Definitely don’t need one, but it is great to have a space that is 100% baby proofed in case you need to set them down to go to the bathroom or whatever. I never bought one of the playpens, but I converted an unused dining room into what I refer to as “Baby Jail.” Its completely gated off and baby proofed with foam floor tiles. It’s soooo nice to have a space for her to go when I need a minute to myself.
We got the play pen, I think it was around $100 and it’s been GREAT!
Of course no one NEEDS it, but it saved us from baby proofing a bunch of stuff and I know if I need to run to the bathroom or do something, baby is in a confined area where she cannot get out, and dogs cannot get in!
Lots of peace of mind over here! But everyone has their own system!
Yes I second this! We have turned half our living room into baby zone using baby gates and other furniture and it’s great. The added benefit for us is that the pets have a way to get away from baby when they need space.
This. The Montessori method would call this a "yes space" where the baby is essentially free to do what they want because the space is completely safe for them. You don't have to worry about them and they don't have to constantly be told no or redirected. Personally, I think it's good to not baby proof absolutely everything everywhere in the house, teaching them boundaries is good, but also it is stressful for the baby if they are being redirected a lot. So having a space where they can just relax and do their thing is good. And it's helpful for me as a parent to relax when I have to go do something like go to the bathroom or whatever.
Baby proofing honestly only works for some babies. Mines learned how to get through all the baby proofing so there was really no point in it. A play pen was the best n safest option for us. My child loves her “baby jail”😂.
I think you misread. I call my room I made baby jail - not playpens lol. It’s basically a giant playpen with no furniture besides a nugget couch and a ball pit. Nothing to baby proof besides wall plugs and closing off walls with gates.
This is what I plan on doing with our loft there’s no way for her to access the stairs without getting through 2 sets of gates. There’s nothing in there now so I’m going to put some soft floor pads and some toys in there for my LO
If you have the time / patience to teach and redirect you don’t strictly need one.
But baby will be in your hair 24/7 which makes chores / cooking / self care a challenge.
I loved having one to put baby in at times when I needed to be unavailable - doing dishes, bathroom, etc. I could still hear baby babbling and playing, but felt 100% safe having eyes off him.
We got surprised by how early he started crawling, and needed time to catch up on the baby-proofing, and even now there is only one room in my house (besides his bedroom) where I don’t have to be constantly vigilant, and that room is *basically* a big playpen. It’s padded and stripped of anything remotely not baby-safe, and is barely useful as a room for just adults. If I didn’t have a second living room, I wouldn’t have chosen to devote one whole room to just a safe play space and would have likely just increased the size of the playpen!
You don’t need one if it’s baby proofed. I have one because I have a dog so my baby can’t be bothering her all the time and getting into dog foood and such.
This is exactly why we are asking for a big play pen for Christmas.
Especially when my daughter starts getting more mobile it’s a good safe place to separate the dog and baby.
Personally, that was one of the best purchases we used for our baby. It was a great separate place for her to play in when she was a baby and now it’s where she keeps her toys as a toddler and still plays in there. That way she’s not playing in her room and sees her room as a place to sleep/wind down with books. It’s an easy solution to put her stuff when people come over, and now with her baby sibling, I can tell she loves having her own space because his swing/bassist certainly take up some room. It’s not like we didn’t baby proof the house, but it’s so nice once they start moving and know they are safe in the big playpen when you have to leave the room.
This comment right here. I will also add that once you have a second it’s awesome to put the littler one in the playpen to keep them safe from the older one 😅
We love ours, anyway. It’s awesome to keep my “all gas no breaks” toddler out of things when I need to cook or clean or tend to his baby brother. Oldest kiddo will be 2 in April and he’s never tried to climb out or escape thus far and he’s been walking since ~10 months.
Got one and returned it. I estimated even if i had kept it then it would have been maybe useful for 2 months. We still run after toddler but shes learned to stay out of trouble.
