Baby Gear: Pack’n Play
Most of the Pack’n Play options include a bassinet at the top. Most of the China adoption community is not going to need the bassinet, as the vast majority of our kids will be too advanced to safely lay in a bassinet by the time we bring them home from China. If the Pack’n Play you want happens to come with a bassinet then just realize you aren’t going to use the bassinet part of it. Don’t let whether it has one or not be a deciding factor.
Our Pack’n Play had a tent thing that went over it, solid on one side and mesh on the other, and two of the mesh sides on the base had solid panels that could roll down over the mesh. It was called the Graco Pack’n Play Sport, and it has been discontinued. I found some on ebay for more than we paid for it. Maybe I should have gone that route to sell ours instead of giving it away. At any rate, ours worked great when camping, as you just put the solid sides toward the sun and the mesh sides away from the sun let air circulate, and no bugs got in. Great for naps when we were out of the tent, great for putting baby to sleep while we lounged around the campfire at night, and a great place to plop the baby while we prepared food around a hot camp stove (no fire in the firepit during the day for fear of baby falling into it). The Pack’n Play got a decent amount of use with Glittergirl, but remember that she was very young when we got her.
We saved it between girls, but only used it two or three times for TwinkleToes. I think we took it with us and used it in a hotel on vacation, and we used it for naps when camping, but it never got used around the house as a place to put the baby while I cooked or whatever. The moral there is that if you are referred an older child, say older than a year (give or take depending on development), the Pack’n Play is probably something you can skip. Even if you are referred a younger child (six to eight months), you may or may not get enough use out of it to make it worthwhile, it just depends on your needs and what you will use it for. You will probably want to hold off on this until you are home and you can see if you have a need for it or not.
As you can see from the two I’ve pointed to, there are two basic sizes, the smaller size is probably best if you’re just going to use it for naps or sleepovers away from home. The larger size would be better if you intend to let the baby play in it while you cook and clean. Once you put toys into the smaller size there isn’t much room left for baby. These all work basically the same, if you buy one online then make sure a lot of other people like it, if you buy one in person then make sure you like the way it opens and closes. If you’ll be carrying it a lot when folded then you might want to pay a little more for a lighter weight one. When it’s open you can roll it around on the wheels, so weight doesn’t matter as much then. This is another case where you don’t really need a lot of bells and whistles and ruffles, the simpler the better as long as it meets your needs.
If you don’t intend to use the Pack’n Play for naps, but only as a place to let baby safely play while you’re cooking or cleaning, then there is another alternative. The “corral” type enclosures work great indoors and outdoors. Both for keeping baby safely in an area, and for allowing baby freedom while protecting something else. For instances, I’ve heard stories of people putting them around the Christmas tree to keep kids and puppies from getting into the tree and presents.
One final word here… when you bring a newborn home you get used to the baby not even being able to roll over. Then one day the baby can roll over and you have to be careful of where you change the diaper, where you lay them to nap, etc. Then one day they can crawl, and suddenly your mommy duties are in motion instead of in a static place. And then they start walking, and the ante is upped again. But it all happens slowly, over the course of a year or more.
When you bring a child home who is in mid-development, things happen on a different time table. When she first came to us GG couldn’t roll over, couldn’t sit up, etc. But within a week she was doing both, and within a few weeks she was crabbing her way across the floor. TT could sit but couldn’t stand when she was placed in our arms, and within weeks she was walking without assistance. For most (not all) of us, it all goes in fast forward as our children catch up to where they should be. That means that if we buy some of this stuff as soon as we get home, we may only use it a few weeks.
And another safety thing – long ago most Pack’n Plays were engineered differently and posed a huge safety risk. If you get one of these as a hand me down, or if you are considering buying one that is used, look it up online to make sure it has not been recalled. That should go for any baby gear you buy used or accept as a hand-me-down.
July 3rd, 2009 at 6:50 pm
Our girl came home at almost a year. She slept in her pack n play once. It was mostly used a rail to keep her from falling out of bed (usually sleeping with me) when visiting friends or on vacation.
Totally regretted getting it and we bought one of the cheapest bare bones one.
For keeping her busy and out of my hair. Her Elmo walker from Target. Best baby thing we had. I think she did well, as far as attaching and independence balance because she could follow me or venture away at her own pace and scurry back to me, if she felt she needed me.
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:33 pm
We were able to get the bare bones version…no bassinet or changing table and I am really, really glad we did not go all out on this one. DD did not like sleeping in it at all. She was heavy–20 lbs at 10 months and I think that might have had something to do with it. I bought the quilted sheet which made no difference then sewed my own pad that fit snugly and gave it some “cush” (she was old enuff that it was not a safety hazard) this helped a bit but overall she did not sleep in itmore than 10 times. We still have it though because some of her smaller or younger friends will sleep in it when they are over. So it is handy for that. I know some folks love these and use them quite a bit so I would say if you’re thinking of getting one–go ahead but do not spend a fortune.
Love love love the big gray playyard. We got a couple and ended up putting it all around our living room so I had one room she could be in if I had to run down to the basement and switch laundry–not cheap but we still use them on our basement!
July 4th, 2009 at 11:33 am
RQ,
I can’t thank you enough for all this valuable information. Your generosity and commitment is just awesome.
:)
http://www.atlastmilanascominhome.blogspot.com
July 5th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
My dd came home at 11 months and 14 lbs. She was and remains, a peanut. We used our PNP a great deal. When we would travel, we brought it with us. She even had one at my MIL. She slept in it and would play in it. She wanted to be within sight of all the goings on off course. I bought a cheap, but study one. No bells and whistles. When she was 2, she still would sleep in it if we went to my sisters, friends etc. For the $40 I spent it was a perfect investment.
Donna
July 6th, 2009 at 9:56 am
Our dd came home at almost 11 months, 19 pounds. Our PNP is one with a bassinet (which we never used). We did use the PNP on vacations though. DD is 28 months now and 29 pounds and we used the PNP on vacation last month! But…She can get out of it, just chooses not too as when she goes down to sleep on vacation she is totally exhausted! :) We are pretty sure this is the last vacation she will use it so now we are looking for the next step, I guess bed rails or a blow up toddler bed. I think the use of the PNP depends on the temperament of the child and if you can get one second-hand its a good idea.
July 6th, 2009 at 10:45 am
Friends bought us a beautiful pack-n-play, very expensive. When I put DD1 in it (she was about 9 months) she screeched and screamed, clawing the sides to get out. She used it exactly once. When we stayed at my sister’s or in a hotel, she would freak when put in it at night, so we gave up and let her sleep in the bed with us.
DD2 was 15 months and spent most of her time trying to tip it over and get out!
We loved the play yard though – I’d spread blankets on the ground underneath it, set up the corral in the shade and then I could get some gardening done while she watched me or played with her books.
July 6th, 2009 at 10:46 am
Oh, and one other thing – price the corral at your children’s stores or Target and at a pet supply store (they are the exact same thing, but priced differently depending on where you buy it!)
July 6th, 2009 at 8:45 pm
DD was 13 months when we came home. Used our PnP only a couple of times, not worth the money we spent (bare bones too)
The play yard however, LOVE them. I actually have 4 of them. One of them is wall mounted around our fireplace, one of them is wall mounted to divide a room to keep baby away from that part of the home and the other two link together as a larger playyard for DD.
My recommendation is if your going to buy a playyard gate system, buy two of them to expand the size. I found most brands created a play area that was a bit smaller then I liked.