Playpens - a necessary evil?

[AnnaVR]

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.....

i use mine for timeout as 2yo will not stay on the naughty step for a split second and i use one for my 3mo to sleep in so hat the 2yo cant poke, prod or hit him while he sleeps got this idea off little angels

Hi Yetihed. I got my playballs in Asda. (oo-er sounds a bit naughty!!) £4 each or 2 big bags for £7. Tesco also do them although not sure how much they cost.

I used a travel cot, and filled it with balls so it was like a ball pit. DD loved it.

Have a play pen too but only ever used it to put the Christmas tree and pressies in!

When your ds (aged 2 months) gets trodden on by his older brother whilst happily cooing on the floor, you soon remember why you found the playpen, which you borrowed from a friend and had to give back because they had another baby, so useful and you rush out and buy a brand new one for yourself. It remains one of the most useful items of baby equipment for at least a year, baby playing in his "multi-sensory" environment happily for over an hour on occasion, although once he is walking its use diminishes rapidly.

Re BabyDan I would agree that one is a little small for two older babies although when they're very small and don't move much it should be OK and yes, you can join them together.

Thanks MintChocAddict

I'm gonna get me some balls.... !

Have used mine (funky american one with mesh sides each with an interactive picture and bright padded mat bottom - Graco I think) for all 3 (DSs are almost 6 and just 3 and DD 11 months) mainly to keep them out of trouble when they start crawling and pulling themselves up using anything they can grab (you can never imho totally babyproof anywhere unless it's an empty room: what if you trip over baby, spill hot water, drop food, a knife, she pulls down books from the shelf and it drops on her foot... etc...) and a little heavy to carry around all the time: say we're in the family room and I need to answer the door for a delivery or go to the loo, in s/he went (or goes) for a few minutes so I know she's safe. When the older 2 are watching TV and I'm preparing dinner, she goes in - plays with her toys, and I can be in the kitchen; if I had her in her high chair she would scream blue murder because she knows food is coming and she wants it NOW...also middle DS not that happy about little sis and he cant get to her if she's in it...If it works for you, go for it!

We have the Babydan one that can be a room divider as well and I think I will be using it when dd2 arrives - so that she can lie on the baby mat play gym thing and to stop her being trampled underfoot by mad two year old charging with pushchair / creating huge Lego worlds/doing crazy gymnastics.
When I was little apparently my mum used to sit in the playpen sometimes...and at Christmas the tree went in it to save it from me and the cat...

My gppdness, I'm astounded at some of the really extreme anti-playpen sentiments!

We've got dogs and a seriously active 9 month old who has always happily spent the odd 10 minutes in a toy-filled travel cot in our living room. While I am quite happy for him to use one of the dogs as a baby-walker, when I'm there, I'd rather he didn't try it while I am answering the door/having a pee/doing the laundry/instructing the maid . You can't childproof dogs. Nor can you sellotape your sofa to the ceiling to prevent your clambering child from throwing themselves off it when your back's turned.

i used a huge wooden one from australia for my triplets. i got them in there early (when they started sitting up) so they could get used to the idea. it was bigger than some people's living rooms so i had no qualms whatsoever. i guess they are not politically correct but i was more worried about their physical and my mental health, tbh.

playpen = giant toybox that dd sits in

It is a lifesaver (for her) - we live in an 'upside down' house and our lounge is upstairs, and a sanity saver (for me), as it means I can go to the loo/shower/answer the door without worrying what she is up to. And I know the dog is safe from her as well when she's in it.

i think they are great. I just use a travel cot at the mo, but my DD is only 4months. I am going to be a childminder soon and want somewhere I can put my DD where she won't be poked by other children, lol. it is also useful if you need to leave mobile babies for a couple of mins, ie to open door, to unload car, stir dinner etc as then they are safe.

Used travelcot as playpen for DD, was fab, put her in there with a box of toys and she was happy for ages. Only time it was a problem was when I'd popped out of the kitchen, heard a big wail and went back in to discover 2 small legs waving upsidedown in the air as DD had faceplanted into the box of toys! Made me laugh but i did put the toys in without the box after that! Don't really know why I haven't for DS (probably as have new tent like travel cot and too idle to get old one out of the loft) hadn't thought about balls in it (ability for original thought largly gone after No 1 and totally destroyed after No 2 I suspect) but top idea. Off for a trip to Asda this very day I think.

We just called our Babydan playpen "the cage" ...call a spade a spade. Also handy as same word in english and french for bilingual child. Ds loved it...door, den, full of toys etc. Left door open once he was big enough to remember not to knock himself out on it. Came and went as he pleased except during mummy's shower time. He didn't want to get rid of it...it stayed up till he was nearly 3. Piles of NCT kids loved exploring it too. Great place to store toys at the end of the day. Easy for wee ones to help clear up.

They don't live in them.

