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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Playpens - a necessary evil?

146 replies

AnnaVR · 10/05/2008 18:24

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.....

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Lauriefairycake · 12/05/2008 11:18

I think they're great and no different from a dog cage or a small retreat room for an adult.

They make you feel safe, sometimes everyone wants to make the world feel smaller and cosier

yurt1 · 12/05/2008 11:19

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..

pollyblue · 12/05/2008 11:41

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

Housemum · 12/05/2008 11:49

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!)

2point4kids · 12/05/2008 12:47

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

herbgarden · 12/05/2008 13:22

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.

YeahBut · 12/05/2008 14:21

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.

Mikafan · 12/05/2008 14:48

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.

GinaTonic · 12/05/2008 14:54

A friend of mine uses hers (looks like a Babydan) at xmas to protect the tree & pressies from her DT's

mrschop · 12/05/2008 17:41

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.

valoc · 12/05/2008 17:44

Just wondering what do those of you who don't have playpens do with your toddlers when you have a shower. My 20 month goes in his travel cot with a load of toys when I have my shower. I don't want to put him in the cot as I like to keep that as a place that he associates with sleeping and it is too far from the bathroom so although I could hear him with the monitor I couldn't talk back to him.
Am now expecting no 2 and am planning on getting a playpen for those few moments when you have to leave the room such as go to the loo.

madmuggle · 12/05/2008 18:57

We, like many others it seems, had a travelcot that saw occasional duty as a babycage. It was filled with a bloomin' big bag of balls and made a rather fab and sturdy ball pool

mawbroon · 12/05/2008 19:06

Valoc - I always brought my ds into the bathroom with me when I had a shower. There was nothing dangerous within his reach and he was happy to play with a couple of toys while I was in there. He still comes into the bathroom when I am in the shower (he's 2.6) even though he's now able to have the run of the whole house (relatively) unsupervised for a short time.

kitbit · 12/05/2008 19:15

We had a travel cot, soft sides and mesh walls. It was excellent for ds to walk about in by himself (we have tiled floors) when he was just wobbling up to his feet solo, we could stand back and give him space to have a go without us hovering which he appreciated! Also great for safe space to chill out in for a few mins here and there and often I'd pop to the loo and come back to find him fast asleep with a megablok in each hand or something, just crashed out on the spot. Brill things, love em in moderation.

Chandon · 12/05/2008 19:35

I think they are great. They are so out of vogue now that with DS1 I thought it was cruel (?!), well, when they are between 9 and 15 months is when you need them. They do not yet understand "NO" and "Danger" at that age. With my first son, I ended up not being able to pee alone for a year, with him throwing tampkns down the loo while I applied my mascara. With him eating out of the bin if I tried anything as selfish as peeling an apple or turning my back for 1 second. I was only able to wash my hair, make phone calls and do house jobs while he was asleep, which was not often...I almost had a nervous breakdown by the time he was 2.

With my second son I was wiser, he was in a playpen at least 3 times a day for about half an hour, with special toys he could only play in the playpen with. He accepted it, and I only wish I would have used one for my first son !

morocco · 12/05/2008 20:55

another vote for travel cot

ds1 used to jump in it to escape from ds2 and get to play with his toys in peace gri]

not quite what I'd envisioned when I got it out, but hey

mine pretty much roam the house, agree with nailpolish about it often being unnecessary to baby proof house/hover over child in case of bumps on head etc. tbh, it's not the youngest in my house who is most of a danger, the 4 and 5 year olds would do well to live in a padded cell

spongecake · 12/05/2008 21:47

hi anna, you can do things with a baby not in a pen! depends what it is i guess-he loves to help me clean the bath and is in charge of the shower head..
my ds has "his" playspace with a box of toys in a safe corner of the kitchen, lounge and upstairs- we have baby gates- it would be nice to be able to sep the kitchen but I can't - so I just leave a drawer he is allowed to open full of tupperware etc- he loves it and doesn't bother with any others.

for me it works to get used to doing things with him "helping" as otherwise this stage -nearly walking- would be difficult.

MintChocAddict · 12/05/2008 22:37

Me too Madmuggle. We have a travel cot in the corner of the living room currently filled with playballs. Hey presto - a ball pool for DS (which he loves) and 10 mins for me to get a few things done.
It's all down to individual choice.

soapbox · 12/05/2008 22:39

I don't think they are necessary or evil!

I never used one - never needed to, despite having only a 19month age gap between my two DCs. But if it works for you, then why not?

tori32 · 12/05/2008 22:55

I never used one. I used a walker so dd1 could follow me round . I just gated the rooms I didn't want her in like the kitchen.

Springflower · 12/05/2008 23:03

Another one who never used one - never thought about it really. Didnt have stair gates, baby monitors etc either though so maybe just didnt bother. Had 3 children 3 and under so wasnt that. Think they just got taken with me or left to their own devices.

Sullwah · 13/05/2008 12:49

A question to those that have a BabyDan:

Can you join up two together to make a really big baby prison?

I have twins boys who are currently 3 months but thinking about getting one for when they are more mobile. One looks rather small for two babies.

I have an area off the kitchen that would be just right.

foxythesnowfox · 14/05/2008 13:18

Essential bit of kit here.

4 DCs from 6 to 10m. 10m just started to crawl. There's no way I'd leave the room without making sure she was safe. She's bound to find that one tiny bit of lego under the rug, or the My Little Pony hairclip, or throw herself headfirst down the stairs as someones not shut the stairgate properly etc etc.

I put my Babydan together again this morning, I suspect you could put two together, but I'm not sure how stable it would be. You might be better off using the room dividing option.

CilC · 14/05/2008 16:11

So a cot is also a cage? How ridiculous...these are incredibly helpful! I used mine in the garden a lot and DD loved going into her special place with books and toys, while I cooked etc.

yetihed · 14/05/2008 20:33

I have one. I had huge dilemmas about whether to have one or not, but went for it in the end. My DS is 7 mo and already pulling himself up on furniture and trying to walk so cannot leave him anywhere. The playpen is like a climbing frame for him- he pulls himself up and then when he's ready comes tumbling down amongst a load of cushions and a few well chosen toys. I also agree with the comments about it sometimes making the world smaller and safer for them. He loves it! Very often I get nothing done when he's in it as I love to sit and watch him play and cheer him on! What a saddo!

One questions- where can you get a huge bag of balls that doesn't cost the earth?? A ball pool sounds like fun!

Sullwah- I would say the babydan is big enough for 2 babies. It's pretty big! You could get 1 first while they're smaller, then another one if you feel it's necessary as they grow?

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