Need Help with Playards...

I had a pak-n-play that I took with me until my son was at least 2 years old to go camping, or visiting family with. Grandma made a thin-foam mattress to put down for bedtime. I never let him sleep in the sleeper attachment. Another option in the early months is a bassinett.

Good-Luck and Congratulations!!!

I gave my mom a crib and a play yard to use for my son and she lives in a farely large house. she gave away the crib and kept the play yard. now my son is 14 months and sleeps fine in the play yard - my in laws used one for naps for him when he was younger so he was used to sleeping in a play yard. I can let my mom keep him overnight now and he will sleep through the night!! That would be my recomendation especially in an appartment so it can be folded away when not in use.

Hi T.
I used the Graco pack-n-play for both my boys, and they slept in it from the time they were infants until probably around 18 or 20 months or so (when they needed to). FYI--both my boys were in beds when they were about 21 or 22 months. We just put the mattress on the floor for a while at first....
C.

T.,

My son lived in a pack and play from 9 months to age 14 months. They were the hottest months of the year. It is low to the floor - and thus gets the coolest breezes. During the rest of the year, this isn't exactly the greatest thing.

Sleeping in in the bassinet is GREAT - until they can roll.

Then you have to be careful, and I think the sleep lost trying to make sure they are SAFE and comfortable isn't worth it.

A co-sleeper is a good idea if you plan to have baby sleep in a pack and play.

Good luck,
M.

My daughter slept in a pack-n-play at my parents house until after she turned two and was sleeping in a regular bed. Most new pack-n-plays come with a bassinet attachment so that when the baby is really little they can sleep a little higher up in the pack-n-play. They even sell padded play yard sheets at babies r us so that there is a little extra cushion if the baby will be sleeping in it a lot. Hope thats helpful!

i'm not sure what age most babies start sleeping in a regular bed, but i'm guessing around 18 months to 2 years.
The situation you are describing sounds like it would be best to use a pack in play and get one with a bassinet (i think most do come with a bassinet). The baby can sleep in the basinnet until about 6 months or some weight limit that i don't remember, then after that, the baby just sleeps in the pack in play. We travel a bit and this is what we have been using. not to mention the countless other ppl i know with young babies who do the same. and they are great b/c they can be set up anywhere.

A co-sleeper is something that would attach or go right next to your bed so that you can sleep with the baby, but everyone still has their own space. A co-sleeper would make more sense for you to use at home. I don't know about any age/weight limits with co-sleepers since i never used one.

hope that helps.

Once they start rolling over on their own, you would need to take the bassinet portion out of the pack-n-play. I used ours for both of mine for quite a while, I just put an extra pad down on the "floor" of the pack-n-play, since it is rather hard. Neither child complained and my daughter still uses it at grandmas (she'll be 2 in may).

You can call the company and ask what the weight restriction is but I am pretty sure they can sleep in there until at least 3 or 4. I have a co-sleeper and we never used the "co-sleeper" part. I know, it sounds wierd. We always used it as a pack and play and it is waaaay better quality than the cheepie one my parents have at their house. I am thinking of switching out the two since the once we have is now a toy box.

I think it depends on a couple factors.
My son slept in the pack and play in a small basket for the first 6 weeks of his life, and then we moved him to a crib. We still use the pack and play for traveling, he is 19 months now.
I would think that if you will be using the pack and play for occasional use, like once a week or just sometimes for naps, you should be fine. However if you spend several nights a weeks there or she is your full time babysitter and he is napping there every day, you may want to get a real crib. There are smaller models available (I live in NYC too). The pack and play doesn't give enough back support for every day use in my opinion, and if your child will be cranky all the time because he's not getting great sleep, it may become a seperate issue altogether.
Good Luck!
C. (Due August 20th with #2--Congratulations!)

I can tell you this - we lived in a tight studio apt. in Manhattan when my daughter was born and that was her crib for the first 9 mths of her life.

BUT my Graco pack + play had an extra "LEVEL" that went close to the top of the playard so the baby sleeps in a very "normal" looking crib. I wouldn't put a baby all the way down close to the bottom of the playard until they're about 8 mths old....Do you know what I'm talking about?

It was totally fine and worked GREAT for us. And we got use out of it for like almost 2 years.....everytime we stayed at a family members' house or even in a hotel they had the same pack + play set up.

Don't put much "bedding" or blankets in there and make sure you have a tight sheet around it. ( My daughter slept in those zipped up fleece sleeper oufits instead of having a blanket for like the 1st 9 mths as well.... )

My daughter slept in her Graco Pck-n-Play until she was bout 2 1/2, essentially until she was too long to fit !

