Pack 'n Play or Rock 'n Play

melmarie4 · October 2014

Which one did you use? How long did baby sleep in it before you moved him/her to a crib? I was planning on putting DS in the pack n' play for the first couple months, but my friend said I should get a rock n' play instead. It does seem like it would be easier to move and great for traveling, like when we visit my in laws for the weekend. It also would take up less space. We have a two story house, so I was thinking about keeping the pack 'n play downstairs for naps and changing diapers. Do you love your rock 'n play or is a waste of money? Which one do you have? I want the snugakitty, but of course it has to be pink, so I'm thinking the snugapuppy or snugamonkey instead.

[Deleted User] · October 2014

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LaBellaVida · October 2014

I didn't have a rock n play.
Ladies on my other bmb had them, abs they were great, until transition came to a crib.
Numerous mama's had issues with transition using them.
Also, they are OK for short sleeping periods like naps, but not recommended for night time sleeping because of the incline.

I had a pack n play and liked it when I used it. We bed share though, so he didn't use it often.

peckmiranda · October 2014

You're comparing apples and oranges. They're both great.

DS slept in his rock n play by my bed until he was about 5 months old. It was a lifesaver. He started sleeping through the night at 6 weeks. I absolutely plan on getting one for this LO. However, I will second what a PP said about transitioning to the crib being difficult. It didn't go well. So I'll probably do things a bit differently with this LO, but still have the rock n play. As far as which one I had, this was two years ago, before they had all the cute -bunny designs. His was just plain yellow with dots. I kinda want one of the ones that also vibrate for this LO.

The pack n play wasn't useful in our house because it's so tiny I never had to walk far to reach the crib or changing table. I took it to work with me, then later to the babysitter. However, the house we'll be in when LO is born will have three levels, so I'm positive I'll be using the pack n play on one level.

southernyankeegirl · October 2014

The baby will outgrow a RnP within 6 months, but a PnP is good for a few years, and can double as a traveling crib. If you have to pick just one, I'd say PnP.

You can probably get a RnP (and truly, a PnP) used at a local consignment or on craigslist.

storm08 · October 2014

A lot of people swear by the rock n play for the first few months especially for babies with reflux, we never used one. We also never used a bouncer or a swing because DS hated them all. He slept in a cradle (hand me down from my brother) by our bed until he was 6 weeks, and then moved to the crib with no problems.

We have a pack n play that we used for naps in the very early days as we spent a lot of time in the living room, and I wanted him with me. We also used the pack and play as our travel crib up until this summer (he's too big for it now). I would definitely get a pack n play.

peckmiranda · October 2014

southernyankeegirl said:

You can probably get a RnP (and truly, a PnP) used at a local consignment or on craigslist.

Just be careful about getting a used rock n play. You'll have to look up what years, because I forget, but I think the first year or something they were manufactured, they didn't have anything between the fabric and the hard plastic and some babies got a flat head. There was also a time period that got recalled because they grew mold if they got damp.

SpaceGirlSpiff · October 2014

I had both...but as a newborn up until around 5-6 months old, he slept in the Rock N Play because he didn't like laying flat.

Pack and play was great for him to lounge/play in when he was older...and also sleep in if we were traveling. But honestly, even with that, we really didn't use it much.

The Rock n Play was my favorite baby purchase ever.

SpaceGirlSpiff · October 2014

1. Just want to point out as well... while bouncers/swings aren't approved for long term sleep (although lets be real, most of us probably still used them for such), I was pretty sure the RnP IS approved for sleep... (it is sold as a newborn sleeper).

2. Not every baby will have trouble transitioning to the crib...mine didnt. I'm sure I was lucky to an extent, but basically once he started getting big enough to want to stretch out more and didn't need the confining space, he sort of naturally showed his own cues that he wanted to move... transition was very easy for us. We started out by putting a crib wedge under the crib sheet to still give him that propped up angle, but he didn't even need that for longer than maybe a week.

3. If you hear people telling you to steer clear of the RnP because of head flattening issues, just know that is a potential risk for ANY baby sleeping/lounging equipment...or anything they may spend long term in one position in. It's not unique to RnPs, although some people make it sound like it is.

