Pack and Play - Chicco vs. Graco

melmcdaniel07 · June 2013

So, my husband put our pack and play together last night and he was extremely frustrated with the whole process (I think he thought you just took it out of the box and opened it up and it would be good to go). haha. We have the Chicco and he seemed to think that the Graco would be easier to put up. I'm assuming no one has any experience with both, but if you do or can comment on the ease of one vs. another I'd love to get some feedback. I don't want to hassle with taking this back but I will if the Graco really is easier. Thx!

Kiyoshima · June 2013

We have a Graco ,but unfortunately we haven't opened it yet. See if there are any youtube videos of people putting it together/taking it down. That could help you see if other people are having a hard time. Also there could be a learning curve to these things

pumkin597 · June 2013

I can totally relate to your husband's frustrations. We have a Graco PNP and its a PIA. The only way we are packing this thing up is if the baby is having an overnight visit somewhere.

kennazebrowsky · June 2013

We got the Graco one and it was quite easy. I think it took about 10 minutes and only because my husband would not let me help and of course did not look at the directions. Ours has the added on storage underneath, newborn napper and changing table.

I am sure the next time will be way faster since we did it once now.

REWOP2 · June 2013

Tomato, tomato.... They are all the same

vintageutopia · June 2013

We have a Graco, but all you have to do is unfold it, throw in the mat/sheet at the bottom and you are done. Now, if we add the bassinet & changer piece, then yes, it requires a little more energy, but is doable.

nbiz9 · June 2013

Omg, we have a Chicco which was a huge PITA to set up. My dad did it for us (and I love it).. but he actually called Chicco and come to find out there is an error in their directions! Ha

ehnasto · June 2013

We have a Graco. The initial put it together out of the box part was a PITA but now that it is together it folds up and stowes very easily. It isn't hard to "put together" now that all we have to do is unfold it.

HeatherKCT · June 2013

vintageutopia:
We have a Graco, but all you have to do is unfold it, throw in the mat/sheet at the bottom and you are done. Now, if we add the bassinet & changer piece, then yes, it requires a little more energy, but is doable.

this! the standard PNP was easy to set up... the newborn napper and changing table pieces were a little harder.

mittensonkittens · June 2013

I have the Chicco at home and the Graco at my parents house out of state. I bought the Chicco because it seemed sturdier, but it is a lot heavier and not as great for traveling. They aren't very different as far as function goes. DH and I are both engineers, and we still get frustrated with folding and unfolding those things, so it's not just you. There is a learning curve, you have to do things in a certain order. Take a break, and then read the instructions again.

SarahinMD · June 2013

We have one of each--Chicco for home use and travel, and a Grace for my office. They both function and open/set up basically the same. It was hard for me to get used to clicking in the sides before the bottom, but once I got used to it, and really, DH, because he's usually the one doing it, it's not a big deal. The Chicco is a bit heavier, but to me seems MUCH sturdier (which is why it's the one we use primarily when we need one). I'd just as well have had two Chicco ones, but couldn't justify the added cost for the one for my office, which gets much less use.

blondii428 · June 2013

We have a Graco and I thought it was super easy to set up. I did it by myself in less than 5 minutes.

MrseBay · June 2013

We have the Graco Monroe pack and play. it was easy to assemble. Took only 5 minutes for the actual pack and play itself. However, we bought the one that comes with a changer and napper. So it took us longer. Another 10 minutes to finish both but it wasn't a pain in the butt.

davis0905 · June 2013

Haha, I remember putting together our Graco PNP with Newborn Napper the first time and it was very confusing. The instructions were horrible! BUT once you put it together the first time, it all makes perfect sense and you won't have any trouble the next time you put it together. And once your LO grows out of the napper and diaper changer, it is a piece of cake. Just to reassure you, I got ours out and put it together by myself after 4 years of it not being used and I managed just fine.

Stormytucker · June 2013

We have the Graco and a friend who has one came over and showed me how to put it together the first time and break it down also so I cheated on learning it was very simple like 10 minutes total even with napper and changer but she had done it before so I'm sure it would have taken us longer to figure out at first but once you see it go up its pretty simple after that! Good luck!

sulncrmnal · June 2013

Sorry to butt in, but I'd like to to add in our choice. My husband and I are soon-to-be first time parents and saw the grief of pack & plays, so we quickly bought the 4Moms Breeze when we saw it in store. YouTube a demonstration - seriously it pops open in second and it's that easy...we find it fun to do. Lol! Can't wait 'til our son is here as we're seriously looking forward to using it!

BelhurstBride · June 2013

We have the cheapest one we could find; I'm pretty sure it's a Graco. It literally came out of the box and popped up. There wasn't anything to put together.

edilo · June 2013

BelhurstBride:
We have the cheapest one we could find; I'm pretty sure it's a Graco. It literally came out of the box and popped up. There wasn't anything to put together.

lurking... We have a fancier baby trend and a simple, no frills graco pack n play. The baby trend was confusing to "build" out of the box and there is no way all of the extras (mobile, bassinet, diaper changer' diaper stacker/storage tray, music box, etc) would all fold back together and fit into the bag. We only ended up using the bassinet, diaper tray, and music box features of the thing, which we could fit packed back up witha little practice. Once you figure out the set up, they are all pretty much the same and quite easy. The graco one is less picky to break down (the side locks are sticky sometimes on the baby trend one), but the general steps are the same. The cheap no frills graco cam pretty much assembled out of the box. Good Luck!

A37licia · June 2013

I looked at the online instruction manual for the chicco, and it appears the main play yard section sets up and tears down exactly the same as our Graco. It can take a few tries to get the right sequence and pressure/pulling to get stuff locked in place or released. Just practice it a few times, I don't imagine it would be much different with another brand.

Creedon778 · June 2013

We have both. I like the chicco as the place DS slept in for the first three months next to our bed bc it was sturdier and we never needed to take it down, but the graco is much easier to break down and easier to travel with.

JCWhitey · June 2013

We have the Chicco Lullaby and it took H and I about 20 minutes to put it together. I didn't really find it that tough, but for some reason I can rock putting stuff like that together (I get a thrill out of new Ikea furniture). We did the whole thing... bassinet, changing station, mobile thingy. But again, I have a strange talent for that sort of thing. Don't give up on it! It's an amazing play yard! We are using it instead of a crib and it's so sturdy and well-built. The Graco ones are nice, too, but just doing a side by side comparison in the store I noticed the Chicco was a lot firmer and jiggled less when moved around. If it were just for travelling I wouldn't care, but this will be our child's bed for at least the next 6-8 months.

buckeyeki · June 2013

The pack n play is a PITA to set up, until you have done it a few times then it's just like riding a bike. They all work the same way too. We have a Chicco, my mom has a Graco, my aunt has a cheapie brand - as does my MIL (I think). They all set up the same way.

lisamoe · June 2013

We have a Graco and it was also kind of a PITA to put up.

BlueJewelM · June 2013

BelhurstBride:
We have the cheapest one we could find; I'm pretty sure it's a Graco. It literally came out of the box and popped up. There wasn't anything to put together.nbsp;

Us too. Cheapest graco one they sold the year DS was born was "lively dots" for 49! Best purchase ever. I travel a lot to see gparents and I have the pnp set up on my own in 5 minutes...if that. Super happy with it and excited to use with baby no. 2.

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