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Hi, they do look a bit like cages, but my DS is just starting to roll and will soon be crawling, so if i don't get a playpen will i ever get anything done? And are there any nice ones that people that have found that are less cage-like? Thanks.....
My 10 month old has a wooden playpen. She loves it and it's helped her pull herself up and learn to stand. Obviously I don't leave her in it for more than 15 mins...she starts complaining when she's fed up. Sometimes she'll only stay in it for a couple of minutes but it means I can get a few things done and know that she's totally safe and happy. I don't see why they are evil, unless you confine them all day!
I've never used one myself but a friend has lots of sections of playpen hinged together that can be make into big enclosures or used to divide up a whole room, so it's less like a cage and more like a fence or divider.
It is possible to get thongs done without putting them in playpens, but they are also useful, especially if you have areas that are not baby proofed!
Useful if you need to go peg the washing out and dc can't walk so can't really go with you. I leave ds (9months) in it for about 10 mins at a time. It doesn't look like a cage though, it's a material one and is very soft incase he topples over in it!
I put my son in the travel cot (use it as playpen tho) whilst I hang the washing outside, so at least I know he's safe and he just sits and looks at his books or plays with a few toys.I don't leave him in it for long just 5 mins maximum so that I can get one or two chores done, hang washing outside etc. It's more for a safety aspect rather than caging them in!
I was Judgy Mc Judgepants about kidcages playpens for years until we moved into a rented furnished flat for 6 months in Germany with a 1 yr old. It was HELL. Pale silver grey carpet, 2 glass doors and NOWHERE he coudlnt get to. A neighbour offered me her old playpen and whammo. I was converted. It was the only way I could have a wee by myself, cook safely etc etc etc. Bloody godsend. I did eat humble pie at my former judging. I would NEVER have used one in my own home but for those 6 (very long) months it was invaluable. I believe there are circumstances when they are not evil kiddy prisons.
no you shouldn't leave kids in them all frigging day but since i assume you are not an eegit i am sure you won't do that.
if you stick them in when they are happy its a way of getting 10 minutes of stress-free time to make food for older kids/ iron / do the other luxury tasks that just have to be done sometimes.
they are a cage though. sometimes cages are good, I don't want my kids being free to explore plug sockets and so on (btw those plug socket covers are bloody useless)
I have one and I hate it - or more to the point I hate the fact that it takes up so much of my living room space!
It is great as a 'safe place' to plonk ds when someone comes to the door for example. I don't leave him there for longer than about 30 mins - after that he starts to protest.
I think they're great, used it to give older dc a break from marauding younger twins. Also I think the 'cage' looking ones are actually nicer, they can see out better than with the mesh.
I had a travel cot I used to pop ds into for 5 mins so I could get washed/go to the loo without him endangering himself. It was useful, but only for a few months, tbh. I don't think they're cages at all; they are a helpful item to keep your lo out of danger.
we have a tasteful wooden traditional one but not really the space in our house for it, despite the fact that it's a good sized house.
we found it useful for in the garden when they're crawling and would otherwise get FILTHY. Especially good with no 2 as she could stay in her "cage" and watch big brother and his friends safely.
we also had an older version of what Bree linked to and they're excellent...very big hit with my 2 and at least 4 others in between!
Emmahugs, it's the bars that make it look like a cage! But if I had that much of a problem with it I wouldn't be thinking of getting one. Has anyone seen anything that's kind of big and spongy - more like a playmat with walls?
I think they're fab. Why are they like cages? They're safe places for babies to play whilst you get on with chores etc without worrying about them harming themselves.
I don't understand some of the postings on here with holier-than-thou preaching about not using one. What damage, exactly, do people think it does to the baby? Obviously if baby is screaming and not enjoying being in the pen, take him/her out. But otherwise what's the problem?
My DS1 loved his - and would actually crawl into it all the time to play (it was a BabyDan make with a door). To him it was his own little zone. Am definitely going to use it with DS2.
I suggest you borrow one until you decide whether it's any use for you. They take up a lot of room and for us, anyway, it was not a lot of use because dd just howled in it and I was always putting toys in or taking them out so it was time consuming. I'm sure they work for some people.
Well does a cot look like a cage then?! My baby didn't like the spongy walls as she likes to pull herself up and stand and watch what's going on around.
I have a compact travel cot in my sitting room, it doubles as nap space for DD" and also is somewhere for her to be 'alone' when DD1 gets too much for her. I had one for DD1 for naps as well and it was great, sometimes you need to do something and need to know they are safe, nothing wrong with that.
We bought a very expensive playpen and never used it. It is currently in use as a rabbit run! We found it better to put a stairgate at the door to the lounge and baby proof the room (no more grown up belongings!)