Basically... it's a common problem I came across that many newborns/young infants hate to lay flat on their back, and it's also a possible issue if you have a child with reflux to lay flat... RnPs are lifesavers in that case. It was the only way I got any sleep at all. Great product.

PnPs are ALSO great products, and it's true they are great for even longer term. That was our first intention for sleeping as a newborn...but he just wouldn't lay flat.

I think both items are great to have. Apples to Oranges as a PP said

Stargirlb · October 2014

Neither cuz imma minimalist

llambrose · October 2014

The Rock and Play didn't exist when I had my daughter 5 years ago but I really want one this time. Our house is small and I love how little space they take up and how easy they are to move around. I keep the baby in my room and we used a Pack and Play with my daughter until I felt comfortable moving her into my bed but it took up so much space in my tiny room that I couldn't even get into my closet. I may use it when we first come home for him to sleep in at night or I may buy a dedicated co-sleeper in hopes that it fits in the space a little better.

efujan · October 2014

Do you travel quite a bit?

I'd say both if you can.

We didn't have much room in our bedroom to have a PNP, so we used the RNP instead of a bassinet (we tried/he hated the loaner bassinet we had) for the first 10-12 weeks, then transitioned to the crib. It was great - we loved it & got DS STTN really quickly with it. He had some reflux & didn't sleep well at first without that incline.

There is a weight limit on the RNP (I thought ours was like 20 or 25 lbs), when DS started rolling over, I didn't want him in it anymore. Until then, it was a nice small, great for travel, and I loved being able to pull it into the kitchen or down to the basement while home on maternity leave & keep DS within eyesight.

Now that DS is older, though, obviously we don't use it, & the PNP has become our go-to when we travel.

Stargirlb · October 2014

U don't really want them sleeping regularly in the RnP because it can cause flat head and unbalanced neck muscles. More babies are having to be fitted for those cranial bands because of reliance on sleeping in inclined gear like RnP and car seats / swings. It's not good for the muscle development. My daughter did need a bit of an incline in the early months sometimes to help her sleep (she was gassy and potential reflux,) so on a rough night I would just put my arm under her neck in bed sometimes while she slept beside me, me on my side usually

Stargirlb · October 2014

And for those who like the idea of cosleeping but wary of bedsharing, check out the arms reach co sleeper.

I mean look how happy this mom and baby are. So happy.

kellyfo14 · October 2014

We could not have lived without our Rock n Play for our second but he didn't sleep in it at night. He slept in the bassinet setting of the Pack N Play. He did spend a ton of time in the Rock n Play. If I had to choose one it would be the rock n play because we also did a lot of bed sharing.

atrinh11 · October 2014

I feel like I should weigh in here. We had both for different reasons. Our PnP was downstairs as our second changing table for the first few months. Our RnP was in our bedroom, along with a bassinet, and we were going to just see what baby liked best (he hated the bassinet). I am still torn about this issue because my son was OBSESSED with his RnP. I seriously had to take it to his day care at first because he wouldn't sleep in any crib, or in anything flat. Because of that, at the time, I thought it was the best invention on the planet.

Unfortunately, I didn't know the risks of the flattening of the head and neck muscle issues it can cause that PPs have mentioned. My son did end up with a helmet. I don't think it was 100% because of the RnP, but I do think it was a contributing factor. This was the only incline thing we had. He never had a swing or anything.

Once my son was finally transitioned into his crib, then we actually started using our PnP for sleeping when we travelled. He sleeps wonderfully in a PnP still and he is almost 2. He used his RnP until about 5 months. I will get the RnP out again for this baby, but she will not be sleeping in it overnight. I think we might get a bassinet that rocks side to side or something for our bedroom when we first bring her home. I just know, whatever it is, it will be flat and not an incline. The risks for flattening of the head come from anything that keeps them at an incline.

Jellybean707 · October 2014

We have both and will use both again. For us, they serve different purposes.

peckmiranda · October 2014

Just to be clear, flat head isn't just because of laying on inclines, it's laying on anything. A friend had terrible flat head as a baby because he was laid on the floor, no bouncers or rock n plays involved.

