My daughter is almost 4 months old. After a decent stretch of reflux and crying and not wanting to sleep at night i have gotten her to the point where she will fall asleep on her own around 7/7:30 and sleep till around midnight or so give or take. Then i give her a bottle and she will sometimes go back down in her crib and sometimes i have to sleep by her. Well latley she is moving more and more and keeps getting her poor little legs stuck in the crib rails. When my son was this age he loved sleeping in a sleep positioner and she does not like this at all. She likes to stretch and sprawl out and sleep on her side. So this past weekend we were out of town and she slept in the pack and play and seemed to sleep a lot better, and more comfortably. Is it a bad thing to just let her sleep in the pack and play instead of the crib? Has anyone else just used the pack and play untill they went into a toddler bed? I would like to not have to get up 3-4 times a night because her poor little legs are stuck or because she is kicking away and making a bunch of noise in the crib. The pack and play is much quieter. That is what she naps in at daycare but thought id see if anyone has had any problems down the road with letting thier child just sleep in a pack and play at night? Thanks!
To me a pack and play just does not cut it. Put bumpers in her crib
to prevent her legs from getting stuck.
Is she sleeping in a sleep-bag (wearable blanket)? This may help with the feet getting stuck. Otherwise, either pack-and-play or breathable bumpers are OK.
If she sleeps well in it them i would continue. Maybe try the crib again with a thin breathable bumper in a few months. Make sure you keep a good schedule a good night time routine.
I think the pack and play is fine to keep her in, if that works best for you and your baby.
If you're worried about this and want to keep her in a crib, but don't want to use a traditional bumper (which has safety issues attached), you can purchase a Breathable Bumper which you can find at Target and Babies R Us. These bumpers are string free and breathable, which reduces the risk of SIDS due to bumper use. But, this will also keep tiny hands and feet in the crib.
My daughter slept in her Pack n Play from newborn to 10 months old in our bedroom. She slept in the top part until she was able to start pulling up, then we switched her to the bottom portion.
You can get the breathable bumpers or a crib tent (what we use)...even now at 2 1/2 my daughter moves a great deal and her legs would be in between the bars of not for the tent....We originally purchased the tent used because it was a game to her to throw everything out of her crib and than want us to come pick everything up...Now when I go in there in the middle of the night she is sideways with her legs up on the side of the crib, but thanks to the crib tent they stay in....
My son will turn 2 in couple of weeks and he has slept in a pack n play since he was 8 months. Before that he was in bed with me. We actually tried to move him to a big boy bed recently and after 2 weeks of battling bedtime we set up the pack n play again, he loves it. We got a tent a few months ago when he figured out how to climb out of it. He is still within the weight and height range for the bed and I bought the cheapest model I could find at Walmart. Someone mentioned pnp weren't suppose to replace cribs but I read the insturctions for mine front to back and didn't see that warning...I guess check that out with whatever model you are looking to get. I actually feel better about the pack n play than a crib, there is less for them to get into, like no bars, very low to the ground when they figure out how to climb out, and the sides are soft, my oldest daughter would constantly whack her head against the wood of her crib in her sleep (not the repetitive, sleep disturbance head hitting just moving around) it never woke her up but I slept in the same room and it always woke me up!
My son is 10 months old and sleeps in a pack and play in our bedroom. It was a co-sleeper until he outgrew it. I am worried about him climbing out of the crib....... so the pack and play keeps my mind at ease. He can stand up, but can't climb out. We just use a wearable blanket and he's happy as can be.
I don't think you'd have any problems.
http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...
This is the link to a breathable bumper that One Step Ahead sells. I've used it for both my kids and it is wonderful
I'm all about letting them sleep wherever they are getting good sleep as long as it's safe and not creating a bad sleep crutch. Go for it!
Read the instructions to your pack n'play. I have the Chicco, and mine specifically said that it was not to be used as a bed or something about not meeting the safety codes for a crib - I can't remember, but for me, that was a big red flag! Something you might look into is the "Breathable Bumper." It is a bumper that keeps a baby's arms and legs out of the rungs of the crib, but it is made of a breathable material, unlike normal bumpers, to reduce the risk of SIDS.
http://www.amazon.com/BreathableBaby-Breathable-Safer-Bum...
http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...
we used a bumper pad on our daughter's crib, and that seemed to work good. there's nothing wrong with letting them sleep in a pack and play either. for months our daughter slept in her swing most of the time because that was the only place she'd fall asleep for any length of time. if it works, do it. whatever helps your kid sleep (within reason), is usually the best thing - meaning, as long as you're not, like, drugging your kid with tylenol or something (i've heard of people doing it!), i think it's perfectly fine to let them sleep wherever they are most comfortable.
I couldn't afford to buy a crib when my son was born, so I got a pack n play and it worked just fine, plus you can take it anywhere. It also gave him a sense of independence and it seemed easier to put him down at night, (well don't put baby in there too fast, he'll wake up from the descent, :).
Our son slept in a crib but our daughter, who is now 8 months old, is still sleeping in the pack n play because my husband won't move the crib downstairs and I don't want to walk upstairs in the middle of the night to nurse our daughter. She is doing great in the pack n play. I don't see why it should be a problem.
My daughter slept in a pack-n-play, but only when traveling (we were always in the same room when she slept in it). We did get a mattress for it so it would have extra padding, everything in the instructions said it was fine to sleep in as long as it is used correctly. I guess the only thing was the older they get the strong their hands get and they may hit the buttons to close the pack-n-play, that would be my only concern... I know it is hard for an adult to sometimes get the buttons to work but I would not take the risk once my child was able to pull up/stand up.
We did put breathable bumpers on my daughter's crib, she liked the security. After the toddler bed with railing we moved her to a twin size bed at age 3 and had to get a railing for it because she said she missed being inclosed.
Our crib was recalled shortly after my 3rd child was born. It was a company that went out of business, so no vouchers. We didn't know if we were going to have a 4th, so my husband refused to buy a crib for one child. It was not my ideal idea, but my son is 1 and has almost always been sleeping in a pack n play. It seems to work ok.
We do this but we fortify the bottom of the pack n play with a board so it doesn't sage and hurt the body. If you don't move it or put it up and down a lot it works well.
Pack n Plays have weight limits, but I see nothing wrong with using the pack n play. Also, they make breathable thin crib bumpers that may also stop her from getting her legs stuck.