Mine was a godsend - though I do have twins. It was one of their fave places to play. Also great when they started to stand as they could pull themselves up on the bars. I put all the things inside that I didn't want anywhere else in the house (colouring pens and sticky things). I had mine in the kitchen until they could walk, I couldn't have survived without it.
I had a Babydan one which I sold on eBay - it held it's value really well (I bought new for £70 and sold a year later for £52). Worth thinking about - at least you can flog it if it doesn't suit.
I was given a 'babydan'?? playpen... sort of hexagonal and all hinged together, you could add extras to this to make it into a play tent which looked quite fun for older dc's. A playmat came with it (though a drab grey colour) - ds never really used it (or I never used it) but I passed it on to a friend with two babies close in age. It was perfect for her to keep ds away from dd's inquisitive toddler fingers!
The travel cots are not so cage like as they are soft mesh and the base is soft for when they pull up and then fall. My dd learned to pull up much better in hers and I use it for short times to get jobs done as dd won't stop crawling/climbing.
I had a Babydan and found it invaluable. Never thought of it as a baby "cage" and would much much rather have used one of those than one of those babywalker abominations.
I once took part in a discussion on another board in which baby walkers and playpens were being compared. One mum said that she would never use a playpen because it was cage-like so she used to put her dc in his/her highchair when she needed him/her to stay put!
i loved ours, i got it on ebay second-hand but it was from Mothercare, a neat wooden one. we kept some of dd's toys in it and i think she regarded it as 'her' zone and liked the fact that we couldn't come into it. she'd turn her back on the rest of the room and get playing, while i zoomed round the kitchen tidying or whatever, and then ten mins later she'd pull herself up and ask to get out. it was brilliant. although we only used it for a few months, as i recall, so second-hand is the way to go imo.
They have their place especially for a second child. Our travel cot is a "Pack n Play"- following Bree's link I discover they are now called a Playard. Really.
As others have said, very useful to protect baby from toddler, toddler from baby, house from baby and baby from house while mum makes a phone call/goes to loo/has cuppa. Necessary but not necessarily evil.
Stopped using it when he stopped contentedly playing with toys, threw them all out and started trying to barge his head out through the mesh, think he was trying to tell me something there.
I totally agree with Fillyjonk! They are great if you use them sensibly. I used to put DD2 in it in her moses basket to protect her from DD1!!! Expecting twins in sep and will def be getting it back out then!
I had a playpen for mine. It saved my life (actually, it saved their lives! ) Many uses. Safe and sound if the doorbell goes, great for when they've done something and you need to discipline them. Wonderful in the kitchen and you're cooking so you don't want to have them touching stuff and maybe getting burned or tipping a pan of something boiling over themselves but you need to watch them. You can cook and chatter to them. Great when you're cleaning up and you need them out from under your feet for a bit , and finally - when you are about ready to go screaming mad and drop them into the inviting jaws of an alligator, a playpen is a great place to put them for a few minutes so you can go into another room with a cup of tea, take some deep breaths and calm down.
I was planning to use a play pen or a travel cot to keep ds safe from the attentions of his older sister who is 2, and the dog. Unfortunately big sis can now hop in and out of a travel cot and I suspect she'll make short work of the play pen too. Will have to think again.
I had the (non einstein) thing that bree linked to in the kitched, playpen in the front room. ds2 liked both, ds3 was much keener on the playpen than the standing thing.
No Bree - we had 2 german flats, one furnished for 6 months and one with our very own stuff in. We were there for whatseemedlikealifesentence 20 months. The playpen ceased to be useful beyond as a toy storer in teh evenings by the time we moved as he could climb out of it so we gave it back.
Don't have one for dd (11 mo) and yes, I do think they're cage like. Imo, children need to be free to move, not put into a pen to stay. If I need to get things done I either take dd with me or put her in the living room to play with her toys. It means she gets the run of the room which is quite big and isn't being put behind bars. She hates it if I ever put her in her cot during the day, she likes to have the freedom to crawl/walk about. She's a very active child!
I suppose it all depends on the individual and their children though. If you want to give it a go, then do. If it works great, if not, at least you know it wont work lol.
We had a travel cot which we took with us on holidays abroad ...when we spent time by the pool we used to put dd in there with her toys and books and quite often a snooze ....under an umberella she would comfortably kip/play away while we could relax and not worry about her ending up in the pool!!!!! She was far more comfortable in the cot than sleeping in a buggy.
The travel cot was a quite simple foldaway one which was worth the time and effort to bring down to the pool side/ beach as it would stay there all day....with other parents looking longingly over
"god forbid your child wants to explore its environment."
you see this sort of comment is just daft. I had one for ds2 and ds3 because we didn't have stair gates, but we have a 5 storey house. We have stairs everywhere and sometimes it was easier to pop to the toilet/make a cup of tea without taking 1 or 2 children with me. If the children were busy playing with toys they preferred to do that that be carried upstairs for me to use the loo and go back down again.
