I think I hate my pack'n'play

Charityford · October 2010

I don't know about you girls, but recently I've been feeling the need to open and assemble the bigger baby items that we've recieved so far. We got the bouncer seat that rocks and converts into a toddler rocking chair, which is awesome!! I love it! Putting it together got me excited to play with the other stuff, so today I decided to investigate the pack'n'play situation.

Verdict: I hate it. It's bulky, heavy, and kind of a pain in the ass to assemble/disassemble. It extra sucks, because I was hoping to use it as a bassinet in our bedroom while I'm breastfeeding at all hours of the night...but that's a no-go too. It's HUGE and there isn't room for it in our bedroom.

Don't get me totally wrong...I think it will make an excellent bed for sleeping over at the grandparents. When he's a bit older I'm sure it will be more useful too. Just sucks that my immediate plans for it are not going to come to fruition....and that after playing with it for like an hour I need a nap. Sleep

I wonder if it is just because it's the first time I have played with it? Maybe it gets easier to manouver? I may not be giving it a fair shot. Does anyone else have strong feelings either way about thier pack'n'play OR any other baby equipment?

MrsD_111106 · October 2010

We only used our pack'n'play as a downstairs changing station and bassinet when DS was small. It just stayed in the one place.

We were lucky enough to get the Mini Co-Sleeper as a gift and loved it. It fit great in our room and by the time he was too big for it, we just used his crib in his room.

I never ended up using the pnp when he was bigger. I agree that it's big and can be a PITA to put together - why do they make you lock the sides before pushing down the bottom??? I honestly wouldn't get it again if I didn't already have one.

cc605 · October 2010

I hate our pack'n'play too. It's a pain in the a$$ to assemble. We used it a few times when traveling when DS was older but he mostly ended up in the bed with us.

It's GREAT to store toys in though :0)

MrsD_111106 · October 2010

I forgot to add that the co-sleeper was also a royal pain to put together. In fact, it's still all set up in my closet because I didn't want to try to put it together again. It's got pillows in it right now and has been sitting up there ready to go for over 2 years. Big Smile

Gia&Chuck22308 · October 2010

Can I ask which one it is?

LittleDucky · October 2010

DH and I set up our pack n play just to see what it looked like and I didn't think it was too complicated. We have this one. We then folded it up to store it until closer to when the baby comes. It took maybe 10 minutes to set up and that was because it was the first time we were setting it up. I think it would take much less time to do it a second time. It isn't super light weight, but we won't be traveling with it all that often.

The full size pack n plays are pretty big, but I had measured in our bedroom (we're also planning on using it next to the bed) before we got it so I knew we needed space for it. One option if you want something smaller might be something like this. It is very similar to the pack n play but a lot smaller. I have a friend who used one and was very happy with it. We ended up going with the full size pack n play because we wanted to use it as a playpen (once LO is not sleeping in our room anymore) later on and thought it would be nice for there to be more space for him to play in there.

futureCLJ · October 2010

The one that SIL sends over for the nephew really pissed me off the last time it came over. SO just walked over and popped that bad boy right up...Add to the pissed off-edness. It does get easier. Take a nap and try again in a bit!

Charityford · October 2010

Gia&Chuck22308:
Can I ask which one it is?

It's a Graco Pack'n'play Silhoutte Play yard. I also registered for the arms reach original co-sleeper. My friend has one and she also said what a pain it was to assemble, but it would be the perfect size. The pack'n'play was a shower gift purchased by my Stepmother (god love her) who is a pain in the ass. So as DH pointed out, it's only fitting that the gift she got us is too! He's funny at making those subtle connections.

Charityford · October 2010

*justducky*:

The full size pack n plays are pretty big, but I had measured in our bedroom (we're also planning on using it next to the bed) before we got it so I knew we needed space for it. One option if you want something smaller might be something like this. It is very similar to the pack n play but a lot smaller. I have a friend who used one and was very happy with it. We ended up going with the full size pack n play because we wanted to use it as a playpen (once LO is not sleeping in our room anymore) later on and thought it would be nice for there to be more space for him to play in there.

