Using Pack n Play in Bedroom for Baby?

swickham7

My husband and I are still deciding what to use for our daughter to sleep in while she is in our room for the first few months. I will be nursing and we received a pack n play with the reversible napper/changer combo. I was wondering if other moms are using the pack n play for baby in the beginning or should I still buy a bassinet?

bbiutmcph

MY DS2 loved to sleep in the PNP and we used it quite often.  I would plan to use it vs getting also a bassinet personally.  I'm hoping DD will start right out in the crib like the boys but if not we will use the PNP for a bit.

LiveNLove44

I don't think a bassinet is necessary. I also think the transition from a PNP to a crib will be a bit smoother. Our DD slept in her RNP next to me for the first couple weeks. She transitioned easily to her crib and has always been a good sleeper, so we are hopeful that our next one will follow suit. I'm thinking about using our PNP instead with this one because it's flat rather than inclined, but we really liked the RNP for many reasons. Either way, to answer your question, I think the PNP will suffice!

wildbutterfli2001

We did with our first. He slept in the bassinet part for like the first 6 months and it worked perfectly!

tbasinski

I will be using a PNP for an undetermined amount of time- probably at least 6 mths. That's what I did with my other two. I feel they are safer and much easier to use. They definitely don't look as cute in a nursery, but such is life

rue:D

We are planning to use the PNP with twin bassinets until the babies are sleeping longer stretches through the night. Mostly just because their room is so far from ours, we don't want to walk that far a billion times every night!

blairbecky78

That is our plan. We bought the Graco with the changing pad and removable bouncer. We are just going to put it next to our bed.

swickham7

Thanks guys, I will definetely be using it now!

MandahGirly

We are using the PnP in our bedroom as well!

TheSouffleGirl

We're using it, too!

carlymarie021

Mine is the Greco travel lite ... Pretty much the same thing right ??

dchiapella

We're doing PNP too! Easier and one less thing to buy. 

KRHARMAN

We did PNP with DS, but we have since moved and our room is much smaller so I found a bassinet we wil use for DD.

bgriest

We plan on using the pack and play for about 3 months and then we will transition him into his crib!

michellelynn6

We plan on using a PNP with a bassinet insert for the first little bit, then just the PNP, then hopefully transition to crib!  

twhite080908

That's our plan to, since our bedroom is upstairs and his is down stairs he will be sleeping in the pnp until he is pretty much sleeping through the night, especially since we will be nursing so often at first!

danixbanani24

So FTM here and I'm confused as to why I should have baby in room with me at first.  We live in a two bedroom apt in NYC and our son's room is right next to ours.  I was going to definitely have the baby sleep with us in our bedroom the first few weeks but I'm wondering if it's necessary?  I'd love some advice here...is it just that it is easier or is this something you're supposed to do?  I'm genuinely curious.

millette2015

@danixbanani24 I don't think it's completely necessary if you can be sure you'll hear the baby from your room. A lot of people find it much more convenient and helps ease their mind about whether the baby is ok etc (mainly related to breathing and SIDS). I also have friends that couldn't sleep through the little mumbling groans their baby made while sleeping and had him in his nursery from the beginning without any issues. So I'd say preference? People can correct me if I'm wrong! I'm not sure if it's recommended by any paediatric associations...
And on that note, we are having our little guy in our bedroom in the pack and play at first.

MamaOwl15

millette2015 said:

@danixbanani24 I don't think it's completely necessary if you can be sure you'll hear the baby from your room. A lot of people find it much more convenient and helps ease their mind about whether the baby is ok etc (mainly related to breathing and SIDS). I also have friends that couldn't sleep through the little mumbling groans their baby made while sleeping and had him in his nursery from the beginning without any issues. So I'd say preference? People can correct me if I'm wrong! I'm not sure if it's recommended by any paediatric associations...
And on that note, we are having our little guy in our bedroom in the pack and play at first.

