Travel cot as playpen?

[trrk]

if you’ve used a travel cot as a playpen do you find it big enough to keep baby happy? I’m trying to decide whether to buy a dedicated playpen which could be a bit larger than a travel cot (but will take up too much space in our small flat?) or buy a new travel cot. We have a Maxi Cosi iris travel cot already but it’s too small to use as a playpen and might be too small for our baby to sleep in soon too as she is long for her age.

We have the Hauck Sleep and play - little one hated being in it as felt too restricted and would never play in it.

My best friend had one with her little boy which is why I got it. It was fine for him, he was content to sit there in there and play with his toys.

So I guess is dependent on the child :) we've never used a playpen itself so no idea if she'd have still done the same there

One of my children played for hours in a travel cot (brilliant in summer in the garden) but another of my children acted like I'd put them in a cell and hated it.

If you live in a small flat can you not use their actual cot as an emergency playpen eg if you need to answer the door, go to the toilet etc. I wouldn’t rely on a child being happy in a playpen of any size for longer than these types of moments.

We used a travel cot for my eldest. She was quite happy playing in there. My youngest didn't like it and wanted out!

I think she would have been the same in any size of playpen though.

If you’re in a small flat I’d probably just use their actual cot as a place to pop them for a couple of minutes and do a thorough job of babyproofing the main living space. 2 cots in a small flat is madness. And my DC would be ok for about 2 minutes in there but after that they wanted out!!

We only had a travel cot, worked fine for when you need to put them somewhere safe. My dc coslept at night

This. They can go in the cot with a few toys / books if you need to shower / nip to the loo / hoover the floor with them out the way etc.

It's quite small. It'll do when you really need it to. But presumably child ismobile, so will find it confining if used regularly or for more than a few minutes.

Thanks all for the responses, plenty to think about. I guess I was thinking of putting the travel cot or playpen up every morning rather than leaving it up all the time. I’m happy to use her actual cot for very short times (going to the loo etc) but was hoping for somewhere to contain her in the living room (which is open plan with kitchen/dining) for at least 10 min while I prepare lunch or load the dishwasher etc. At the moment she sits on the playmat and I can talk to her while i get stuff done but at 9 months already I can’t imagine she’ll be immobile for long. I want to baby proof the living area but I’m stuck on how to do this as we have nowhere else to put stuff.

For short-ish chores in the kitchen, sit the baby in the highchair. Mine loved a wooden spoon / mixing bowl / plastic measuring cups to play with while I talked / sang to them. Once they were a bit older, they had a little tray puzzle or aqua doodle to do (I kept some toys just for the highchair time so it was a bit of a novelty!).
Don't assume your toddler will be a tear-away. Mine would quite happily sit on the rug in the lounge with some toys / books for a good 15-20 mins and never really tried to climb furniture. Just be sensible - move glass ornaments out of reach, consider plug socket safety, use window locks if there's a chance they could climb onto the windowsill etc.

How about a jumperoo for somewhere to contain her for 10mins.

consider plug socket safety,

Plug sockets in the UK are perfectly safe don't go putting socket covers in them. Live and neutral already have covers over them.

We didn't use a playpen. We're fairly minimalist so making the house as safe as possible just involved: securing the TV, bookcase and chests of drawers to the walls, not put any choking/suffocation hazards in open bins (kitchen bin instead) or lying around, cupboard lock on the cleaning cupboard and the battery drawer, anything with a button battery got rid of or put on a high shelf (Netflix controller), blind cords out of reach/cordless blinds. We also were clear about not climbing on furniture, touching the cat litter, pulling wires. DD1 only needed telling once, DD2 is more like a normal toddler but it's manageable.

I had a big play pen and loved it. The trick is to use it before you need it.

My son loved it and would be in there happily for ages. My youngest not so much, but then she could see her brother outside it. She did like it if he came in to play with her.

We tried a travel cot as a playpen. DS1 sat in one spot and screamed until I lifted him out, ignoring the tempting array of toys. DS2 fashioned an escape route by using said toys as steps. He wasn't even walking yet. Neither of them were impressed at my attempt to get 5 bloody minutes' peace to make a cup of tea and butter a scone. Much more fun to crawl around the kitchen floor head butting the pot bellied stove at every opportunity. At least it wasn't lit.

I know. I didn't mean to cover them but just general safety such as not leaving plugs lying around near the sockets to tempt little hands to play with them etc.

My children weren't fans of the playpen. They did really like the little helper funpod in the kitchen though. It's from a year but I'd say fine from when they are standing confidently.

It depends on the child. My son would happily play in it and would nap in there too.
My daughter wouldn't spend more than 5 minutes in it. If your child is happy in there, a travel cot is fine.

I used a travel cot downstairs and their cot upstairs. It became a ball pit which was very popular. Handy for the five minutes jobs and reduces stress of worrying about them getting their hands somewhere they shouldn't.