Do people use playpens in the UK?

[JonnyPocketRocket]

Just that really.
DS is 5.5 months and starting to think about crawling. PILs are from America (but live here now) and keep reminding me to get a playpen as apparently I need to start putting him in it before he becomes mobile so he gets used to it. But I don't think any of my friends or family in the UK has used one of these, they've all just babyproofed as much as possible and kept an eye on what the baby's up to. And the more I look at them, the more they look like little cages.
Is this a cultural/generational thing, and people here don't tend to use them, or am I being precious/naive?

We used our travel cot in the kitchen while we were cooking etc. Baby could climb out of normal cot, but not travel cot.

We had a huge one - babydan with about 10 sections which we used like a playroom when our twins were small. They make jokes about how I used to imprison them, but I recently found some amazing video footage of them having a riotous time in there, age around 1 and laughing/chasing each other.

Well, after reminding me 3 times over the weekend that I'll need one, and my conceding that yes, perhaps it would be useful and we'll get one to try out, MIL texted DH this morning to remind him too and suggest some brands. We've bought one just so we can tell her we've done it and stop being bloody nagged! It's tiny, because all our rooms are small. So I expect we'll just babyproof one or two rooms really well and get a door jumper, but maybe the playpen will be useful in the garden 🤷🏼‍♀️

www.amazon.co.uk/Venture-ALL-Including-Activity-Coloured/dp/B01N7K78X9?pf_rd_p=af0eb178-dce1-55ff-bd28-4d671353f5f5&pf_rd_r=7SCCQ3VDS7785ZH3EXFX&pf_rd_s=mobile-hybrid-11&pf_rd_t=BROWSE_ANYWHERE&ref_=mh_s9_apbd_omwf_b44FRf&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&pf_rd_i=60118031

OP we got this one when our DC was about 6/7 months old as he was very mobile very early. He's now 13 months old and it still comes in massively handy as a safe place he can be contained when we need to leave the room etc. It's expensive but worth it. We don't live in a big house either so it's great that you can take panels out to make it smaller if need bed.

*if need be.

We used one a bit but we wouldn't get that much use out of it as DD was 'high needs' and clingy so there weren't many times when she would sit and play in it. At the least it was useful safe place to put her if I wanted to go the loo or sort something in the kitchen for 5 mins even if she did usually wail like a banshee.

I suppose it depends on your house - we just got baby gates and baby proofed the living room. Some people must use the play pens here though, I’ve seen them on sale.

Yes, I used one with both my children, absolutely brilliant.

I’m planning to get one so so I have somewhere to plonk her safely if I need to go in the garden or answer door. She won’t be sat in it playing in her own for hours though.

I’m getting one that can be used as a room divider though too so I can section off our kitchen (we have a sofa/play end). Gates downstairs won’t work for us as I have a cat that can’t jump them from an injury (although will gate the stairs).

This is the sort we want as we can also use it go fence off the woodburner in winter

www.argos.co.uk/product/7363331

We didn’t, but DS was very clingy at the best of times so no way would he have played on his own while i got on with things - he used to scream the place down if I went to the toilet without him, so I wouldn’t have been able to put him in a playpen and leave the room. Putting him down to nap in his cot was bad enough.

But on the plus side, because he never left my side I never had to worry about what he was up to - he was always right there in front of me 🤷‍♀️

We used a travel cot for both our DC. It worked really well.

I hardly ever used it but it was a godsend when I needed a wee or get ready for work.

We rarely used one. We bought it, DS hated it. We just really properly baby proofed one room (all furniture screwed to the walls, electrical outlets fully covers with boxes), wires well out of the way etc and put a baby gate on it.

I’ve kept the playpen though, as I’ve heard they’re handy for keeping Baby No 2 safe from rampaging toddlers!!