There really is no age limit for pack n plays. You can use the bassinet top until your baby can roll over on her own. Then you just remove the top, and the baby sleeps in the bottom until she can climb out of it. If your lucky she won't ever learn to climb out and will be safe there until age 2 or even 3. You can put her in a bed when she won't roll out of it, or use safety rails if you think she hasn't quite learned where the edges are.

Hi T.,

I bought a Graco pack & play for my grandson when he was born and used the bassinet part up until I felt he was too big for it ( I don't remember exactly how old), but he is 18 months old now and we still use it. He doesn't attempt to climb out of it at this point, which is good, because I have a two story house and the pack and play is upstairs...and at this point, he hasn't mastered the stairs yet. We are expecting the second grandbaby in July...so now I am going to be forced to either buy a crib for him so the baby can have the pack and play or put him downstairs. But, I definately like the pack and play. It takes a couple of minutes to figure out how to fold it back up...but it all fits into the travel/carry case that comes with it. So if your Mom doesn't want to leave it up all the time, it is fairly compact when stored. Hope this helps. Good luck and God Bless!!

K.

T.,
I had a Pack n' Play which I used from the day I brought my son home until he was able to climb out and also used it for my next son, I loved it and highly recommend them. As I recall my both my boys were 13 or 14 months old before we stopped using it. If I were you I would also invest in an inflatable air mattrise when the baby outgrows the Pack n' Play this way your mother will be able to put the baby down for naps when that time comes. I used both and again loved them, as a matter of fact I still use the inflatable mattrise and my boys are now 13 and 10.
Hugs,
T.

The playyards have been wonderful for us! We travel to VA often and my dad bought an playyard from Walmart(maybe $50 if that) and my daughter who is now 2 sleeps in it evertime we go since she was an infant. She will probably continue to sleep in it for the next year. So for three yrs, I say get one!
We have a Graco pack n play here at home and take it to our friends house on a monthly basis and she sleeps there great:-)

We've used a Pack N Play for all 3 of our kids. They sleep in it in our room until they're 6 or 7 months old and then we move them to their crib. There's an attachment that is more like a bassinet that they used until they were about 4 months old. We also take the Pack N Play to my mother in law's when we stay overnight. Also, our daycare uses Pack N Plays for baby's naps and she takes babies that start at age 2 or 3 months.
Hope this helps.

The pack n play is a good solution because when not in use, your Mom can fold it up and put it in a closet. Not only can your baby sleep in it, but you can also use it as a playpen during the day.

In terms of sleeping in a bed... it's more like 2 1/2 to 3 when they can sleep in a bed and, even at that age, you probably need railings on the side of the bed. My kids slept in toddler beds at 2 1/2 years old, but they are small beds and are close to the ground. The longer you can keep your child in a crib, the better, so you could be using that pack n play for a while. What I can't remember is if a 2 1/2 year old could still fit in it.

The other problem WE had was that my twins refused to sleep in the pack n play. They had always slept in cribs (even at my mom's house). The first time we went to a hotel, I put them in a pack n play and they screamed like crazy. We ultimately had to put them on a blanket on the floor. They were about 20 months at the time... needless to say, it wasn't a very relaxing 2 nights for us!

Hi T.,
A cosleeper is meant to attach to an adult bed with an adult sleeping in it. It's not meant for an older baby or for a baby to sleep in as a freestanding unit. Toddlers can sleep in a pack and play, it's just like a playpen, whereas a cosleeper is not.
Good luck

HI T.,

My mom bought a Graco pack n play for her house and my daughter's been sleeping in it since birth. They're perfectly safe. The one we bought had a bassinet top that you could use for the first few months, and then remove to just have the baby sleep in the playpen part once she was bigger. Hope that helps!

B.

My son sleeps in a pack-n-play whenever he goes to my inlaws and he is just fine in it. He's 14 months old and still has plenty of room in it. And by the way, don't get one of the really expensive ones with all the bells and whistles. They are not necessary. This is the style I got and it works very well for us. It comes with a removable insert on top while the baby is a newborn so they are not all the way down in the bottom. I would also suggest registering for a quilted pack-n-play sheet because the regular sheets don't stay on well.
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2786140

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3097611

If you want a good list of stuff to register for, I have a blog entry on the essentials:
http://edenhamilton.blogspot.com/2008/08/newborn-essentia...

We used (and still use) our pack n plays for traveling from day 1 with all 3 kids. My twins are now nearly 3 and we just came back from a weekend trip where they each had one. I think my son stopped using his at about 3 even though he had long outgrown the length. Additionally our daycare has a nap room with 5 pack n plays that are used daily for kids from newborn to 4. You'll never regret buying something that is so versatile!