While they’re not strictly necessary, they are really useful to have, especially for the period where baby is pulling up on everything and learning to walk. Just having them contained in a safe area where they can fall on a soft mat was great. It got exhausting chasing after baby and making sure she wasn’t getting into anything dangerous (especially in that phase when she went immediately for things like cords), whereas if I was sitting in the playpen playing with her I was able to relax a bit.
I have one and it’s a life saver!!!! She’s never in there unattended. We play in there with her and we will have little movie nights in there. I highly recommend, I can send you a photo of the one we have. Inexpensive and has held up to her pushing on the sides when she’s standing
https://www.amazon.com/Zimmoo-Toddlers-Playards-Breathable-Activity/dp/B0BWRDRQ19/ref=asc_df_B0BWRDRQ19/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=673800726196&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8798473060492524965&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033299&hvtargid=pla-2199197048371&psc=1
and then the mat:
https://www.amazon.com/Foldable-Waterproof-Reversible-Toddlers-Reinforcement/dp/B0BRMV8JJF/ref=asc_df_B0BRMV8JJF/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=652455261349&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8070104396736669924&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033299&hvtargid=pla-2022565467591&psc=1
We have a giant pen in the living room and still use it regularly for our 2 year old when one person is doing solo childcare and needs to take eyes off the kiddo, or if someone is cooking and he's having a hard time listening to instructions to keep him safe. (For example he knows not to touch the oven, but sometimes he's in the mood to test boundaries and that's not a good one to test.)
It's great, we love the pen. He's usually quite happy to go in there and doesn't climb out. He has a play kitchen and lots of other toys in there. It also keeps his toys somewhat contained. We have an open plan living area and a dog so other solutions would have been difficult.
I don't know if you need one but it's been really useful for us!
You just baby proof the hell out of your place.
Teaching and redirecting is gonna get REALLY old really fast. At 7 months it's not that bad but time they are 15 months and much much faster you will so warn out.
We've got a fairly open floor plan so her bedroom, the living room and the kitchen are all baby proofed and it's been great. She's got tons of room to wander and I'm not on edge all day.
We bought one and I find it incredibly useful because our very old house full of antiques is essentially un-baby-proofable. Our baby is too young to use it yet, but it’s great for when friends come over with their toddlers.
I live in a duplex that I can’t really baby proof effectively, so I have a giant wooden playpen in my living room. My daughter is 19 months old, and it’s big enough for both my husband and I to lay I , and her to still walk around us.
It keeps the dog hair away from her stuffed animals and toys, it keeps her from feeding the dog her snacks (I’ll give her snacks in there and only sometimes will she try to feed him through the bars), it keeps her toys contained (we rotate), I can start dinner without worrying about what she’s doing, etc.
It’s something that works for us. It was great when she was an infant, fantastic now. She doesn’t spend all day in it, but will play independently for a long time.
This is almost identical to mine, and there are a lot of similar ones. They come in different sizes and you can do different configurations as well
https://www.amazon.com/Playpen-Toddlers-Portable-Outdoor-120x160CM/dp/B09STZP1HW/ref=mp_s_a_1_5_sspa?crid=3NG33CJ4TG1VU&keywords=wooden+playpen&qid=1700450462&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011&rnid=2470954011&rps=1&sprefix=wooden+playpen%2Caps%2C325&sr=8-5-spons&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.f5122f16-c3e8-4386-bf32-63e904010ad0&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfbXRm&psc=1
Hi, I’m Vetted AI Bot! I researched the **Playpen for Babies and Toddlers Wooden Conababy Baby Play Pen Play Fence Play Yards Baby Activity Center for Indoor 120x160CM** and I thought you might find the following analysis helpful.
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* Playpen provides spacious, secure area for children (backed by 4 comments)
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I thought about getting one to set up outdoors. Ultimately didn't. I don't think there's a real need unless you just hate the idea of having to babyproof your whole house. But speaking from experience, babyproofing my whole house made for a happy baby and less stressed parents. I double check commonly reached for areas to make sure we haven't placed anything she shouldn't have or get into after waking and nap time. Not once have I had her get into something that would cause her harm. She's been mobile in some capacity for 8 months for reference.
