Sleeping in a Pack'n'Play?

fyziksgirl · October 2011

This came up in the discussion about crib bumpers, and now I'm curious what other mamas think.

For the first several months I want my LO to sleep in the room with me, so I don't have to trudge to a nursery every time he/she cries, but not in bed (I've looked into pros and cons of cosleeping, it's not for me). I've looked into little attach-to-the-bed sleepers or little bassinets, but it seems like a lot of money for something I'd only use a few months. I have been contemplating getting a pack'n'play and having LO sleep in that, since as he/she gets older I can start to use it as an actual pack'n'play if I want. However, it seems...non-sturdy. Like it would be uncomfortable or hard on baby's body to sleep in that every night. And then in the crib bumper discussion, someone brought up the possible potential risk for suffocation against the sides.

Has anyone else thought about this? Anyone planning on using a pack'n'play the first few months? Done it with a past LO? How'd it go? Have other in-room but not in-bed sleeping solutions?

rsrs807 · October 2011

My SIL used a pack and play in their room but only for the first week or so - not sure how it would be long term.

We are planning on getting an Arms Reach co-sleeper that converts to be more like a pack and play, but that might change.

lilredd888 · October 2011

I just had this discussion the other night with a couple mommy friends of mine. I had been toying with the idea of having baby sleep in our room the first couple of months because of a few things that I had read. It's good for you because you don't have to travel so far each time (even though nursery is across the hall) and good for baby because it soothes them to be able to smell you so near (?). However, we have a pretty small bedroom and plan on getting a Sleep Number King size bed in March. We'll make it work. I was telling them about this and that I didn't really want to buy a bassinet for only a couple of months and they suggested the pack'n'play works just as well. Also, they had both bought gorgeous bumpers that sat in their closets. Had to go and buy the breathable kind. I think that I will too. Not excited for baby to get anything stuck anywhere if I can prevent it!

fyziksgirl · October 2011

rsrs807:
My SIL used a pack and play in their room but only for the first week or so - not sure how it would be long term.

We are planning on getting an Arms Reach co-sleeper that converts to be more like a pack and play, but that might change.

Interesting, I'll have to look back at those. I looked at Arms Reach co-sleepers before, but didn't realize any converted. Of course, this was pre-pregnancy, so I was dreaming and maybe didn't look as closely as I should have

ETA, Oh yeah, I knew they converted. Silly me. :P Now looking at them my concern is how thick the sides are, seems like a suffocation risk!

soontobeskalak · October 2011

I found this the other day and I am totally in love. I think pack and plays would be good for naps at grandmas house....

KSbride_to_be · October 2011

My mom watched DS at her home during the day. She used the pack-in-play for all of his naps. Originally she used the bassinet insert and then he slept in the lower portion when he outgrew the bassinet type insert.

We never had any problems with sturdiness.

ECUGirl2004 · October 2011

With DS, we had the arm's reach mini-cosleeper upstairs in our bedroom and a PNP downstairs in the living room. I really liked having the PNP downstairs, as it was a place DS could nap and it had a changing table on it, which we used all that time. DS only napped in the PNP early on (first couple of months). He napped in his swing a lot more often. We also didn't use the cosleeper all that much - maybe a month total. We did cosleep a lot though.

With this one, I'm thinking of getting some sort of small bassinet for our room and investing in bed rails so we can cosleep safely. We may still use the PNP for naps or changing diapers, but I'm not sure.

ECUGirl2004 · October 2011

soontobeskalak:
I found this the other day and I am totally in love. I think pack and plays would be good for naps at grandmas house....

One of my friends has that and I'm thinking of buying it from her when she's done. I've heard great things about it!

blueshamrock7 · October 2011

We are planning on getting a co-sleeper that attaches to the bed. The money is well-worth it for my own piece of mind in having the baby close enough to me where I don't have to get up to check him/her, but not having him/her directly in the bed with us. I am the kind of person who will want to check on the baby every second and I plan to breastfeed (God willing) so this will be perfect for us, I think.

Tippy05 · October 2011

We used a pack n play for the first few weeks, and loved it! We actually have the "light" version that is slightly smaller. We used the bassinet part in the beginning and after a few weeks transitioned DS into the crib. It was nice to use later to let him play in the pack n play in the kitchen while I was cooking, or to bring outside while we were doing yardwork. It was only about $80 and totally worth the money. We'll be using it again this time.

We had no problems with sturdiness or support either.

jossalyn617 · October 2011

Do you know anyone with small kids that you could borrow a bassinet from? I was thinking of using a Pack n Play but once I said that I had a number of friends/ family offer me to borrow theirs. Just a thought.

gigismomma · October 2011

I used a PNP at my MIL house and DD seemed to do fine for naps. Not sure about all nighters though. Curious to read the replies....

rsrs807 · October 2011

fyziksgirl:
rsrs807:

My SIL used a pack and play in their room but only for the first week or so - not sure how it would be long term.