I'm shocked at cavalier attitude of non-childproofers though not at those who for whatever reason somehow managed without a playpen. Guess your kids were either strapped to you permanently (mind that kettle)or just weren't such keen explorers. They're all different! Mine was climbing trees at 3 and climbed out of his cot at around 14months.

Playpen was great for helping him to pull himself up to standing position.

Completely essential if you have twins and want to keep them safe while do a few things. Someone else with twins mentioned that they might need two. I had one which was actually a square travel cot. Cant remember the make but it was primary coloured with ABC on the sides. It was also great when visiting relatives when they were very young as both would fit in it to sleep. Did in the end also have to buy another travel cot too as they were too big to both fit in (everything with twins costs double - please raise child benefit for No.2 twin please Gordon Brown !).

A LOT of friends said to me their children wouldnt go in a playpen but that is just nonsense. Obviously dont put them in if they are not happy. But mine used to happily play for 15 mins maybe half an hour - i cant remember exactly how long. Put some toys in and dont leave them in too long and take them out if they start to look bored and they will learn that it can be quite fun to potter with your toys in there. I also used it for my third child. In the end though my kids, being agile kids, before age of 2 worked out how to get out of both cot and travel cot so that was the end of that !

Another essential with twins at about learning to walk stage is to take them out on reins. I can never understand people who spend their time running after their twins in hair raising situations near roads.

reins are essential with one . My dd has a habit of letting go of my hand and trying to dart off (usually into the road).

I think it's easier to get children used to playpens if they go in them before they get mobile. Dd started going into hers at about 4 months, largely so she could have floor time safe from the dog, who was rather fascinated by this little human 'puppy'. At 21 months, she still goes in the playpen quite happily. I do change the toys in it regularly, so she doesn't get bored (I have a box of toys that I keep away from her for a couple of weeks, and then swap them for the ones she's been playing with, so she thinks she gets new toys a lot )

I'm onto my 3rd kid now and have used a travel cot/play pen with all of them. For me it is a vital piece of baby equipment. My youngest is 10 months old now and the pen is set up in my sitting room for her to play and sleep in during the day. She's certainly not confined in it as she gets plenty of play out of it as well If I didn't have one then how else would I go to the toilet, make a phonecall, do the cooking, check my emails etc?! It keeps her safe and is in the centre of the room so she's certainly not put away in a cage out of sight. Once babies start crawling there are times when you need to keep them out of harms way. I have a Baby Dan one as it is one of the larger ones so she has more space to move around in. Granny also has one for when she is baby sitting so she doesn't have to spend the day stressing about stairs and other hazards.

Why is a playpen a cage, when a cot isn't? Used one with both mine, only way to cook, wash hair etc without little ones doing selves major injury. There were some toys only available in the playpen, and as long as you rotate those toys regularly, babs should be very happy to go in. My kids were really happy to use theirs, a travel cot type, from birth (really! I wanted them to be used to it from the word go!) up until there was a danger they would climb out and hurt themselves. Although there is almost 4 yrs between my boys, I still wouldn't have felt comfortable leaving them alone when ds2 was tiny - it wasn't fair on either of them. Later, the playpen meant I could get on with things like cooking, or preparing raw meat, whilst still chatting with my wee one. No, I didn't leave them in it for more than 15 mins at a time - I'm not daft - but I did get flak from people who thought that leaving a curious six month old to explore the sitting room alone was somehow more nurturing! My boys were devestated when we eventually gave ours away, so it can't have held negative memories for them. Ultimately, something that keeps your baby safe, and helps you stay sane, can only be good. I can't recommend one enough!

I wouldn't be able to wee or cook if we didn't have one. DS is a turning into an 18 month old extreme sports euthusiast, if I turn my back on him for a moment he does something daft.

When you are living in a rented house in a foreign country with tiled/marble floors and dodgy electrics, it is an absolute necessity - how else are you supposed to have a shower.....? My daughter loved playing in hers , as long as I varied the toys she had to play with, and, dare i say it, I sat her in view of the TV and she was happy as larry.....

I bought one on e-bay that was made in Austria - big and hexagonal. I would be tearing my hair out without it! I started both of them in it around 4-6mths for a short time everyday, and gradually increased the time, making sure it was always after feeding and changing so they were at their happiest. I make sure there's not too many toys in there, but they have all their favorites. then if they get upset I give them a cuddle and change the toys around. I leave my 10mth in it for about 30-45mins twice a day and most of the time she's perfectly happy.
I think when it is most helpful is once they can crawl fast and toddle - to have a habit of doing it at the same time every day means you can run upstairs and downstairs to do your laundry, cleaning etc. without having to keep an eye on them, also unloading groceries etc.
Also I stuck some activity centres on the side panels. And they helped my 2.5yr old to pull up, as he wasn't doing it till I put him in there. The wooden ones are great with the bars, as they can see thru better than the mesh on a travel cot and can pull up.

I never had, nor felt the need, for a play pen with DD despite living with open plan living areas.