I also have a severely autistic son who sometimes could take about 5 minutes to bring into the house from outside. I couldn't manage him and a toddler on the street (not safe) and certainly wouldn't have wanted ds3 crawling/toddling around the house by himself for 5 minutes - so the playpen was a useful solution.
As someone has already mentioned the worst thing about it was that it took up lots of room as it was so large.
It's use was nothing to do with an aversion to children exploring their environmnet- it was a practical solution to a problem. Which I think is the way 99% of people use them and the reason they exist
Oh and the reason ds1 was outside was because I had to bring him in from his school bus- which at the time that ds3 was small was a right palaver. When he was small enough ds3 went on my back and joined in the fun and games of trying to get through the front door, but eventually he (and ds1) got too big. At that stage a playpen was the only thing that could really do the job.
We have the BabyDan one - an absolute lifesaver and DS loved it too - also folds out to divide off part of the room/garden - fireguard, any shape you like.
Nowadays we put a blanket over the top and it's an exciting playhouse.... (It has a door!)
I went for the child proofing throughout option rather than a playpen. I was going to have to do it anyway as I was starting out childminding.
It worked really well for us and for those tasks you mention like hanging out the washing or cooking or whatever, if ds wasn't happy to occupy himself, then he would go in the back carrier and was always happy to see what was going on.
This worked with various combinations of children whilst childminding, and I will do the same if I ever manage to have dc2.
That's what we have Legoleia. Not up at the moment but even when it was they weren't in it much. Just very handy when you need ten minutes using both hands.
Gosh, there are some very extreme reactions to this subject, aren't there??!
I have a playpen which my DD absolutely loves. It's the brevi soft & play pen which has handles to help her pull herself up and is a lovely, soft and safe environment for DD to play in whilst I get on with some chores. I would never leave her in there for any significant amount of time, but 15 mins whilst I prep dinner, hang out washing, go to the loo, etc., it is an absolute blessing.
Hi nailpolish, if you don't then surely you need to be free to swoop down at any moment to stop them banging their head on a corner, or sticking something in a socket?
have used ours loads with both dd1 and dd2 - for most of the reasons given above (except the discipline one ). would have gone mad without it to be honest.
I didn't suggest you were daft for not favouring playpens scottishmummy. I said that suggesting that people who use playpens are averse to their child exploring their environment was daft.
Just common sense AnnaVR. My house isn't like Fort Knox or anything, there just aren't any ornaments or lamps lying around. All the kitchen doors have child locks and the hall cupboards have little snib locks to keep children out.
Also, all my furniture is a bit old and battered so that I am not sressing about stuff accidently getting damaged.
We bought one recently so that we can all sit in the garden after dinner to cool off. DD is only 1 and can walk a few steps but prefers to crawl which she can't do outside so she's happy being amongst us all as we chat/eat outside and she's there with us with her toys. Its just not practical to let her crawl around on the patio/grass.
I don't think being cage like is too big a problem, its only our perception of it, babies like being enclosed, apparently thats why baby gyms have arches over them cos its womb like, and gives feelings of security
I bought one when I was moving house and thing's weren't child-proofed. I got a wooden one but wouldn't recommend it - while it had a padded mat at the bottom DD was just pulling to stand, and if she fell over would bang her head on the bars. I had to pad the sides with blankets etc.
Haven't read the whole thread - but blimey, if you are worried about putting a kid behind bars, what the hell is a cot then?! Er, a bed, with, like, bars round it....
Nothing wrong with keeping your kids safe IMO
And nothing worse than having to interrupt a good dump to rescue your baby/toddler from whatever mishap they have gotten into
Oh, come on... they don't drop off straight away the minute you put them in the cot, and if they're gurgling and happy in it in the morning, would you rush to get them out of it?
A baby will generally let you know when they've had enough in a playpen, and if you're only using it for short periods to keep them safe while you do something that needs to be done in order to be an effective parent (cook food, clean, look after elder kids etc.) I don't see a problem.
So what if they look like cages (they are cages), does it matter? It's only like a four sided stairgate really. They do a useful job when you have to nip out of the room, but don't want to take them with you. As long as you don't use them as a nanny. Mine doubles up as a stair gate. We're quite open plan with stairs everywhere, don't mind her running around when I can see her, but wouldn't let her if I was downstairs, she's at that kamikaze age.
i used mine till they could walk ( a travel cot one )then just put saftey gates up! my ds2 always used to fall asleep in it .never left him in for long must have just asocated it with sleep gave me longer to do what i need to do and great when we went to haven last year (hot weather in a caravan BIG steps and no stair gate )
i have one, but it's used to keep things away from the kids when they go through destructive / climbing phases, rather than put them in. I did used to put DS1 in there when i was pregnant (so hard to carry him) and i was desperate for a wee, or had to go to the front door for postman etc.