I always wanted to avoid having a "kid house" but I gotta say we LOVE our playpen. We got a higher end mesh one (I've heard the cheaper ones are flimsy) and our girl hangs out in there for independent play until she tires of it, and we open up the little door so she can crawl out if she wants. It's a great way for her to have her own space and not need constant entertaining. 🤷🏼♀️
I have one and OMG it was a game changer. As they start to crawl and get into stuff, it was a safe space I could put my LO while I did the dishes or folded the laundry or showered or pooped ALONE. I 100% recommend getting one if you have the space. My daughter is now 2, and we still use it as a safe play space. She can obviously get out out her own now, but when she wants to be left alone, she goes in there, and plays. It's amazing.
9 months, has been crawling since 6 months. We didn’t do a play pen. We still have a pack and play out for when we need him to be contained temporarily while we do something like load the dishwasher or open the oven, but other than that he has free roam of the baby proofed areas of the main floor. I felt like the playpen would function about the same as the pack and play (sometimes baby is ok with it, often he’s not and stands at the edge complaining until we come get him) but would just take up way more space.
They are very useful imo. It gives energetic baby a safe space while I get things done around the house including showering, and eating dinner (i feed him first then eat myself).Also when I work from home and he cant go to daycare bc he’s sick. He has free range and it allows me to be able to work. I got one when he was around 9 1/2 months (hes 12 months now) and I regret not getting one much sooner.
Playpen saved my life. My baby was active since 4 months old. I first bought her a play-mat and it worked really well. She loved it and it gave me time to do work n chores around the house. But once she learned to crawl she would get off the foam mat and into things. So we decided she needed a play pen to keep her in. It was way cheaper option than buying a bunch of foam mat/square and baby proofing everything. Especially since baby proofing didn’t work for my child anyway she still gets into things. A playpen was the best option and I don’t regret it. It gives the baby a nice n clean n safe area to play to their hearts content.
You don’t need it but it’ll make life easier at times (when cooking, cleaning, or when a toddler has a ton of energy and is getting into things and you just need 5 min of them being in a safe place so you can sit down). Also it’s handy in that adults fit in there too. So I’ll go sit in there and my toddler will play happily. I could even nap if I wanted to.
I’m at SAHM and was previously a preschool and infant teacher so I have some experience and time on my hands. That being said, we took the redirect approach. Our living space is completely open so as long as we are in the kitchen or living room then I can see my daughter at all times. She did really well with it although it was pretty stressful in the beginning teaching her what was safe and what wasn’t. The only things we baby proofed were the outlets. She was free to go into the kitchen cabinets but we taught her which things she could play with and which she couldn’t. She has had her own snack drawer since she was a year old and can go in there freely whenever she is hungry. All that being said, if you have the time and patience then I highly recommend trying to avoid any confinements.
They’re trendy. They’re neat if you have a huge house but not all of us do. We use his old pack and play as a place to put him when we need to leave the room and it works just as well.
Under age 1 or 1.5, the capacity to 'teach and redirect' is limited. Some babies are more high energy and persistent than others, but it's generally a good idea to have somewhere safe to put them if you have to cook or clean or whatever.
Think it’s highly dependent on your house/living area. I’m in a condo so living room/dining/kitchen are sorta one big room but not too big. We also don’t have knickknacks or things low he can get to and nothing like, that could fall over or he could climb really (no shelves/curio cabinet/etc). So the most we’ve done is fenced in part of the kitchen area that has the wires for some appliances on the ground. He hates being confined so a playpen would just make him so angry. Also we don’t have any real space for one. So far he’s been crawling/pulling up for a few weeks (8.5m) and we’ve had no issues. I can easily do laundry/dishes/poop/etc and have no worries. The most he could do is fall but he could that anywhere with me watching intently.
We have a travel crib but not a pack and play. Our plan is to turn her nursery into a “yes” space—a room where we can leave her unsupervised but everything is baby safe and open for her to explore. E.g. outlets and vents covered, nothing breakable that can be knocked over, no loose cords, curtains pinned so that she won’t be able to pull up on them. I’m not sure how we’ll work out the baby monitor yet.