This. For the first 4 months or so, the risk of SIDS is highest and having baby IN your room helps with that because your breathing helps regulate theirs. If you have enough space next to your bed for a rock'n'play or an Arms Reach cosleeper, or even a pack'n'play, you may find it easier since you won't even have to get out of bed to nurse. It's not wrong to have baby sleep in his own room from the start, but you may sleep better the first couple weeks with him right next to you.

christina4436

I think that will def work good. We got one but will keep it on first floor so I have a used bassinet for upstairs.

naka92

Even though we have the crib ready to go, we'll be using the pack and play next to our bed for a while as well. It'd just make me feel a lot better so were going with it. It'll be a bit cramped, but hey, we'll make it work!

jham201

I was planning to use the pack and play in the beginning instead of getting both the PNP and bassinet.  I am going to use a bassinet now but only because I am getting a hand me down from a friend for free.  It is a bit smaller than the PNP, so it will just take up less space in the bedroom and make it a bit easier for me to get around in the middle of the night.  If I decide I don't love the bassinet, I can always go back to the original plan.

kaza512

I think it is mostly a matter of space.  If you have the room in your bedroom for the pnp, don't bother with getting another sleeping device.  The PnP is the biggest bang for your buck too.  As babies will definitely outgrow bassinets and you can use the pnp for travel or stays with other family members, or even moving easily around the house.

As for having the baby in the room with you it is both SIDS prevention and it is honestly more convenient in the beginning.  Almost no newborn sleeps through the night, and having the baby right there tends to help both baby and mom sleep better and when baby wakes up for a feeding, you can just feed them and put them right back to bed, without having to walk to other rooms, etc.  If you are formula feeding, make bottles and keep them in coolers for night feedings or if you have the extra money buy the premade formula bottles because they can keep at room temp.  Obviously, if you are breast feeding no food storage is needed

danixbanani24

Thanks for the responses everyone! We have room in the bedroom for the PnP so I'll be keeping baby boy with us in the beginning!

meghan82

as PPs have said, if you have the room the PnP is a great option. i thought we could use it but it turned out when we actually set it up it was so much bigger than it looked in the store and there's no way it will fit in our bedroom. i wish i wouldn't have assumed it would fit, because i would have deliberately registered for a smaller one. unfortunately we threw out the packaging and receipt (rookie mistake) so our PnP can't be returned either. i am going to ask around the neighborhood to borrow a bassinet. worst case scenario, we do have gift cards from our baby shower so we can buy one which will fit in the room.

NDimanov

We will be using a PNP for a little while in the beginning in the bedroom. We are house hunting and will hopefully find something before we need to transition to a crib.

aig2011

We used the pnp with our first till about 6 months then he went into his own room with his crib.

kfry22

Does everyone use a sheet in the pnp? Ours is more of a graco travel crib. I got it used and don't have sheets for it. Are they a necessity?

cindykinnear

This is my third baby and I will definitely be using a pack and play for a while. It is so easy to put by the bed and wake up with baby for feedings. I don't even have a crib yet and won't get one for several months. With my first two I over did it and had a bassinet, crib, changing table, pack n play, Moses basket, etc. I had to have it all, lol. This time I am keeping it simple.

MamaOwl15

kassyfry said:

Does everyone use a sheet in the pnp? Ours is more of a graco travel crib. I got it used and don't have sheets for it. Are they a necessity?

I don't use our PNP without sheets. The fabric on the mattress is nylon, not cotton like the sheets. Plus by having two sets of sheets available, I can easily swap them out in case of spit up (which was an issue with DS). I'd definitely get a couple sheets.

Nicolesull89

So we have both a PNP (with the bassinet insert) and a RNP.. Which is better? Any advice?

fitmama89

Although rock n plays are great ... They are NOT meant for sleeping in during the night or for long periods of time. There have been MANY cases where infants end up with brachycephaly/plagiocephaly and torticollis due to using a RNP for long periods of time.
Plenty of articles and reviews online

adcoxmt

So, excuse my hardcore FTM ignorance, but I was planning to use the pack'n'play initially, however, it doesn't seem any better than the crib with my setup. I'm in a one bedroom so (as you can see in the pic), the crib is near my bed anyways....does the pack'n'play offer any benefits over the crib for the initial weeks/months? And do I put him in the bassinet insert or on the mattress part? I assumed bassinet, but some of yall mentioned getting a sheet for the mattress...mine doesn't seem very sturdy when it's positioned directly below the bassinet/changing pad. But I assume you wouldn't have the mattress at the bottom like a play yard? Why am I so confused today?