Playpen or playprison

Miss_Kitty_Fantastico

I am about to go and spend £80 on a playpen for my 8 month old dd and before i do i would like to get peoples' opinions on whether they think they are worth the money.

At the moment i put her in her baby gym (with sides) when i need to go to the toilet or if she is having a daytime nap so that i can get some stuff done around the house.

However she is nearly crawling and will soon be able to climb out.

We live in a flat and i think it would be quite difficult to baby proof it - especially things like the sharp corners on the fire etc - i will obviously be supervising her when she is moving around but i may need to do something for a few minutes.

I also suffer with very bad postnatal depression so sometimes i need to take 5 mins (as per my doctor, hv etc) and want to be able to put her somewhere safe.

Do you have one and if so do you think it was worth the £80? I can't afford to make such an expensive mistake.

Thanks in advance.

lenga01

I didn't have one but I don't have a problem with them either. I think that as long as the child is not left for hours in them and it is just while the parent does chores etc than it's fine. I just don't like the idea of the child being pinned in for hours on end for no good reason. Also if you think that you will use the playpen and that it will help you then go for it.

lauren_1

We didn't have a play pen but used a travel cot from time to time, they were not pleased about it but thats just tough sometimes.

There are times when they needed to be in there like when i dropped a glass, mopping the floor or just felt like strangling them (not a uncommon feeling when they hit 2 thats for sure)

Although when i was younger i had a wooden one which you could attach toys to like the ones you can on cots - thats how my mum kept me in there when she was doing things.

skylight

We tend to use our for napping rather than playing. With lots of kids already, I found it better to ensure baby was safe rather than with the kids on the floor - not that they would have done anything intentional. And as they get older, they need somewhere to go - you cannot take them to the loo with you all the time for example! The youngest is 18mnths now and its only used for daytime naps (as she sleeps for about 2 hours). When new baby comes along it will be used for him.

Although I think perhaps £80 is a lot of money to spend. I bought a travel cot/playpen plus extra mattress for less than £60 in total from Kiddicare.com. You will only be using it for about a year anyway (until the next one!) and with a travel cot one its great for nights at Grandmas too - baby is already familiar with it and the smell. Plus with a small space its easy to put away on the rare occassions you have lots of visitors. Check the amount of legs on the bottom of a travel cot - some just have four at corners and one in the centre - mine have these plus more for extra support which we needed for daily use.

sammyw

We've had a more traditional wooden one - which was great - and also a travel cot style one, which was ok but smaller. You need to think about your available space and whether you want to be able to collapse it when not in use etc.

It might be worth checking the local shops and papers for ads as many people get the travel cot style for grandparents houses and sell them on hardly used. Also, kiddicare.com used to be really cheap and have great deals. We hired one several years ago, so might be worth looking in yellowpages for baby equipment hire. If you have a sure start group in your area, it might be a good idea to chat with their staff as they might know of anything being sold.

flea72

if having a daytime nap, then why not put them where they normally sleep

and if going to the loo, i tend to take them with me

ive never found the need for a playpen. i just time the things i need to do, without a baby under my feet, around their nap times. And if they dont sleep during the day, i just do my jobs with their 'help'

when i need time out, i just use their cot, which normally means they fall asleep too, so i get even longer to sort myself out

Flea

sooz

I love ours. It's particularly useful when you have more than one, as it's somewhere safe to put the baby away from the bigger one (and their friends). I used it from quite early on second time round - first the moses basket was set up in it (on a stand) to save it from being knocked over by Bob the builder/thomas the tank engine/fireman sam/batman etc . I'd also put the baby gym in it, for the same reasons above.

And, like others have said, it's somewhere safe to put a curious crawling one when you need to go to the loo, answer the door, mop up the drink they have just spilt etc.

Now it's being used as a huge toys box, until no 3 arrives.

I got a lovely wooden one with padded mattress from Kiddicare for under £40 (a few years ago though). If you really like the babydan, have a look at second hand ones which will be cheaper.

hayleyc_2

We don't have one, but my Mum and my partner's mum both got one for the days they look after our DS. I think he's been in them once or twice but he hates being restricted and cries if he's put in there. I wouldn't be surprised if they're never used again! As far as baby proofing is concerned we just moved things out the way and put a baby gate on the living room door so he can't escape

Hayley

jacksons_mum

i had a baby dan and used it as a divider across the room so Jackson couldnt get anywhere dangerous but still had plenty of room to play. i got it off ebay for about £40 then sold it on for the same as i paid for it. just search by location for items close to you.

mrcow

I've never had the need for one for any of my three.

Except on holiday we used the travel cot to "contain" the baby and her toys where there was a dangerous gas fire in the caravan. This was a cheap solution as it obviously doubled up as a place for her to sleep too.

I wouldn't buy a separate playpen personally.

galvanizersbaby

I never had one for my two but they look like a good idea for short periods of time.
$80 (sorry my pound sign doesn't work!) sounds like a fair bit of money though