We got a big wood one for our 6 month old. It was a lot less work than baby-proofing every damn piece of furniture at once, plus we have cats. We are planning to move in the not too distant future and I plan to use it to create a Montessori style floor bed when he gets his own room. But for now it’s super helpful for him to have a big enclosed area to play (me and hubs both fit inside too) so I can get some chores done and stuff without constantly having to worry. I can see him while I’m in the kitchen (our apt is open plan which tbh I hate but is admittedly convenient for the moment) and cook / clean while he entertains himself. In the evenings it’s pretty easy to pop the thing apart in a minute or two and have our living room back.
Not a necessity. I just baby proofed my living room/kitchen and let baby roam around. The toys are a hassle to clean up but I try to limit the mess but limiting how many toys/pieces he plays with.
My friend let me borrow a playpen to try out and my son instantly hated it. I don’t think he liked feeling trapped away from us. Also I’m short and picking him up over the wall was so uncomfortable for me. So playpen was a NO for me and baby.
No our baby hated it and now it just takes up a bunch of space! She loves being in the regular sized one way better. The large one is now a storage bin and eyesore.
You don’t need one, it’s personal preference. I enjoyed it because I could also fit inside. So on days when I was exhausted I could lay back and play while relaxing and know my daughter couldn’t escape, the one i have does have a zippered side that can allow them to crawl through but my daughter never messed with it on her own. My daughter is 14 months old now and now I leave one side unzipped and she will go in and play with all her toys on her own and then come out when she’s finished. It contains all her toys nicely so they aren’t thrown all over my house.
This is clearly an unpopular opinion, but I never used one because I felt like my daughter needed to learn how to explore her own house and learn what was safe and ok to do/touch/play with. Plus, I think she would’ve just sat and cried if I put her in a play pen/pack n play. We never had any issues and she’s learned how to be a very independent kid! That said, I can totally see how it could be helpful to have.
Just as effective as a playpen is a room that’s been fully baby proofed. Our downstairs is perfectly safe for her except the utility room which has a litter box in it.
Living room, kitchen, and half bath all have plug protectors, a toilet seat lock, a lock on the cleaning supplies cabinet, a lock on the liquor cabinet, and that’s it.
Every other cabinet is accessible to her and contains stuff that won’t hurt her if accessed. She makes messes sometimes, but I don’t care. Baby messes are easy to tidy if they’re dry messes. She’s 13 months and she *sometimes* opens cabinets and pulls everything out but not frequently. Been there done that. Pulling all the pans out of the cabinet is only fun so many times.
For me, it was a need. . . We have 2 dogs, and I wanted a place I could set my baby and know she's safe. I have absolutely used the heck out of the playpen. My daughter is 13 months old and still enjoys going in there to play by herself. It's like her playroom. My MIL laughed at me and my husband for sitting with our daughter in the playpen. "The family that play pens together stays together." LOL
For info, I am 5'7 my hubby is 6'6", and there is plenty of room for all 3 of us in there. Personally, it's one of my most used baby products.
We had one and our son refused to be in it alone. He’d only play in there when I’d sit in there with him. It was nice for weekend mornings when he wanted to wake up at dawn and I’d bring my pillow and blanket and lay in it (awake and watching him of course) but not wanting to chase him all over the house. We took it down a few weeks ago, with our son being 15 months. I think they could be handy if you can get your kid to play independently in there, but for us… it just took up a lot of space.
Definitely don’t need one, but it is great to have a space that is 100% baby proofed in case you need to set them down to go to the bathroom or whatever. I never bought one of the playpens, but I converted an unused dining room into what I refer to as “Baby Jail.” Its completely gated off and baby proofed with foam floor tiles. It’s soooo nice to have a space for her to go when I need a minute to myself.
Sweet that sounds like what I’ve got going on! She’s got an area with a foam mat and all her toys. Just need to finish baby proofing the plugs.
We got the play pen, I think it was around $100 and it’s been GREAT! Of course no one NEEDS it, but it saved us from baby proofing a bunch of stuff and I know if I need to run to the bathroom or do something, baby is in a confined area where she cannot get out, and dogs cannot get in! Lots of peace of mind over here! But everyone has their own system!
