Stupid question ahead...

mcatmay

... but did you all buy a mattress for the pack n play? DD has been in the bassinet portion but was always lounging on her Boppy newborn lounger when in the bassinet so she's used to soft, comfy pillow like surroundings when i leave her there for a couple of minutes. I've tried putting her flat in the bassinet and she's not as big a fan. As she get older, i was trying to figure out whether i should get her a mattress for the pack n play to make it more comfortable. 

She does not nap in there (naps in her crib) but the playard seems so hard. Am i just being an overly concerned mom? Should i save my money or is it worth the $30 for a mattress? 

MrsPhilDunphy

Yeah, it's pretty hard. How often do you plan to use it for sleeping?

The in laws have a PNP with mattress that C sleeps on at the beach and has since he was a few months old. The mattress is great, but it's not exactly portable. It doesn't fold like the rest of the PNP. 

We didn't start using our own PNP for sleeping (at other grandparent's houses/ beach houses) until closer to 1 year and at that point, I was comfortable folding up a big quilt or comforter to put on the bottom as extra padding. 

Hey Jellisy

We bought one, but our son slept in it all the time (my DD regressed and moved back to the crib when DS came along).  For us it was cheaper than buying a new crib and mattress so it was well worth $30, but I would have never bought it for the limited use DD had with the PnP.   

WinesNotWhines

We didn't buy a mattress for the PnP, but M has only slept in it a few times when we've gone on vacation. Are you planning to use it regularly for sleep? If you're only going to use it when traveling, I probably wouldn't get one.  Like pp said, the mattress isn't all that portable, i.e. you really couldn't take it on a plane if you were traveling.

umdbride

We used the PnP that had a raised "bassinette" for when LO was under 15 lbs (not the changing area, that was on the side) and we used that without any additional mattress - even though it was kind of firm, I was more worried about SIDS than comfort, and DS didn't seem to mind. 

Now that we use the PnP with the bottom near the ground I went and bought a quilted sheet for it that adds a little padding.  We use it for playing almost daily (while we prep dinner, etc.) and for sleeping every couple of months when we visit our parents.  He seems content in it whenever we use it. 

mommmyz

I had to laugh because I was so confused when I first bought a PnP, about the whole mattress issue, so you are not alone! Like pp's, DS slept in the bassinett part for the first 8 weeks with no additional mattress. He sleeps in the PnP probably 3 nights or naps a month at my parents and is completely fine, and has done that since he was about 5 months old. We just use a regular sheet. He does sleep on an extra firm mattress in his crib too, so it's probably pretty normal to him!

mcatmay

She's not really sleeping in it - i think i'll take you ladies' suggestions and put a quilt in the bottom of it when she gets old enough to be out of the bassinet portion. For right now, i'll keep the $30...or end up buying something else for her i 'desperately need' ;-)