Bought a playpen for the baby

[Babyzoo]

What's your view on playpens? We've bought one for our youngest, never seemed to need one for eldest.

Youngest is 13 months and can't keep out of trouble. We've baby proofed as much as possible but for example, one of our sofas means he keeps climbing up onto the arm and onto the window sill. There's nowhere else we can move it as we have two sofas and the layout of the room means one has to be near a window. Another example is he climbs onto the sofa and gambols around so it's not safe to leave him in the sitting room.

He won't tolerate going in his highchair while I cook and he's even trying to climb out of that. He's got a chair but he can climb out of that too and hates it anyway.

Some people think playpens are cruel but can't think of another way.

We have one for the baby, mainly to stop the older too possibly jumping her as they get over excited in minecraft but so she can still use her play mat.

Well I always thought they were fine but then we had our DC, DH said 'there's no way we'll need one of those, they look like baby prisons.' Although tbf he also said it about cots

Didn't have a playpen as my flat is tiny and therefore no way of manoeuvring around it, but I'm a big fan of the 'you do what you have to do' style of parenting. Will never forget random woman walking past when my (then aged two) son was on reigns and saying 'leads are for dogs'. Just be thankful I wasn't a Mumsnetter back then....

I think they are a great idea - we have a travel cot set up in our living room for the same purpose, it's perfect for plonking 15mo in to watch TV while I have to get my older DC ready/cook dinner etc. He's not in it for more than an hour a day (prob 2x 30 min sessions) and I put a few toys and books in too.

Can't imagine why anyone would have a negative opinion of them actually.

thora guessing your dh didn't do the majority of the child care then. Baby prison. Idiot

I will just say good luck! I had one for DS but he never settled in it so it was pointless unless I wanted to listen to him screaming. It was okay if I gave him food in there but it got so, so manky. I ended up barely using it.

It's a good idea to have special "playpen only" toys I think. That makes sense anyway.

If your baby is a climber they may be able to escape by the time they are a toddler.

Hate them.

Why have a play pen? Watch your child and baby proof your home. Simple.

What about when you need to get the dinner on, nip to the loo, answer the door, quick tidy up ?

I had a playpen when I was a baby 40-odd years ago. It was a lobster-pot style thing. Apparently I screamed when I was put in it, so my mum used to sit in it herself when she was sewing to stop me clambering on her and spearing myself on the needle .

My cousins had it before me and one of them managed to climb out of it by making steps out of his teddies, then turned it upside down. He got stuck in the living room door as he was trying to toddle through it with the playpen on his head.

I think they've improved since the '70s but I didn't have one for my boys, I just used stairgates on doors.

No pirate fairy it's not always simple - how the fuck are you meant to cook safely with a 15mo climber? Go and flush your judgey face down a shitty loo.

It's no different to a cot so I have no idea why people get sniffy about them.

Lol Harriet

I did try to explain pirate we've got two sofas and he keeps climbing onto the arm and then onto the window sill, he also keeps jumping and gambolling on the sofas and can fall off. There really isn't any other way I can layout the room so he won't be able to climb onto a window sill. It's an awkward L shaped room with two big windows. So basically he can't be left in the sitting room at all.

He won't tolerate being in the highchair so mainly cooking is really difficult.

I used my travel cot for my two. Although it was 12 and 9 years ago! Where do people put the baby when they're hoovering or cooking?

I've got a routine for most things, he goes in his cot while I shower, he has a snack in his highchair while I clean the kitchen up and I vacuum while he's napping.

Yes it's cooking that's the most difficult.

Yes I was going to draw a parallel to cots. Ime it's the people that rant about play pens and reins that are completely happy with a cot, which is just a small bed with bars around it!

I used a playpen for DS, actually it was because of his father, STBXH, who was really careless when tired and supposedly looking after DS. Mostly when I was still in but not around DS (shower, cooking, getting dressed, etc), so actually ignoring the man, a similiar situation to other posters.

After a few hair raising moments, a play pen made DS safe, and my heart rate more steady! And of course able to realize that if you need a playpen to keep a baby safe under the fathers care, then the father ain't much cop!!!

Anyway, I rotated toys and always had some exciting 'new' toys he hadn't seen for a while, and nice rugs / play mats etc. It became his space, and when he was a bit older I converted it to a play house (with a swing gate 'door'), and he loved it until he was 4yrs.

Clearly you need to get rid of the sofas and all sit on cushions on the floor instead so that you can cook dinner without having to resort to a playpen

And let's not forget other furniture that a toddler might try to climb on, such as coffee tables, fireguards, toy boxes, TV stands and bookcases. DS2 tried climbing on all of those (the bookcase was firmly attached to the wall, but even so, he could have climbed up to the ceiling on it if we hadn't stopped him). Best get rid of all those too, that'll help you avoid the need for a playpen.

FWIW, DS2 was perfectly fine with being left in our playpen for short periods while I cooked dinner etc. We had some toys that were just playpen toys which helped with that.

I didn't need one for DS1, but with DS2 we also have a dog and an older sibling who leaves doors and stairgate open so I have one.
DS2 likes it and I rotate the toys, DS1 wants to get in with him.

No pirate fairy it's not always simple - how the fuck are you meant to cook safely with a 15mo climber? Go and flush your judgey face down a shitty loo.

I think, along with reins, it is an essential piece of kit.

Mrsjoeymaynard they are his trampolines.

I got on fine with just stair gates for ds1. Ds2 is definitely more of a climber and a jumper.

I had one for my youngest, it was a life saver she was such a little minx compared to the eldest.
She would be in there happily playing with her toys whilst I did the ironing/cooked etc.

Play pens are cruel when you stick a child in them for hours at a time and ignore them. If you are getting one because you need a safe space sometimes, that's totally different. We baby proofed DD's room and put a gate on the door. Would leave her in there for 15/20 mins while I was showering, unpacking the shopping, etc. Worked really well and is basically the same thing.

We didn't have one but what we did have was a travel cot and when our kitchen was being done we used it to keep the baby safe. I'd actually thought ahead for once and had him use it before I needed him too so he was used to it. Don't remember dc2 Ever going in it and when Ds3 was born under two years later it was put in the Lounge and he had his naps there to save me constantly going up and down and leaving a four year old and 22 month old alone.

I had a playpen for mine, used to use it in garden when I needed loo, perfect . Used to have reins for ds2, he was always a runner and before anyone says I should have taught him not to run off, training takes time and I would rather not have taken the risk. I also used to use reins in high chair although that's probably cruel too. Do what's best for you and your child.

Flogging Molly. Have adopted and am dealing with the huge emotional harm/fall out caused by "extended use for hours".
Some babies don't get a choice.
So for me personally, i wouldn't have one in the house. But I can see in this situation it's different and was trying to reassure OP.