals in another room behind a door or a gate vs. placing a child in some contraption that's meant to keep the animals away. :to banish the baby and let the animals free, yk?

but that's just me.:

[Longhorn]

Originally Posted by kidspiration

so it becomes even more like a baby jail?

if i really needed to keep my animals away from my child, i would choose putting the animals in another room behind a door or a gate vs. placing a child in some contraption that's meant to keep the animals away. :to banish the baby and let the animals free, yk?

but that's just me.:

well put!

[Jenlaana]

we have one. I would like to use it for this next baby (due Saturday wuwu!) but we did not ever use it for DD. She would wake up if we tried to put her in it to sleep and scream if we left her in it because we used it so seldom that it freaked her out I think. I'm hoping this baby will be used to it before she reaches a point of realizing its wierd.

That being said, its so full of toys atm that I have no idea what to do with them all so that we can use the pack and play (ours also has the changing table deal but I'll just be using a mat on the couch - most diaper bags come with them). I do wear my kids a bunch though when I can. I wore DD in her mei tei every chance I got, back issues permitting. We also used some other carriers when she was first born, and never really put her down, but there's no way I can do that this time w/ DD as well being 2 yrs old. Plus, to be honest, I need to put physical space between myself and the kids sometimes, just long enough to use the bathroom or recollect myself. Its not that often, but it helps me to reset sometimes when I'm getting worn out, to take 2 minutes to myself.

My kids have all hated bouncers too. I dont know whats up with that. We have wasted bunches of money on them...1 for each kid.

oh... and I could not put the baby down on the floor w/ DD in there...there's just no way. Nobody is safe in our house atm w/ DD terrorizing everyone. She is rough with everyone and every animal around her. She's not mean, she just doesnt realize her own strength and is in that phase of poking and prodding and hugging too roughly etc. I cant bring them both into the bathroom with me, so I will settle for a pack and play and 12 yr old DS watching them. (he has adhd and is not the *best* babysitter, but he can keep the toddler out of the pack n play atleast for 3 min while I use the RR)

I dont really care what people think though...baby jail and all that. I also use a harness when we take DD for walks etc and am perfectly happy doing so. IT makes it easier for her to get out her energy and easier for me to not worry about her getting run over or running off.

[UptownZoo]

Totally necessary... where else would you keep the 7.3 trillion stuffed animals that you will for sure get as gifts?

Seriously, we loved ours. Never used it much, but if one kid, say, barfs everywhere and there's a crawling baby in the house, it's kinda good to get crawling baby up and out of the way while you clean up other kid/floor/self. Awesome when camping. Also awesome when doing something especially dangerous in the kitchen, which is where we kept ours most of the time. I could pop a crawler in there for 20 or 30 seconds while I drained the pasta pot, for instance, or opened the oh-so-appealing, just-the-right-height-for-a-crawler-to-pull-up-on oven.

I'd say we used ours an average of maybe 30 minutes total in any given week, probably much less, save for camping. Even with so little use, I wouldn't want to care for an older baby/young toddler w/o one.

[twopinknoblue]

We have one that we never used with DD1, she was the type of baby, even when she was crawling, that I could sit on the bathroom floor with some toys while I showered, and she'd stay right where I left her. I'd never get to shower if I didn't use it for DD2. We didn't start using it until DD2 became mobile, and she's the type of baby that if you leave her for just one second, she will have squirted dish soap all over the floor, spilled a box of jewelery making beads all over the kitchen, emptied the book shelf, etc. (these are all things she's done in a matter of seconds). So, when I need a shower, I pop her into the pack and play while I get that done. I guess it's not a necessity, but it is very handy.

[treqi]

Originally Posted by UlrikeDG

My mom thinks so. She put the Christmas tree in it so I couldn't pull it over on top of myself.

OMFG THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was going crazy trying to figure out where to put the tree!!! PURE GENIUS!

[ewp11100]

Oh playpens are WONDERFULL!!!!! ....


As tents! if you turn them on the side and put a baby blanket over the open side, hours of fun expecally with a sibling to play peek-a-boo with!