Ohhhh....I like the looks of that one! Thanks! It's not nearly as pricey as the co-sleeper that I was looking at....that could work. Big Smile

Cheekers2010 · October 2010

Charityford:
*justducky*:

The full size pack n plays are pretty big, but I had measured in our bedroom (we're also planning on using it next to the bed) before we got it so I knew we needed space for it. One option if you want something smaller might be something like this. It is very similar to the pack n play but a lot smaller. I have a friend who used one and was very happy with it. We ended up going with the full size pack n play because we wanted to use it as a playpen (once LO is not sleeping in our room anymore) later on and thought it would be nice for there to be more space for him to play in there.

Ohhhh....I like the looks of that one! Thanks! It's not nearly as pricey as the co-sleeper that I was looking at....that could work.

I also have the arms reach co-sleeper mini. This is my first so I haven't used it yet, but it is the perfect size for our small bedroom. I'm very excited about it.

mandiroo · October 2010

We also have a huge PNP, with the diaper station and the works. I primarily wanted it for me to keep downstairs anyway so I'm not running up and down all day. Good thing those were my intentions cause after we assembled it to see how big it was, I thought the same thing...Dang! Huge, heavy and a pain. But I think it's perfect for what I want it for. Good thing a friend bought a bassinet for us as a gift cause that darn PNP ain't gettin' through our doorway!

Mjmksb04 · October 2010

What is so hard about the assembly? Don't you just snap up the arms, push down the center and stick the bassinett portion in? If there are other bells and whistles on it that are causing assembly to take forever, I just wouldn't use them.

utlawgirl · October 2010

Eh, I kinda hate ours too. Assembly is definitely hardest the first time around, but it's a pain after that, too. Plus it's way heavier than I thought it would be for something that's supposed to be super-portable. We are keeping it for when LO is older, but getting the Mini Co-Sleeper for our bedroom.

Smores730 · October 2010

I have the same Graco PNP and I don't like it either. The thing might as well be the cadillac of PNPs. I couldn't believe how big it was when we set it up in our bedroom and we never mastered putting it up. It was always a fight. Also the diaper holder thing fell off within the first week or so. Unless they've changed it in 2 years, it's held on by a sticky tape that obviously doesn't hold well. I bought the FP rock and play for the baby to sleep in next to our bed and am setting up our PNP as the downstairs changing area in our family room.

ETA: Also my initial thoughts were that I could wheel the PNP in and out of my bedroom if I wanted to but the thing was too big to get through our doorways.

hawaiibride04 · October 2010

I registered for the smallest, most bare-bones pack n play I could find, for all the reasons mentioned above. I only want it to use downstairs as a place for the baby to sleep during the day, and later as a safe place to put him with some toys. Also, I wanted to be able to take it somewhere pretty easily if we need to.

I'm very happy with the one we got: Graco Kensley. It's $63 on amazon, although I got mine at Buy Buy Baby. It was a cinch to put together, and it's lightweight and maneuverable.

I was surprised how large some of the pack n plays are! A lot of them just seem like overkill to me.

I'm sorry you hate yours... can you exchange it for another one?

Kristi221 · October 2010

I found mine to be the opposite. I couldn't believe how easy it was to put together. I could have sworn I was doing something wrong because it was just too easy.

We have this one...

It's super lightweight, fits well through the doorways, although not entirely easy to maneuver in our very short hallway. It'll go in our bedroom when DD is still little. The PnP itself just pops open and you push the base down. The other things that a little bit of time to put together, but you only have to assemble them once and then they just click on and off the whole thing. So far, I love it!!

sickles06 · October 2010

i got the big pack n play just because it will b used for gparent sleep overs and etc. We also use it as a changing table in the lvgrm area and has holders for wipes and diapers. I also have the co-sleeper mini and it fits right next to my bed perfectly- it lines up with the end of my bed great.

curlydoglover · October 2010

I actually like it but I expected it to be big. It's primarily going to live downstairs here and out in the yard once spring is here.

Its big use will be travelling - up north, grandfolks, etc. The extra bits - changing table, newborn napper, etc. - I don't think we'll use all that much, so they'll probably be stored. The PNP itself is a breeze to fold up, IMO.

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