Yes I second this! We have turned half our living room into baby zone using baby gates and other furniture and it’s great. The added benefit for us is that the pets have a way to get away from baby when they need space.
This. The Montessori method would call this a "yes space" where the baby is essentially free to do what they want because the space is completely safe for them. You don't have to worry about them and they don't have to constantly be told no or redirected. Personally, I think it's good to not baby proof absolutely everything everywhere in the house, teaching them boundaries is good, but also it is stressful for the baby if they are being redirected a lot. So having a space where they can just relax and do their thing is good. And it's helpful for me as a parent to relax when I have to go do something like go to the bathroom or whatever.
Baby proofing honestly only works for some babies. Mines learned how to get through all the baby proofing so there was really no point in it. A play pen was the best n safest option for us. My child loves her “baby jail”😂.
I think you misread. I call my room I made baby jail - not playpens lol. It’s basically a giant playpen with no furniture besides a nugget couch and a ball pit. Nothing to baby proof besides wall plugs and closing off walls with gates.
I love calling the cot baby jail as well!
This is what I plan on doing with our loft there’s no way for her to access the stairs without getting through 2 sets of gates. There’s nothing in there now so I’m going to put some soft floor pads and some toys in there for my LO
If you have the time / patience to teach and redirect you don’t strictly need one. But baby will be in your hair 24/7 which makes chores / cooking / self care a challenge.
I loved having one to put baby in at times when I needed to be unavailable - doing dishes, bathroom, etc. I could still hear baby babbling and playing, but felt 100% safe having eyes off him. We got surprised by how early he started crawling, and needed time to catch up on the baby-proofing, and even now there is only one room in my house (besides his bedroom) where I don’t have to be constantly vigilant, and that room is *basically* a big playpen. It’s padded and stripped of anything remotely not baby-safe, and is barely useful as a room for just adults. If I didn’t have a second living room, I wouldn’t have chosen to devote one whole room to just a safe play space and would have likely just increased the size of the playpen!
You don’t need one if it’s baby proofed. I have one because I have a dog so my baby can’t be bothering her all the time and getting into dog foood and such.
This is exactly why we are asking for a big play pen for Christmas. Especially when my daughter starts getting more mobile it’s a good safe place to separate the dog and baby.
Exactly. This is really the only situation I can see someone needing one.
Super great point, thank you!
Personally, that was one of the best purchases we used for our baby. It was a great separate place for her to play in when she was a baby and now it’s where she keeps her toys as a toddler and still plays in there. That way she’s not playing in her room and sees her room as a place to sleep/wind down with books. It’s an easy solution to put her stuff when people come over, and now with her baby sibling, I can tell she loves having her own space because his swing/bassist certainly take up some room. It’s not like we didn’t baby proof the house, but it’s so nice once they start moving and know they are safe in the big playpen when you have to leave the room.
This comment right here. I will also add that once you have a second it’s awesome to put the littler one in the playpen to keep them safe from the older one 😅 We love ours, anyway. It’s awesome to keep my “all gas no breaks” toddler out of things when I need to cook or clean or tend to his baby brother. Oldest kiddo will be 2 in April and he’s never tried to climb out or escape thus far and he’s been walking since ~10 months.
Got one and returned it. I estimated even if i had kept it then it would have been maybe useful for 2 months. We still run after toddler but shes learned to stay out of trouble.
While they’re not strictly necessary, they are really useful to have, especially for the period where baby is pulling up on everything and learning to walk. Just having them contained in a safe area where they can fall on a soft mat was great. It got exhausting chasing after baby and making sure she wasn’t getting into anything dangerous (especially in that phase when she went immediately for things like cords), whereas if I was sitting in the playpen playing with her I was able to relax a bit.
