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mintyblue02
member
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To pack n play or not to pack n play...that is the question
mintyblue02
member
So I'm trying to decide on what the baby will sleep in for the first few months and am undecided between the graco pnp cuddle cove thing or the rock n play sleeper. I just don't know that I will really use the pnp after the baby outgrows sleeping in it. I can't think of one situation where I would need a pnp? Need some help.
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Re: To pack n play or not to pack n play...that is the question
LO slept in the crib from day one so we never saw a need for either a pack and play or rock n play. But our rooms are right across the hall from each other so we heard every noise he made. My parents watch LO during the day and so they have a pack and play at their house for when LO takes naps. pnp aren't necessary imo
It seems a pnp is great if you spend a lot of time away from home, but we live at least a six day drive from any relatives, so that ain't gonna happen. We really don't plan on sleeping away from home unless we take a plane to get there. But as far as sleeping in our bedroom, that is a possibility. My husband will be deployed for the first year, so I may want the comfort of the baby in my room for just my own sanity. But then if the baby sleeps in the pnp, why bother getting a crib? Until how many months can babies sleep in the rnp? Oh, I'm so confused...
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I am a first time mom but here is my plan. We have a crib upstairs - baby will sleep there at night. We registered for a Pack and Play (no cuddle cup or anything like that - just an elevated mattress and changing station). Baby will take naps downstairs and therefore become familiar with the Pack and Play for when we do travel and the Pack and Play will also double as a downstairs changing area as it has the changer and a little storage area for diapers and wipes underneath.
We have a house with bedrooms on the first floor and I liked having a pack n play. I used it in the living room to keep DS safe and contained while I was doing things like cooking, cleaning, etc. I prefer not to use his crib for this. For us, crib=sleep. You can use a jumperoo or exersaucer, but once your child can sit unassisted it's nice to have a pack n play so they can do other things and play with other toys.
Ours is the cheapest version available. It's a Graco and was around $50 at Walmart.
We didn't do the RNP - we have a PnP - and that is where DD sleeps when we travel (and we drove on a car trip this summer) and also at the ILs.
I'm one of "those people" who have 2 used PnPs given to us by a friend. We were shocked to see what a full price PnP costs. But we will use the PnPs when not at home, until DD outgrows it.
Just our experience...
I was baby-gear-crazy with our registry, so we got a PnP as well as the FP RnP.
**FP RnP**
Used daily from birth to 7 months old.
DD slept in the FP RnP for the first 4 months, at which point we moved her to her crib. Even after that, we continued to use the RnP in our bathroom as a place to put her when I showered/etc. Today, at just over 7 months old, I packed away the RnP for good because even strapped in, DD tries to escape. She's too "busy" to be buckled in - she wants to roll, scoot, etc. (size-wise, she'd still fit because she's only 16.5 pounds).
In the early days (months), it was a great place to plop her during dinner (before we introduced the high chair), and very portable - easy to prop next to the couch to put her down for a quick nap.
It was easy to travel with - which was nice, because for her first few times in "strange" places, she had the bed she was used to.
**PnP**
Used daily from birth to 7 months old (and will continue to use for a travel bed until she outgrows it).
We had one set up in our family room for the first 5 months. It was ideal for diaper changes (nursery is upstairs but oh, those stairs [and 8+ times a day at that...] in the early days!!). It was also an awesome place to lay her down to play. Once she hit 3 months or so, this kid would spend an hour or more independently playing with her toys every morning, giving momma time to make coffee and breakfast. It was bliss! Once she started rolling over, it was a different story, lol.
DD hated sleeping flat on her back (hence the FP RnP for bedtime), but we used the PnP to train her over time with naps so that she eventually accepted flat sleeping (by 4 months old).
We moved the PnP into a lesser-used room at 5 months in attempt to get our family room back. Once that happened, we used it less and less and I finally packed it up this week.
We still use it for traveling though. It's crib-like enough for DD and she sleeps almost as well away from home. We used it all last week on vacation and it was great!
In summary - I think they're both very useful items and I'd get both if you're able to. Can you survive without them? Of course. But I know I'll use both with #2!
Have you seen my monkey?
I got a PNP because I knew we would need it for travel. I think it goes up to 30 lbs. so we'll get over two years of use out of it. I also wanted to keep DS in our room for the first few months so I got one with a bassinet.
If you do get a PNP, get one without the newborn napper like on the cuddle cove. I think it's pointless since the PNPs that have the napper also have a bassinet, which has the same weight limit and serves the same purpose. It's just one more thing you'll have to store when your LO outgrows it.
med-free birth x2, breastfeeding, baby wearing SAHM
My BFP Chart
DD (5 years old) from IUI in 2012
TTC 3rd and final!: IUI #1 in progress!
DD slept in the PNP at night until she was 7 months old, and napped in it until she was 1. Also, she took it to her grandmother, auntie and god mother's house when she spent the night. Lastly, she played in it when I was cleaning up and needed her to be confined, and she played in it when we went to the park.
DS has been sleeping in his PNP for 6 months. I plan to let him play in it as well until he decides he has had enough of it.
For both children the PNP was definitely worth the money. I debated on getting the RNP, but read too many bad stories about how difficult it was to transition from it to the crib. With the PNP, DD had no issue transitioning. I plan to move DS to his crib in the next week or so.
DS slept in his crib at night from day one. We have a multi level home and used the pnp in our basement for diaper changes and naps when DS was little. Now it is in our living room on the main floor and I plop him in there when I am bringing in groceries so I don't have to worry about him. I also use it outside in the shade while I am working in the yard, so he doesn't get into anything in the yard unsupervised. My mom has one at her house that DS sleeps in when we visit. For the first year when we traveled he slept in a Kidco Peapod. I don't know if we can continue that now. We recently bought a lake home and we take the pnp there as well.
We had a swing that by 3 months DS hated.