I think it would be convenient to have one but DH doesn't think we need one because they never used one with his older son (already 20 yrs old). We had one given to us. It's in good shape but a bit bulky and missing the carrying case so I want to trade it in at the BRU Baby Expo toward a new one. What do you ladies think?
Re: Are play yards necessary?
Well, we are getting a bassinet with our travel system but baby won't fit in it for very long.
It depends. I used one because DB preferred sleeping in it over a crib until she was close to eight months old (yes, we did not use the crib until she eight months.) She might be a special case, though.
Now we use it for traveling or as a playpen when we need to a safe place to put DB (who's into everything -- we can't take our eyes off her for a second).
I certainly think you could play it by ear, though. It's not something you'd need right away.
All of this applied/applies to us. We kept our PnP downstairs until he was about 6 months old, and then packed it away to use only for travel. Bean still sleeps in his PnP when we travel.
Ours is a Chicco LX, and I prefer it to the Graco one at my mom's house (Chicco one is sturdier, IMO). Bean sleeps better in the Chicco one, too.