Play yard (not pack n play) input?

pupsicle23

Since DD has a flat spot, I feel major guilt putting her in her bouncy chair or RNP. We've been playing on the floor, but we had an incident where the dog got excited and stepped on her, resulting in an urgent care visit (she was fine and the dog is in training and doing well). So now we play in her room with the door closed. I mostly wear her as the day goes on, but sometimes it's hard if I want to clean and bend over or use cleaning products. 

I've thought about getting one of those fenced play yards so DD can have a safe place to wiggle if I need to take a few minutes to tidy or make a phone call or something.  Also,  I'm going back to work in mid-March and DH will be with her for four weeks, and I think it would be good for him to have a safe place to set her down and take a minute if he needs it.Or put her play mat inside so he found watch her while eating breakfast on the couch. I'm just not sure if we'd use it that much.  Or if I want to fence my kid in. She still naps on me at times,  so utilizing nap time isn't a great option. 

Does anyone use these?  Any recommendations? She also likes looking at her mobile in her crib, so right now I stick her in there,  but I'm wondering if more space will be better when she's mobile. 

ETA The dog isn't mean or anything,  just young.

ramfam2507

I think it's a good idea, as long as the dog can't jump over and get in. It'll probably be great for when she starts crawling. It'll give her a safe area to crawl around as much as she wants without you worrying about her. 

megs416

Like anything else we buy for our babies, it's a crap shoot as to whether your baby will like it and your family will use it.  With that being said, it sounds like it will benefit your family as long as it is doggy proof!

elbou

Just wondering why you specified no pack and plays? This sort of thing is exactly what we use ours for, and it has the dual-purpose benefit of being a portable bed when you travel.

Another option is to get a couple of those baby gates that you pressure mount and just block off a whole room. My SIL did that with the breakfast nook of her kitchen when my twin nephews were small. It worked beautifully as they could play safely and she could see them the whole time she was in the kitchen.

pupsicle23

Thanks for the input! The dog wouldn't jump a gate; he's not that crazy. He's more of an oaf who is still learning about personal space. He loves the baby and is curled up by us as we rock in the chair,or runs to her if she cries, but doesn't insist on being with her or anything.  

@elbou There are other threads about pack n plays and where to put down the baby, so I thought I'd ask about this in particular. I'm definitely considering a pnp since we like to travel, but do babies still sit in there as they get older and want to move around? 

elbou

mhuber223 said:

Thanks for the input! The dog wouldn't jump a gate; he's not that crazy. He's more of an oaf who is still learning about personal space. He loves the baby and is curled up by us as we rock in the chair,or runs to her if she cries, but doesn't insist on being with her or anything.  

@elbou There are other threads about pack n plays and where to put down the baby, so I thought I'd ask about this in particular. I'm definitely considering a pnp since we like to travel, but do babies still sit in there as they get older and want to move around? 

Ah, gotcha. I haven't been on the Bump as much lately, so I must have missed the other threads.  We used our play pen for about 2 years with all of our older kids. Definitely got our money's worth out of it.

I will say that it depends on your child's personality whether they will want to be in it once they're moving around. My kids were less than happy to be in it once they got a bit older (we mostly used it for a portable crib towards the end of the 2 years), but a safe child trumps a happy one in my opinion. We didn't have the space for a big play yard, so we got the pack and play instead. If you have space for a bigger one, go for it!

ETA: The bigger play yards can also be used outdoors easier than a pack and play, so that's something to consider as well...especially if you have an unfenced yard!

ksrkim

We used of of them for my 2 year old, well he's 2 now, we used it around the time he started crawling. It was nice to have a space where I could put him and know that he wouldn't get hurt but could also crawl around. For the most part, my husband and I were in there playing with him but we would leave him alone if we needed to use the bathroom or so something quick. It's not like we watched tv and just let him fend for himself in there. We also took it to the beach a couple of times and it was great for that as well. I imagine we will use it again with our new little guy 

I will try to find the link for the one we have. I decided on it because it was bigger but you can also remove sides as needed. I remember reading reviews and many people who have a play yard have it for the reason you stated...to keep the dog out. 

ksrkim

Here's the one I have https://m.target.com/p/north-states-superyard-8-panel/-/A-15261761

TomekiaB

We got the lotus travel crib by guava family, it is carry on size, no weight limit since the pad is on the floor. Its mostly netting so I'm not sure if it would work for your dog (our dog is older and very aware of space). It did slightly better than the 4moms for traveling light in the review I read (we will be on planes vs SUVs so size mattered to us). It was compared to the Bjorn travel crib a few times I think in the reviews I read.

pupsicle23

@ksrkim Thank you!  I'd love something big enough to sit in and play with her but also feel like I can run to the bathroom or take a dish to the kitchen. 

@TomekiaB I see ads for the Lotus all over! That's great to know bc our families are across the country. Thanks!!

We have the dog in in-house training and he's smart enough that he's gone through pretty much everything with two sessions left,  so next time I'm going to see if we can focus on him respecting DD's space.  We're practicing "go to your bed" but I don't want to make him sit on his bed all day.

Mizuiro007

Don't have experience with a play yard but we have loved the pack n play. We now have the bassinet attachment in for DD, otherwise would still be using it with DS. It was great for naps and to be able to sit him there so he'd be safe if I needed to run to the bathroom. We've also figured out to use it to block one end of the room like a safety gate so he has a play area he's confined to rather than running up and down the hall.

You mentioned wanting to be able to sit in it with them. I've seen with the Lotus having that side flap you could at least open it and partially lay in it with baby.

pupsicle23

Maybe a pack n play or lotus makes more sense,  actually.  I'm confident that the dog will continue to respond well to training and DD can hang on the floor with supervision when she's more mobile.  Also,  we have two bedrooms upstairs and two in the basement of our ranch house,  so LO #2, whenever that happens,  will likely need to bunk with us until he/she is able to move in with DD. We're also going to the beach this summer,  so one of these would be good under an umbrella. 

Thanks,  everyone!  

TomekiaB

The lotus has a sunshade option and with the side flap can be used as a baby tent for the beach. They also have the mosquito net option.