High chair is great for keeping them safe while you're say, washing up, cooking. I take DS2 out the garden when i hang washing and he sits in his Bumbo while DS1 wanders round or helps with pegs.
and if i need to do something upstairs which means i can't give them my full attention,(ie make sure they are safe) they go in their cots for 10mins with a toy / book.
I would do whatever keeps you and your DC happy and safe! Obviously depends on your child's character, your house and how safe you can make it!
Never had the need with DD, but 7 mth DS can roll so fast I can't leave the room for a minute without him setting off to explore something. Most of the time he would be fine but I just cannot be certain as he seems attracted towards anything with electrical wires!
Also why should poor DD be forced to triple check she's tidied every tiny thing up, so that DS can do what he wants! I'm borrowing one from a friend to see how we fare....
depends on the house of course and layout, wouldn't put dd on floor with toys because she wouldn't stay in the one place, we have loads of stairs and different levels and quite open plan so just not practical or safe at her age.
It depends on the child nailpolish and everyone's situation. I had no need of a playpen with ds1 - so yes it would have been a waste of space or money.
With ds2 and ds3 we had no stairgates, a severely autistic elder child (who needs a lot of one on one immediate attention) and a house with lots of stairs. So we needed some way of being able to keep ds2 and ds3 safe. I would say it was the most useful piece of equipment we owned for them at a certain age.
Everyone's situation is different, and its ridiculous to suggest that 'I didn't need one' means that no-one else will..
I've had one since dd was about a year old (now 15 months). Pop her in it for 10/15 mins at a time if i need to go outside etc. She plays quite happily in it and quite often will bounce across the room, open the door and clamber in it herself. I've never thought of it as a cage! it's just a safe, secure play area
I'm going to use one with DD3 for first time - 10 years between DD1 and DD2 so was like having 2 only children - I could get things done with children around and not feel the need for a playpen. 5 years between DDs 2 and 3, so will use as DD2 will want to play with small toys and I think it's unfair to say she can only play in a separate room or when DD3 asleep. So the pen is used because I want to be with both kids in same room, not so I can just leave baby while I do something else. (DD2 has already said that she wants to go in the pen with her toys, so we may use it the other way round!)
I used our travel cot as a playpen on odd occasions when DS1 was smaller. It was a lifesaver (for him AND me!) I honestly would have had to remove every single from the room first to have been able to leave him safely on his own while I took a dump or answered the door. Playing with sockets, chewing the tv wires, climbing up the radiators to get to the windows etc.. he did it all!
Will dig it out again for DS2 if and when I need to!
Just a normal travel cot is fine though, you ca fold it up when not in use and doesnt take up so much space
My sil uses one to stop her over enthusiastic 4 and 6 year old ds's from smothering their 6 month old when they're playing and keeping their toys away from inquisitive little fingers. Marvellous.
I used our travel cot when ds was a bit smaller but he never wanted to be in it long and I knew full well when he wanted to get out. I also had one of those static walker things where the seat does a full 360 degree turn - he loved that a lot more and couldn't get out of it if I needed to pop to the loo/ to the door etc.....Last summer I bought a paddling pool for the garden but used it as a playpen and never filled it with water (had deep sides),...
I'd use a travel cot then or buy one off e-bay - they really don't get used for as long as you think.
Didn't have one or need one for the dds but it was godsend for ds. It wasn't so much to keep him in as to keep the dds out! At 4 and 6 they could be a bit overwhelming and 'in his face' and I knew that if he was in there, I could cook the dinner knowing he was happily playing in his own space. They're like reins, some people are very anti, but if it works for you, brilliant.
I wouldn't let my DD crawl on the patio because she'll get scraped or bruised knees and I won't let her crawl in the grass because there is cats and foxes poo in it and I can't pick every single piece up.
I use mine a lot - both my DC's crawled early so would never sit with toys but would spend all day tearing round the house or trying to wedge themselves into small spaces. In the playpen they would actually sit and play with their toys, so I found it useful to encourage them to concentrate and play (rather than crawl/run around) for 30 mins or so. And when they were really tiny, it was handy as they would lay there and bat toys away (that flailing arms stage), but they could still reach them as the playpen stopped them rolling out of reach. So I don't see the benefits as purely safety ones (thought I used it for that reason as well), I think the children can benefit too, as it encourages a different sort of play.
Found it a bit pointless really. 
, and finally - when you are about ready to go screaming mad and drop them into the inviting jaws of an alligator, a playpen is a great place to put them for a few minutes so you can go into another room with a cup of tea, take some deep breaths and calm down. 