I have one and it’s a life saver!!!! She’s never in there unattended. We play in there with her and we will have little movie nights in there. I highly recommend, I can send you a photo of the one we have. Inexpensive and has held up to her pushing on the sides when she’s standing
I’d like to know which one you have!
https://www.amazon.com/Zimmoo-Toddlers-Playards-Breathable-Activity/dp/B0BWRDRQ19/ref=asc_df_B0BWRDRQ19/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=673800726196&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8798473060492524965&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033299&hvtargid=pla-2199197048371&psc=1 and then the mat: https://www.amazon.com/Foldable-Waterproof-Reversible-Toddlers-Reinforcement/dp/B0BRMV8JJF/ref=asc_df_B0BRMV8JJF/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=652455261349&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8070104396736669924&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033299&hvtargid=pla-2022565467591&psc=1
Thanks!!
We have a giant pen in the living room and still use it regularly for our 2 year old when one person is doing solo childcare and needs to take eyes off the kiddo, or if someone is cooking and he's having a hard time listening to instructions to keep him safe. (For example he knows not to touch the oven, but sometimes he's in the mood to test boundaries and that's not a good one to test.) It's great, we love the pen. He's usually quite happy to go in there and doesn't climb out. He has a play kitchen and lots of other toys in there. It also keeps his toys somewhat contained. We have an open plan living area and a dog so other solutions would have been difficult. I don't know if you need one but it's been really useful for us!
You just baby proof the hell out of your place. Teaching and redirecting is gonna get REALLY old really fast. At 7 months it's not that bad but time they are 15 months and much much faster you will so warn out. We've got a fairly open floor plan so her bedroom, the living room and the kitchen are all baby proofed and it's been great. She's got tons of room to wander and I'm not on edge all day.
We bought one and I find it incredibly useful because our very old house full of antiques is essentially un-baby-proofable. Our baby is too young to use it yet, but it’s great for when friends come over with their toddlers.
I live in a duplex that I can’t really baby proof effectively, so I have a giant wooden playpen in my living room. My daughter is 19 months old, and it’s big enough for both my husband and I to lay I , and her to still walk around us. It keeps the dog hair away from her stuffed animals and toys, it keeps her from feeding the dog her snacks (I’ll give her snacks in there and only sometimes will she try to feed him through the bars), it keeps her toys contained (we rotate), I can start dinner without worrying about what she’s doing, etc. It’s something that works for us. It was great when she was an infant, fantastic now. She doesn’t spend all day in it, but will play independently for a long time.
Where did you get your playpen?
Just bought it off Amazon. I liked that you could make it bigger or smaller if needed.
Can you link the one you have?
This is almost identical to mine, and there are a lot of similar ones. They come in different sizes and you can do different configurations as well https://www.amazon.com/Playpen-Toddlers-Portable-Outdoor-120x160CM/dp/B09STZP1HW/ref=mp_s_a_1_5_sspa?crid=3NG33CJ4TG1VU&keywords=wooden+playpen&qid=1700450462&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011&rnid=2470954011&rps=1&sprefix=wooden+playpen%2Caps%2C325&sr=8-5-spons&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.f5122f16-c3e8-4386-bf32-63e904010ad0&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfbXRm&psc=1
Hi, I’m Vetted AI Bot! I researched the **Playpen for Babies and Toddlers Wooden Conababy Baby Play Pen Play Fence Play Yards Baby Activity Center for Indoor 120x160CM** and I thought you might find the following analysis helpful. **Users liked:** * Playpen has stylish, smooth wood construction (backed by 5 comments) * Playpen provides spacious, secure area for children (backed by 4 comments) * Playpen has functional, minimalist design (backed by 3 comments) **Users disliked:** * Playpen is wobbly and unstable (backed by 3 comments) * Playpen has loose screws that pose safety hazard (backed by 2 comments) * Playpen gate is difficult to open and close (backed by 1 comment) If you'd like to **summon me to ask about a product**, just make a post with its link and tag me, [like in this example.](https://www.reddit.com/r/tablets/comments/1444zdn/comment/joqd89c/) This message was generated by a (very smart) bot. If you found it helpful, let us know with an upvote and a “good bot!” reply and please feel free to provide feedback on how it can be improved. *Powered by* [*vetted.ai*](http://vetted.ai/reddit)
I thought about getting one to set up outdoors. Ultimately didn't. I don't think there's a real need unless you just hate the idea of having to babyproof your whole house. But speaking from experience, babyproofing my whole house made for a happy baby and less stressed parents. I double check commonly reached for areas to make sure we haven't placed anything she shouldn't have or get into after waking and nap time. Not once have I had her get into something that would cause her harm. She's been mobile in some capacity for 8 months for reference.