We are planning on getting an Arms Reach co-sleeper that converts to be more like a pack and play, but that might change.

Interesting, I'll have to look back at those. I looked at Arms Reach co-sleepers before, but didn't realize any converted. Of course, this was pre-pregnancy, so I was dreaming and maybe didn't look as closely as I should have

ETA, Oh yeah, I knew they converted. Silly me. :P Now looking at them my concern is how thick the sides are, seems like a suffocation risk!

I thought so too - I know you are not supposed to use them as co-sleepers once baby can roll over (at least I dont think so - the restrictions say only up to 4 or 5 months old in the bassinet or co-sleeper "mode," which I imagine would be true for a PnP as well?) I like them bc if co-sleeping doesn't work out you can use them as a regular pack-and-play more or less.

californiafrog7905 · October 2011

DD slept in both the Arms Reach co-sleeper in our room and a PnP with detachable bassinet for most of her first year; no problems with either!

PP, you might try scouting out your local consignment sales in early spring (most of the ones I know of occur in March and then Sept every year) for deeply discounted PnPs, etc. We did that and felt no guilt whatsoever when she outgrew it and we donated it; kept the Arms Reach though b/c we'll use for this baby also. No concerns about the thicker sides but as a first-time mom I remember examining every angle of everything too; totally appropriate! HTH

p.s. PnPs and Arms Reach also work really nicely as playpens when you're trying to get ready for work and need to keep the little booger(s) somewhere safe.

marielovestimothy03 · October 2011

My 1st slept in the PnP until 5 months and my 2nd slept in one until almost a year. They both slept totally fine!

pc150805 · October 2011

We are planning on getting a smaller crib with lockable wheels so that we can have it in the bedroom the first week or so and then move it out. Also, if the baby is sick or something we can roll it right back in.

jaxie320 · October 2011

I'm planning on getting the Uppababy Vista stroller and it comes with a bassinet. I figure we'll get the stand for the bassinet and put it next to my side of the bed for the first month or two and then transition the baby into the nursery. This is the plan, but it might not be what actually happens!

TBsquared · October 2011

My plan is to put the crib in our room to begin with and then move it to the nursery when I feel the time is right. Our room is quite large though so this may not be for everyone.

MeghanF13 · October 2011

We used a pack n play with the bassinet for the first 5-6 months of DD's life. The mattress on ours wore out and she was having some discomfort, but the company sent us a new one. She slept just fine, and they are actually safer on a firmer service.

The Arms Reach co-sleepers were recalled at one point, and I was told that bassinets and co-sleepers don't have the same safety standards as cribs and pack n plays.

PurpleSnapDragons · October 2011

We plan to have a pack in play in our bedroom and baby sleep in it for the first few months, then transition to a crib in babies room. My understanding is that pack n' plays are not recommended for overnight sleeping (think 6-8 straight hours) but that it's fine for naps (2-4 hours, etc). So since baby is not likely to be sleeping for that many hours straight at first it's a great option. I don't think you need to worry about it being too hard for baby given how little they sleep at first. Firm is better anyway for newborns.

livinreality · October 2011

Remember babies are suppose to sleep on firm surfaces, something that would be uncomfortable for a lot of adults. THere is a PNP matteress if you are going to be using it more long term.

DS slept in his PNP for 6 months, until he met the weight limit (I want to say it was around 15lbs but that was 1.5 ago!) He was a sickly baby (vomiting reflux) so it was nice to have him close incase he got sick.

We have since moved houses so we will probably use the PNP downstairs and get a bassinet, PNP, or crib for our room. DH is a sound sleeper and I don't like co sleeping with him. Trying to decide if we can fit a crib in our room or not...

sandrajean09 · October 2011

soontobeskalak:
I found this the other day and I am totally in love. I think pack and plays would be good for naps at grandmas house....

My cousin has this for her newest little one and she loves it! I'll probably buy it from her or buy my own when the time comes.

FroggyFarts · October 2011

We had a Pack n Play in our bedroom for the first month or so. It had a bassinet attachment, which basically is to say, the baby laid off the floor of the PNP and higher up for easier reach.

Our guy was only 6 pounds so he was really small. But swaddled to sleep in it, he wasn't able to roll around at his newborn age and was safely centered.

https://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/143/colepnp.jpg/

The photo is taken at a terrible angle. The receiving blanket did not come up over his face. That's just the lip of it you see near his face. Anyhow, he couldn't roll to the sides and we had nothing on him (except the swaddled blanket). No trouble at all. We were up every two hours for feeding, reswaddling, and repositioning in the bed also.

fyziksgirl · October 2011

FroggyFarts:
We had a Pack n Play in our bedroom for the first month or so. It had a bassinet attachment, which basically is to say, the baby laid off the floor of the PNP and higher up for easier reach.