I would use a play and pack. They have a little sleeper in it for a very small infant, but you can take it out when the baby is bigger and they can sleep in the bottom of the play and pack. (12 weeks is when I would start putting the baby in the bottom of the play and pack, that is when they could roll over. My son did it at gradma's house and he was fine. Don't use a co sleeper, the baby could slip between the wall and the co sleeper, and it is not safe to put pillows, rolled up towels or anything fluffy in a babies crib. When they start sleeping in the bottom, just wrap a sheet around the bottom or use a portable crib sheet - it fits pretty good, and will not come undone. dont worry about the hardness, they seem to be just fine. Alternatively, if she has no pets and no traffic, she could use a big clean quilt and lay the baby on the floor. Floor time is good for babies anyway. We also let our son sleep on the hardwood floor for a nap, in the middle of a king size quilt, with another blanket under the quilt for comfort. Don't use a comforter, it is too fluffy. We had no pets, and it was spring and summer, he was fine

Get a Pack n Play. An infant can't sleep in a cosleeper after 6m because they'll fall out of it when they try to sit up. They can sleep in a Pack n Play with the matress at the bottom level. (Most pack n plays allow you to put the matress at a higher level for when the baby is a newborn. Put it on the bottom and your baby should be safe.)

Arms Reach Cosleepers are wonderful for newborns. If you're going to cosleep at home, I'd recommend that....just only as long as they say it's safe, which I think is 6m.

We have one of the Graco Pack & Plays which has a bassinet option. Originally we planned on keeping it in our room for her to sleep in while she was a newborn but she preferred the crib right off the bat. She slept at my mother's for the 1st time when she was about 3 months old. She slept in a playard my mom bought (Evenflo I think) which didn't have a bassinet and she slept fine. My MIL has used ours when my daughter has slept over there and she slept fine in that as well. Once she started sitting up we couldn't have her sleep in the bassinet part anymore. She's almost 14 months old now and my MIL will be using the pack & play again when my daughter sleeps over there next month.

Hi There,
I take care of a couple of kids (my niece and my cousin's child) as well as my own kids at my mom's house on a regular basis. We have two cribs and a pack'n'play to nap the kids in. My son, who is 13 months still naps in the pack'n'play at my mom's house no problem. However, my cousin's child is 20 mos. now, and was able to start climbing out of it a few months ago... I would say you are safe to use it for your child to sleep in on a semi regular basis until the child is about 18 mos. My daughter, who is tiny, used it when we went camping until she was 2. It really depends on the size of your child and if he or she is motivated to climb out of it.

My son still sleeps in a pack and play at my mom's and he will be 2 in May. Not sure how long he is, but he weighs almost 29 pounds now. I think the co-sleepers are only for newborns, but am not sure. Hope this helps. Congratulations on your new baby!

Hi T.,

My son never really used his Graco pack 'n play, but you can use them for quite awhile. He's 15 months now, and as long as you remove the bassinet insert, you can let him sleep in it until he/she is simply too large. I just recommend putting a blanket down for cushioning. I believe the bassinet insert is good up to 25 pounds, though, which my 15 month old isn't even up to yet. As a new mom, you probably want a brand new one, but you can certainly have mine, if you're interested. It's in perfect condition, and includes a changing table that flips up, which I can't tell you how wonderful it was to have that for the first 6 months or more! I got more use out of that than the actual play-yard part of it! Mine is light green & cream-colored, and has a canopy with little bears attached. It plays music & nature sounds, has a light, and has a vibration adapter. It also has a travel bag for easy transport. If you're interested, I'm more than willing to ship it to you for just the cost of the shipping. It's really in practically brand new condition. Let me know if you're interested. If not, I really do recommend you registering for one that has the changing table attachment! Super helpful! Honestly, the rest of the "bells and whistles" like the light and music are not really necessary.

Best of luck to you and your new little one!!
-T.

I have a Baby Bjorn Travel Crib - only weighs 11 lbs and fold up very easily & compactly for storage when not in use. Supposedly can be used up to age 3. I have packed it in a large suitcase & took it to Aruba as well.

Good Luck!

I think you would be fine with a graco pack and play up until age 2 yrs. The top bassinet is only used when your child is a small infant then your child can sleep in the bottom of a pack and play. Sure it is not as spacious as a crib but it works fine. My son is 90th percentile for height at age two and can still use one in a pinch. In fact we took him to Disney and the hotel supplied us with a pack and play and it worked fine for the week. Definitely go ahead and invest in one for your mom's house. Good luck.

T.,
I am a grandma of a 20 month old. We have the Graco pack and play. They are work well and can be used for quite a while. We love it and our little one has no trouble sleeping in it.
M.

I do believe they have weight limits. But I let my son sleep in it until he could climb out. I don't see a big deal using it every once in a while, like on vacation or such. That is where to start.