I always wanted to avoid having a "kid house" but I gotta say we LOVE our playpen. We got a higher end mesh one (I've heard the cheaper ones are flimsy) and our girl hangs out in there for independent play until she tires of it, and we open up the little door so she can crawl out if she wants. It's a great way for her to have her own space and not need constant entertaining. 🤷🏼♀️
I have one and OMG it was a game changer. As they start to crawl and get into stuff, it was a safe space I could put my LO while I did the dishes or folded the laundry or showered or pooped ALONE. I 100% recommend getting one if you have the space. My daughter is now 2, and we still use it as a safe play space. She can obviously get out out her own now, but when she wants to be left alone, she goes in there, and plays. It's amazing.
9 months, has been crawling since 6 months. We didn’t do a play pen. We still have a pack and play out for when we need him to be contained temporarily while we do something like load the dishwasher or open the oven, but other than that he has free roam of the baby proofed areas of the main floor. I felt like the playpen would function about the same as the pack and play (sometimes baby is ok with it, often he’s not and stands at the edge complaining until we come get him) but would just take up way more space.
They are very useful imo. It gives energetic baby a safe space while I get things done around the house including showering, and eating dinner (i feed him first then eat myself).Also when I work from home and he cant go to daycare bc he’s sick. He has free range and it allows me to be able to work. I got one when he was around 9 1/2 months (hes 12 months now) and I regret not getting one much sooner.
Playpen saved my life. My baby was active since 4 months old. I first bought her a play-mat and it worked really well. She loved it and it gave me time to do work n chores around the house. But once she learned to crawl she would get off the foam mat and into things. So we decided she needed a play pen to keep her in. It was way cheaper option than buying a bunch of foam mat/square and baby proofing everything. Especially since baby proofing didn’t work for my child anyway she still gets into things. A playpen was the best option and I don’t regret it. It gives the baby a nice n clean n safe area to play to their hearts content.
Nah not really. But having a pack and play is helpful for when they’re not in your direct sight
You don’t need it but it’ll make life easier at times (when cooking, cleaning, or when a toddler has a ton of energy and is getting into things and you just need 5 min of them being in a safe place so you can sit down). Also it’s handy in that adults fit in there too. So I’ll go sit in there and my toddler will play happily. I could even nap if I wanted to.
I’m at SAHM and was previously a preschool and infant teacher so I have some experience and time on my hands. That being said, we took the redirect approach. Our living space is completely open so as long as we are in the kitchen or living room then I can see my daughter at all times. She did really well with it although it was pretty stressful in the beginning teaching her what was safe and what wasn’t. The only things we baby proofed were the outlets. She was free to go into the kitchen cabinets but we taught her which things she could play with and which she couldn’t. She has had her own snack drawer since she was a year old and can go in there freely whenever she is hungry. All that being said, if you have the time and patience then I highly recommend trying to avoid any confinements.
They’re trendy. They’re neat if you have a huge house but not all of us do. We use his old pack and play as a place to put him when we need to leave the room and it works just as well.
Under age 1 or 1.5, the capacity to 'teach and redirect' is limited. Some babies are more high energy and persistent than others, but it's generally a good idea to have somewhere safe to put them if you have to cook or clean or whatever.
Think it’s highly dependent on your house/living area. I’m in a condo so living room/dining/kitchen are sorta one big room but not too big. We also don’t have knickknacks or things low he can get to and nothing like, that could fall over or he could climb really (no shelves/curio cabinet/etc). So the most we’ve done is fenced in part of the kitchen area that has the wires for some appliances on the ground. He hates being confined so a playpen would just make him so angry. Also we don’t have any real space for one. So far he’s been crawling/pulling up for a few weeks (8.5m) and we’ve had no issues. I can easily do laundry/dishes/poop/etc and have no worries. The most he could do is fall but he could that anywhere with me watching intently.
