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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To get a play pen

126 replies

Myusername101z · 23/10/2018 17:36

Can I ask your advice on play pens if you got one would you recommend them ? Baby just started crawling and like all babies is constantly going after the things she shouldn’t, I am unsure how she would take to it and if it’s actually necessary ? Dh wants us to get one for her and fil has offered to pay for it kindly. We do have a large living room so there is room , opinions please

OP posts:
StormCloudsDoClear · 23/10/2018 17:39

They are ok in my book for limited time periods. I used to pop DS in one when I wanted to nip to the kitchen for 5minutes or take the washing upstairs.

Sometimes I used to leave the gate to the octagon open and he would crawl in and play because that's where his toys were.

I don't think you should leave a child in one for elongated periods of time , especially if you are able to supervise what they are up to.

Whatjusthappenedthere · 23/10/2018 17:48

Not saying this to be unkind, or a troll or with any kind of malice but to me the phrase play pen is a euphemism for “cage”. I wasn’t a SAHM , I needed to work and also get things done at home, at times it was really frustrating but I would never have considered a “play pen”.

Then again, I suppose if you are just “popping “ your child in there for a few moments to keep them safe while you answer the door/ do a quick job then maybe. I scooped mine up and lugged them with me if I was worried temporarily about their safety. The down side of this is I now have two teenagers who might be described as clingy.
Maybe someone else may come along and know more than me and say a few minutes in a play pen may actually encourage a bit of independence.

crispysausagerolls · 23/10/2018 17:51

Interesting post OP! What do people do with crawling babies when they go to the loo, shower or need to do stuff eg empty dishwasher?

Creepyexgirlfriend · 23/10/2018 17:53

I had one. Used for when I was hanging washing up etc. If you have a travel cot use that instead as their life span is short.

EnglishRose13 · 23/10/2018 17:55

We had one. We hardly used it as he absolutely hated it. In the end it was used to contain all his toys.

This is one of those "no way is best" scenarios. Everyone will have a different opinion and experience. Try one out. It might be really helpful or you may hate it.

JosellaPlayton · 23/10/2018 17:57

I think they’re an excellent idea to keep a crawling baby safe for a short time whilst you go to the loo, do tasks round the house etc. I never had one as DD went to nursery, I never felt like she was that much of a liability and I like to turn my living room back into adults space at night but I totally see the appeal.

Original poster
Myusername101z · 23/10/2018 17:58

Thanks for responses so far I am returning to work in a few months so I am not a sahm just a Mum on maternity leave. I certainly don’t intend on leaving her in there all day just when needed for short periods of time , the ones I’ve looked at are pretty big and will cover pretty much all of the safe floor space we have will just stop her heading towards all the things she shouldn’t. I do have mixed feelings on them myself hence my op Smile

OP posts:
WitWicky · 23/10/2018 17:59

I didn't have one first time round, but would use the travel cot on odd occasions e.g when decorating.

I have this time though so that DD (currently 8 wks) will be able to have a bit of a safe space in the garden next summer protected from DS(4) and Ddog who will be tearing around and causing absolute mayhem!

purpleme12 · 23/10/2018 17:59

I just think they're unnecessary. I never had one. My baby was always safe. I had baby gates on certain places.

Original poster
Myusername101z · 23/10/2018 18:00

I really can’t be arsed folding it away every night either Confused I think with me going back to work soon it might not be worth it , I am just adjusting to this new active stage

OP posts:
aidelmaidel · 23/10/2018 18:00

I basically turned the living room into a playpen. Moved stuff out of reach, put gates across the doors, toys in the newly-empty bookshelves. Works fine.

MrsMarigold · 23/10/2018 18:01

It depends on your child. My friend had one which she claimed was brilliant, I got one and my DS hated it, I couldn't even go to the front but DS is still highly strung and prone to separation anxiety aged 7.

InDubiousBattle · 23/10/2018 18:03

I used a travel cot with some toys in, I don't see any problem with it tbh. We also had a jumparoo which ds loved but was in useless for dd as she hated it. No way was I wiping my bum with an 8 month old on my lap and our bathroom isn't safe to roam around in!