T.,
Two of my three kids slept in pack'n'play's till they were big enough for big kid beds. I don't see any problems with it. My son, who will be 8 on Monday, Slept in the middle part so it wasn't so hard for me or anyone to reach him and when he got big enough to roll over and stand then i put him at the bottom I knew it was time for a bed when he tried to climb out. My little girl was tiny so I had it next to me and put her in the changing table for the first month and then to the middle and so on. The pack'n'play's are great because they don't really take up that much space and fold up fairly fast. (We lived in a small trailer). Graco is a good company just put the baby where you feel comfortable and it should work for your mother. Hope this helps. Good luck!
S.

Congratulations on your pregnancy! I would suggest a pack & play for what you want. It has a basinette insert you can use right away until your baby sits up and then you can use it the regular way after that. My son slept in one whenever we traveled until he was about 2 years old. He's a good sleeper and is not inclined to climb out which helped. But after age 2 he seemed like he was too big/heavy to fit into in comfortably. I think the pack & play will give you more flexibility and last longer than a co-sleeper.

Good luck.

My kids slept in the pack and play in my room for the first 4 months. After that I transitioned to the crib in their room, but continued using the pack and play for naps in my room. We went away this summer, my kids were alomost 3 a nd 1 1/2 and they both slept in their own pack and plays every night.

I have 2 - 1 Graco and 1 Evenflo. I like them both the same. We put our daughter in a regulat toddler bed when she turned 3 because she started climbing out.

Just use sheets inteneded for the pack and play, not crib sheets. As long asa they fit and can't climb out al will be fine!!!!

One Step Ahead has this thing called a peapod plus. It is almost like a little pop up tent with an little air mattress in it. It easily collapses and stores right in its own little pouch when not in use. We have the older version (the peapod, about 3 years old) that my now 6 month old naps in when at our business. My now 4 year old napped in the graco pack and play, but I found that the "mattress" part is so stiff, that I would always have to put a folded blanket down first. This was okay as he was already 2 when we needed it for him at our business, but it is NOT OKAY to do for an infant. Here is the web address:

http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...

They also have a couple other travel products which store easily, but I don't own them, so I can't attest to their comfort.

Co-sleepers are only safe until the baby starts to move. I put mine away when my son was 4 months old, and he was easily rolling over. They are very shallow, and cannot be adjusted to go deeper. (As a playard can.)

A playard is fine until the baby can get out of it! My son is 14 months old, and he's still ok in it! He doesn't sleep in it quite as well as he used to, but it works.

My wife & I used a Pack-N-Play for our 2 girls, now 3 & 6. We never had a crib for them. Used the raised insert as a Bassinet until they started moving on their own. Then just put them down inside. They both slept good at home, & on trips, because we always had their "bed" with them. Once they got to the point of trying to climb out, it was time to move to a regular bed. Neither one has any sleep problems from this.

T.,
If your mom has a small apt., the pack n play will probably be too big., so I would recommend the co-sleeper. You can use them for newborns, in fact, they are tiny and mainly meant for newborns. I brought mine whenever visiting my folks.
If on the bed unattended, I would push the bed next to a wall (if possible) and build a wall of pillows around it just to be extra safe (or just line around the whole thing with pillows, rolled towels, etc.)- This is, of course, for the few days to a few months old babies who don't wiggle around much when they sleep - once they get older, especially scooching or crawling - One should never leave the baby on a bed unattended - even behind a wall of pillows (just a nervous nelly who had to say that)
I also bought a little bouncer which is a perfectly acceptable place to take naps or a even sleep a night or two on a special visit. These also take much less room than pack n plays and the babies are very securely snapped into place - most are meant for relaxing - soft music, vibration, etc (some babies also prefer the swings, which are also acceptable for naptime and there are some space saver models, too)
Take care, congratulations, and enjoy those visits with Grandma!

Hi T.,

I'm going to second what the Mamas before me have said about the pack & play. We still use it for my 18 month-old when we travel.

It was already recommended that you use something for extra padding to make it more comfortable. Eddie Bauer makes a plush, quilted pack & play sheet, which is available at Target. It's $15, but it's soft, warm, and adds a decent amount of padding to the bottom of a pack & play. It has the elastic edges, so it stays attached to the bottom board, which is safer than laying blankets down on top of the board for your baby to sleep on.

Best of luck to you, and congratulations!

Hi T.-
We have a Graco Pack in Play, one here and one at my mom's. When my son was born, he was pretty much in it during the day. At night he slept in a bassinet until we moved him to the crib. But when I stay at my mom's he goes in her pack in play. We just removed the top part when he got too big for it and he sleeps on the bottom. He is a healthy sized 14-month old and still sleeps in a Pack N Play when we travel. Just from experience, that is the way I would go. When your baby gets older, you can also use it as a play pen when you are trying to get stuff done (or your mom can.) So you can get two uses out of it.
Good luck!