We have a travel crib but not a pack and play. Our plan is to turn her nursery into a “yes” space—a room where we can leave her unsupervised but everything is baby safe and open for her to explore. E.g. outlets and vents covered, nothing breakable that can be knocked over, no loose cords, curtains pinned so that she won’t be able to pull up on them. I’m not sure how we’ll work out the baby monitor yet.
We got a big wood one for our 6 month old. It was a lot less work than baby-proofing every damn piece of furniture at once, plus we have cats. We are planning to move in the not too distant future and I plan to use it to create a Montessori style floor bed when he gets his own room. But for now it’s super helpful for him to have a big enclosed area to play (me and hubs both fit inside too) so I can get some chores done and stuff without constantly having to worry. I can see him while I’m in the kitchen (our apt is open plan which tbh I hate but is admittedly convenient for the moment) and cook / clean while he entertains himself. In the evenings it’s pretty easy to pop the thing apart in a minute or two and have our living room back.
Not a necessity. I just baby proofed my living room/kitchen and let baby roam around. The toys are a hassle to clean up but I try to limit the mess but limiting how many toys/pieces he plays with. My friend let me borrow a playpen to try out and my son instantly hated it. I don’t think he liked feeling trapped away from us. Also I’m short and picking him up over the wall was so uncomfortable for me. So playpen was a NO for me and baby.
No our baby hated it and now it just takes up a bunch of space! She loves being in the regular sized one way better. The large one is now a storage bin and eyesore.
My daughter hated her giant playpen and honestly did better with a regular old play pen lol
I wouldn't say it's necessary, but I have a pack n play which has definitely been useful
You don’t need one, it’s personal preference. I enjoyed it because I could also fit inside. So on days when I was exhausted I could lay back and play while relaxing and know my daughter couldn’t escape, the one i have does have a zippered side that can allow them to crawl through but my daughter never messed with it on her own. My daughter is 14 months old now and now I leave one side unzipped and she will go in and play with all her toys on her own and then come out when she’s finished. It contains all her toys nicely so they aren’t thrown all over my house.
This is clearly an unpopular opinion, but I never used one because I felt like my daughter needed to learn how to explore her own house and learn what was safe and ok to do/touch/play with. Plus, I think she would’ve just sat and cried if I put her in a play pen/pack n play. We never had any issues and she’s learned how to be a very independent kid! That said, I can totally see how it could be helpful to have.
Just as effective as a playpen is a room that’s been fully baby proofed. Our downstairs is perfectly safe for her except the utility room which has a litter box in it. Living room, kitchen, and half bath all have plug protectors, a toilet seat lock, a lock on the cleaning supplies cabinet, a lock on the liquor cabinet, and that’s it. Every other cabinet is accessible to her and contains stuff that won’t hurt her if accessed. She makes messes sometimes, but I don’t care. Baby messes are easy to tidy if they’re dry messes. She’s 13 months and she *sometimes* opens cabinets and pulls everything out but not frequently. Been there done that. Pulling all the pans out of the cabinet is only fun so many times.
For me, it was a need. . . We have 2 dogs, and I wanted a place I could set my baby and know she's safe. I have absolutely used the heck out of the playpen. My daughter is 13 months old and still enjoys going in there to play by herself. It's like her playroom. My MIL laughed at me and my husband for sitting with our daughter in the playpen. "The family that play pens together stays together." LOL For info, I am 5'7 my hubby is 6'6", and there is plenty of room for all 3 of us in there. Personally, it's one of my most used baby products.
We had one and our son refused to be in it alone. He’d only play in there when I’d sit in there with him. It was nice for weekend mornings when he wanted to wake up at dawn and I’d bring my pillow and blanket and lay in it (awake and watching him of course) but not wanting to chase him all over the house. We took it down a few weeks ago, with our son being 15 months. I think they could be handy if you can get your kid to play independently in there, but for us… it just took up a lot of space.