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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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:

Sparrowlegs248 · 23/10/2018 19:36

I just had a travel cot for those times where you can't watch them constantly. Ds1 loved it and ask to go in to sit and play. Ds2 hated it and I rarely used it for him.

RedneckStumpy · 23/10/2018 19:39

I am definitely going to be using one next year.

Pebblespony · 23/10/2018 19:39

We currently imprison our lady in a travel cot. Mostly for cooking due to a fascination with the oven but also for going to the toilet and doing the dishwasher. She's not in there for long and we have special toys that are only available in the pen. She doesn't seem to mind.

Jeanclaudejackety · 23/10/2018 19:43

Exactly I know a child who was burned with a cup of tea and I'd rather dd contained than burned!

CoolGirlsNeverGetAngry · 23/10/2018 19:43

I don’t get how people ever get anything done without them. Our house is difficult to baby proof totally due to the layout so pen it is.
I also sometimes put her in it and PUT THE TV ON when I need a loo break. God help the poor lamb.

Pebblespony · 23/10/2018 19:47

Yup. Baby jail and Ceebeebies. I'm a bad (but more chilled out) mother.

Tillytrotter123 · 23/10/2018 19:49

I was just about to post picture of mine but saw a PP put a link to the same one! I really recommend it, it can be made quite small whilst your baby is little but can be made a lot bigger too. My DD loves the wall in it with the toys and mirror. I think it’s great to have a playpen, when you’re on your own with a baby you need to be able to pop out of the room and know they are safe.

Happygummibear · 23/10/2018 19:54

I was against "the cage" but dd started crawling at 7 months.... I used it when I needed to get short jobs done and I couldn't watch her constantly. Also during the summer if I needed to do gardening I would put her in it outside so I could guarantee she would be under shade and not eat leaves/flowers/stones/grass/dirt/bees l..used it for a short time for about 3 months. The pieces of the cage then got used to block doorways ect where a baby gate can't go.

I got mine for free though I wouldn't have willingly bought it but was useful.

needsanewname · 23/10/2018 20:02

I'll be getting one, to keep DD off the dogs and the dogs off her and her toys. She won't always be in there obviously and will be at nursery 4 days a week anyway.

I intend to get one of those that you can partition off part of the room as we have a large living room.

WonderTweek · 23/10/2018 20:02

Ooh we loved ours! It was a huge wooden one and I put a duvet in the middle and he had all of his favourite toys in there. To be fair, we were both in there most of the time but it was so handy when I needed the loo or when I was cooking. I moved it into our open plan kitchen so he could see what I was doing whilst crawling around. He loved standing up against it and walking around and I think it really helped him to start walking quite early.

Having said that, one day after a couple of months he had decided that he’d had enough and kicked off every time we put him in. 😅We got rid of it and as he was quite skilled at standing and cruising around, he was more confident roaming the house.

Ahh I have fond memories of us napping and snuggling in our pen. ❤️

Allthewaves · 23/10/2018 20:04

I had travel cot in the kitchen and sitting room as couldn't leave baby near siblings. So would pop in the other room. Shut door and go to the toilet, put laundry upstairs etc

qate · 23/10/2018 20:05

Yup, we got one and I love it. Keeps him safe (we have tiled flooring throughout the ground floor of the house), keeps all the toys neat and out of sight. Now he's a bit older we leave the gate open so he can roam a bit more but he quite likes being in there with toys and books as it's "his space". We spent around £120 on ours to get one that was 3m x 2.5m so he had plenty of space (it fits a ball pool and tent, with space for books and 2-3 children to play together), and it's so useful if i need to cook/shower/etc. Would buy it again in a heartbeat.

MuddlingMackem · 23/10/2018 20:12

Loved our playpen, couldn't have managed without it, but I had very mobile kids who were in to everything. A playpen gave me a break to leave them unattended for short periods and them a chance to play independently without me having to watch them like a hawk.

With DC2 it was her sanctuary from DC1. So she used it until older than DC1 did.

Ours was more of a vintage style, similar to this one but it had a leg at each corner which folded under the base for storage, so it folded flatish, not like a travel cot.

MuddlingMackem · 23/10/2018 20:13

Personally, I've never been a fan of the ones with bars as children can reach through and pick stuff up if you accidentally drop it within reach, mesh they can't get through. :)

kaytee87 · 23/10/2018 20:16

I just used a travel cot with some toys in it Don't see the issue.

kaytee87 · 23/10/2018 20:20

Oh I would totally get one if I had a toddler though!

Good luck getting a toddler to stay in it

Muchos52 · 23/10/2018 20:20

We actually call ours baby jail and they’re great. We had a travel cot for inside and play pen for outside if I needed to do a bit of gardening. I don’t see a problem with them if they’re used as an extra safety measure; need to iron something quickly during the day then putting them in the playpen is much safer than the potential of pulling an iron on themselves. The dog now goes in our playpen when the kids have friends over in the garden and playing with a football as otherwise he’ll try and steal it!! I think the people getting a bit snotty about play pens are the same people who think reins are like walking a child on a lead. If you’ve not got one already then I’d recommend a travel cot.

Nat6999 · 23/10/2018 20:26

I got the biggest travel cot I could for my DS when he was a baby, I'd always said I wouldn't have a playpen but after leaving him on the changing mat while I nipped to the loo at 6 months old & coming back to him having vanished, I found him under the table when I hadn't realised he could move that far. I went out the same day & bought a massive travel cot, we had a caravan & I bought a second one to keep in the awning for DS to play in safety during the summer, it meant that when we unzipped the wall panel he could get fresh air & was safe from wandering off to the nearby lake. He used to play & drop off for his naps, I could just slip a blanket over him if he needed to be kept warm. It was also great to throw all his toys in at bedtime.

redastherose · 23/10/2018 20:30

I had the octagon one and my dd was popped in when I needed to pop out of the room for hanging up washing, stacking the dishwasher etc. Like pp said her toys were stored in there and she often crawled in to get something and play when it was left open. Really was worth getting tbh as it gave me piece of mind (my dd was into everything).

redastherose · 23/10/2018 20:31

peace*

DrWhy · 23/10/2018 20:32

We have an enormous one that DS and I used to play in a lot and had all his toys in. He wasn’t at all fussed if I went out of it and closed the gate for a bit yi go to the loo or something. When he got older we unfurled it and used it to barrier off the side of the living room with the wood burner, sharp hearth, insecure bookcase and ornaments. We are now expecting number 2 and will have to decide whether to leave it as it is and buy a new playpen or turn it back to a playpen. Will probably need it sooner to prevent DS trampling his little sister!

Kpo58 · 23/10/2018 20:35

I love the playpen. It's like crate training for babies. Even now my 2 year old will go and shut herself on the playpen to get away from her little brother.

Soontobe60 · 23/10/2018 20:41

In these days of open plan living, I think a big playpen is very useful to keep your baby safe. It's not a jail, and will not cause your baby any lasting psychological damage if they are in there for 5 minutes while you hang out the washing, answer the door or clean up the dog poo off the lawn 😂😂

sittingonacornflake · 23/10/2018 20:58

Please can I ask a potentially stupid question?

At what age are things like play pens / baby proofing no longer required? I have little to no experience with babies save for my 8 mo who isn't quite crawling yet so I'm just curious about the future

MrsA2015 · 23/10/2018 21:01

Pop up ball pit! Fill it with toys and the sides are just high enough to keep baby in and doesn’t look like a cage

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