Our guy was only 6 pounds so he was really small. But swaddled to sleep in it, he wasn't able to roll around at his newborn age and was safely centered.

https://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/143/colepnp.jpg/

The photo is taken at a terrible angle. The receiving blanket did not come up over his face. That's just the lip of it you see near his face. Anyhow, he couldn't roll to the sides and we had nothing on him (except the swaddled blanket). No trouble at all. We were up every two hours for feeding, reswaddling, and repositioning in the bed also.

Thanks for the photo, this is kind of what I was thinking of. I'm curious when everyone says they used a PNP with a bassinet if they mean this or if they mean the little carseat-like attachment which can fit on next to a changing-table attachment that some PNPs have.

Also, good to know everyone's reassuring me that PNPs would be too firm if anything, I was thinking that suspended pad looks like it would sag, not be too firm! But we never used a PNP in my family so I have no experience with it, guess I should go stick my hands in some.

Unfortunately, no one can give/sell us their old things, my only friend who has had kids even remotely recently is pregnant with #2 and due a few months before me!

rikkilynnette · October 2011

When I had my oldest, I lived in a mobile home that had two bedrooms...one on each side of the house. So he slept in our room in his pack n play for the first 4 months. After that, I quit nursing and was trying to get him on a better schedule, so I put him in his own room and it took about a week before he was sleeping through most of the night =0) I used a co sleeper for my second one, but that only lasted a month, then he went to his room. With this one, we will get another pack n play as it worked so good for our first one and our room doesn't have the room for a co-sleeper. And my husband is very into electronics, so he has the baby's room geared up with "surveillance". It is pretty cool, but I am hoping that he will also let me put a regular baby monitor in there so that I can hear baby when he/she needs me in the middle of the night as I am sure that I will not have the TV on all night.

But as far as the PNP, I thought that it was great and Matthew had no problems with it at all.

LilMonster2 · October 2011

Shoot. I was planning on getting an Arms Reach co-sleeper until LO was ready for a crib. I looked at them and saw that you could get one with mesh sides or one with a more crib-looking design. Mesh is supposed to be safe, isn't it?

LadyTyler · October 2011

We are planning on using one as the main crib.

My thoughts on safety are:

1. If it's safe for a few hours, I can't see why it wouldn't be safe for a few more. It is what would be used all night at Grandma's house or on a vacation, so I feel we can use it all night at home.

2. Firm mattresses are safer than soft, so I'm not worried about the mattress. I don't see how a firm crib mattress would be significantly better. Plus, babies sleep just about anywhere, comfy or not.

3. The mesh sides are very breathable and are soft. No arms to get caught in slats and less SIDS risk than a bumper. I'd seen a few baby safety advocates actually recommend them for this reason.

4. The ones we've looked at seem very sturdy. I liked being able to actually touch them, so finding one sold in a store near you might make you feel less worried but a lot have really good reviews, which seems to be a good indicator.

ACC0512 · October 2011

We bought one with the intention of using the bassinet part. But the first night I just wanted her to sleep on my chest...and we ended up co-sleeping {Even though I didn't want to previously} for 2 months.

I am not saying you WILL change your mind, but I will say never say never.

Mrs.DeliaMarieP · October 2011

I opted for the PNP with the bassinet attachment with my 1st because I figured I would get more use out of it in the long run, which I did.

newborns can't move anywhere, at all. So as long as you swaddle (and truly, even if you don't) and place the baby in the center of the PNP on his/her back, then he/she isn't going anywhere.

By the time the baby is able to move around you will probably be moving him/her into their own room.

fyziksgirl · October 2011

LadyTyler:
We are planning on using one as the main crib.
My thoughts on safety are:
1. If it's safe for a few hours, I can't see why it wouldn't be safe for a few more. It is what would be used all night at Grandma's house or on a vacation, so I feel we can use it all night at home.
2. Firm mattresses are safer than soft, so I'm not worried about the mattress. I don't see how a firm crib mattress would be significantly better. Plus, babies sleep just about anywhere, comfy or not.
3. The mesh sides are very breathable and are soft. No arms to get caught in slats and less SIDS risk than a bumper. I'd seen a few baby safety advocates actually recommend them for this reason.
4. The ones we've looked at seem very sturdy. I liked being able to actually touch them, so finding one sold in a store near you might make you feel less worried but a lot have really good reviews, which seems to be a good indicator.

This is awesome, thank you!

fyziksgirl · October 2011

ACC0512:
We bought one with the intention of using the bassinet part. But the first night I just wanted her to sleep on my chest...and we ended up co-sleeping {Even though I didn't want to previously} for 2 months.

I am not saying you WILL change your mind, but I will say never say never.

Agreed, and I'm trying hard to not rule things out in a hard way. I just meant I don't want to plan on cosleeping, even though I realize it may happen

jakdw · October 2011

I set up the pack n play in the living room and slept on the couch for 6 weeks or so. I didn't want to go downstairs to the kitchen all the time to make a bottle. And I also didn't want the whole house to get woken up. So, it worked for me..good luck!