Pack N Play or convertible carseat? Which to choose.
virginiagirl11
member
My BIL, his wife, and their almost 2 year-old daughter booked their flights tonight to stay with us for a week at Thanksgiving (DH's side of the family is coming to town).
They are going to need a carseat and a Pack N Play while they're here. As their baby gift to us, they have offered to buy one of the items for us as long as they can use it for the week they're here.
My first choice is to have them purchase the car seat for us because a) I *know* we will need that once LO outgrows the infant carseat, and b) we know a couple of people with Pack N Plays so we may be able to borrow one for the week.
All along I've been feeling like we probably don't need a Pack N Play because we don't travel a lot and I'm hoping to use the crib from day one. However, I'm just curious as to how useful you have found your Pack N Plays to be? Maybe I should consider having them give us that instead and then just purchase our convertible carseat early myself?
: sticky baby 4.25.11 : #2 due 5.18.13
Re: Pack N Play or convertible carseat? Which to choose.
I think it depends on what convertible seat you are looking to buy. I prefer Britax, but I would not feel comfortable asking someone to buy one.
We have the PNP with the bassinet and changing table. DD wouldn't sleep in her regular bassinet or crib, so the PNP bassinet was a lifesaver. Then once she was a little older, we used it all the time for play. I'd throw some toys in and she was content for short chunks of time while I vacuumed, dried my hair, etc. It was great to be able to move it from room to room. We also used it as her crib when we traveled. She's two now, but the other day I dumped a bunch of balls in it to make a ball pit and she had the best time. I've found the PNP to be invaluable.
Yeah, I agree with all of this. We loved the PNP and got a lot of use out of it. But then again, my brother/SIL hardly ever used theirs. Do you have a 1 or 2 story house? If it's 2, then the PNP was really nice to have on the main floor as a changing station early on and then eventually as a crib downstairs and then for a play area to keep him contained later on. Also, I would want a Britax but wouldn't feel comfortable asking someone else to pay that much for it.
Ditto - DD is still a tiny peanut and spent nearly a year in the infant bucket. If we had gotten our convertible early, then we would have lost a year of it. They are only covered for 6 years. Whether she is still in it in 6 years is irrelevant, but now at least I have the option instead of having to buy a new seat or move to a booster earlier than I want. (also, for what it is worth, she is so tiny that she is still legally required to rear face!)
Our Twin Baby + a Big Girl Blog
And with the delivery trifecra of one twin vaginal, one c-section with general anesthesia for twin B, Spencer and Sidney joined us at 35 weeks exactly on June 18.
first of all, that is really nice. Convertible car seat. you won't use it right away but it will last longer and it should be the better value. PNPs are often available for cheap at garage sales, craigslist and on clearance. However you probably wouldn't go with a used car seat (other than by our IL's). I say car seat. I don't even think PNPs are a must have.