Whatjusthappenedthere · 23/10/2018 18:04

And yes, to be fair, your child will probably be the one to decide if the play pen is a good idea or not.
We thought we had bought “ a magic rocking chair”. DC1 would happily rock back and forth for far longer than recommended Blush. DC2 hated the thing! It was a monumental blow to realise it wasn’t really a magic chair after all. I just gave birth to very different children temperamentally.

LightastheBreeze · 23/10/2018 18:05

DS was put in a playpen for short periods when I answered door etc, he has always been very independent but I’m sure it is not because I used a playpen.

PennyMordauntsLadyBrain · 23/10/2018 18:05

We don’t have the space for one- we had a travel cot set up to contain dd when I needed to run to the loo or make her lunch etc. I really hated using it and only left her in it for max 10 mins with some toys.

I packed it away after a few weeks because I was worried on getting too reliant on it, and haven’t noticed not having it.

BertieBotts · 23/10/2018 18:07

You don't need one but they can be useful. DS2 naps in one (he's 9 weeks) as we have one which the floor can be up high like a cot. When he's awake we do tummy time and let him play with toys in it and when he falls asleep in the evening and isn't demanding to be on us he sleeps in it (toys removed) too.

When he gets a bit older I plan to use it a bit like a dog crate - open 90% of the time for him to come and go and set up as a positive, cosy little space of his own, but on the rare occasion we need to take our eyes off him we can close the gate and know he's safe in there. We don't have the right set up for stairgates to work. Obviously he wouldn't sleep there at night or be left for any length of time! It's not that different a concept to a cot TBH which most people use.

HopeGarden · 23/10/2018 18:10

We didn’t really need a playpen for DC1 - we basically childproofed and gated the living room and DC1’s bedroom so we had safe spaces both upstairs and downstairs.

The playpen was very useful for DC2 & DC3 though, for times when I needed to go to the loo or do stuff around the house - both to protect the baby from overactive older sibling(s) racing around without looking where they’re going, and to keep the baby away from older sibling(s) unsuitable toys e.g. Lego.

MrsReacher1 · 23/10/2018 18:12

I had one. Great idea. Kept babies safe when you need to leave them for loo/door etc. Baby preferred that to being constantly picked up and lugged about. Also kept baby safe from toddler , Babies loved them - all toys in there and made cosy. Very useful for travelling to inlaws, friends or holiday places.

Onebiteofeverything · 23/10/2018 18:14

Baby gate on the stairs and kitchen. Locks on certain cupboards. Never needed a pen!

Fatasfook · 23/10/2018 18:16

Baby jails. Hate them

Ceecee18 · 23/10/2018 18:17

We've got one. I put the toys that DD doesn't play with very often in it and then when I pop her in it for 5 mins (usually to answer the door/get dressed/have a wee) it keeps her distracted. Wouldn't use it for long periods of time and used to pop her in the Jumperoo before she could walk. But it's quite handy now that she's climbing on the sofas and I need somewhere safe to put her for 5 minutes.

Ceecee18 · 23/10/2018 18:19

Baby gate on the stairs and kitchen. Locks on certain cupboards. Never needed a pen!

But what do you do about sofas? DDs been able to climb ours since 11 months (she's quite tall) but would just attempt to throw herself off it to get down.

MrsReacher1 · 23/10/2018 18:22

Baby jails!!! So what are car seats then?? Or cots? Or pushchairs with straps? Or a jumperoo? Or a highchair? Or stair gates?? All designed to stop a child from running into danger by means of barrier or restraint.

I wish more people would use them and we never again had to hear the words: "But I only turned my back for a second!"

Fatted · 23/10/2018 18:22

It all depends on the lay out of your house I think. Our house is quite small and because of the lay out of the living room we didn't need one downstairs. I set the travel cot up in our bedroom as a baby jail for eldest because he had a habit of getting in at things I didn't want him to there. We also didn't put stair gates up for a long time. Once we put the stair gates up, I was able to use closing bedroom doors and the stair gate on the landing as a safe space for eldest to play while I was in the bathroom etc.

If our house was bigger, I'd probably have used one more.

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