I haven't looked into it in a couple years, but I thought the new versions of the rock n play had adequate padding to reduce the flat head risk.

SpaceGirlSpiff · October 2014

As I said before... the flat head problem is not just incline equipment. Even a crib could cause this technically. Laying on the back and/or same position for long periods anywhere has the potential to cause this in infants.

For the record, my son slept exclusively in his RnP for the first 5-6 months of his life and had zero issues. Zero.

But there will always be anecdotes.

Just want to make sure people realize it's not EXCLUSIVE to RnPs or other incline equipment.

Jellybean707 · October 2014

My son slept in the RnP for the first 4 or 5 months(until he could roll over) of his life as well and we had zero issues with flat head. We will be using the RnP again for this little one.

Stargirlb · October 2014

Incline gear = flat head risk is not an anecdote. It's a legit concern because the slouched partially upright position discourages normal turning of head and movement of the neck muscles so they stay flat for longer than if they were sleeping on a proper surface that allows for normal range of motion.

This is another reason why I liked our bedsharing arrangement for my first who was a fussy baby-- it allowed me to use my own body to help her get comfortable, but there was a far greater range and of movement and positions than if she was in an immovable contraption.

Babywearing is also a good way to help muscles develop well due to the variation in position and constant motion-- as opposed to being left for long periods in bucket seats or strollers where they can develop poor posture habits or head growth issues from always laying on a surface. Not all babywearing is created equal, of course. The bjorn and similar forward-dangle carriers are bad for the hips. I am a huge fan of wraps for newborns.

Stargirlb · October 2014

My son had the roundest back of head ever.. Wish I had a good pic..

Stargirlb · October 2014

Ahh I'm getting baby fever looking through my old pics

melmarie4 · October 2014

Thanks everyone! I'll do a little research on the rock 'n play and the potential problems with laying on an incline, but I think I'll probably end up registering for both. I'll see which one works better for our room and which one DS likes better, and keep the other one downstairs for naps.

melmarie4 · October 2014

Stargirlb said:
Incline gear = flat head risk is not an anecdote. It's a legit concern because the slouched partially upright position discourages normal turning of head and movement of the neck muscles so they stay flat for longer than if they were sleeping on a proper surface that allows for normal range of motion.

This is another reason why I liked our bedsharing arrangement for my first who was a fussy baby-- it allowed me to use my own body to help her get comfortable, but there was a far greater range and of movement and positions than if she was in an immovable contraption.

Babywearing is also a good way to help muscles develop well due to the variation in position and constant motion-- as opposed to being left for long periods in bucket seats or strollers where they can develop poor posture habits or head growth issues from always laying on a surface. Not all babywearing is created equal, of course. The bjorn and similar forward-dangle carriers are bad for the hips. I am a huge fan of wraps for newborns.

I was planning on baby wearing already, and now I have even more reason. I want my baby to have a perfectly round head like yours

He's super cute!

Stargirlb · October 2014

Read through all the one star reviews... Jut be careful and know the new recommendations from a lot of docs is not to leave your baby in these things for more than 2-3 hrs a day max. Including car seats.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/reviews/B002M77N22?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

atrinh11 · October 2014

peckmiranda said:

Just to be clear, flat head isn't just because of laying on inclines, it's laying on anything. A friend had terrible flat head as a baby because he was laid on the floor, no bouncers or rock n plays involved. I haven't looked into it in a couple years, but I thought the new versions of the rock n play had adequate padding to reduce the flat head risk.

This is only partially true. Yes, laying on anything (especially if baby already has torticollis) can contribute to flat heads (or flat spots). However, we lived this. We were told by the doctors that the incline increases the pressure on the back of the head so it is stronger than if they were laying flat (padding or not). We were told by his pediatrician and the doctors where we had his helmet done that flat surfaces decrease the risk (but you are right that they don't negate the risk completely).

cassied7 · October 2014

Stargirlb said:

And for those who like the idea of cosleeping but wary of bedsharing, check out the arms reach co sleeper. I mean look how happy this mom and baby are. So happy.

I'm so excited to use this! I've had it new the the box for two years. For some reason I didn't want to use it last year when DS was born, but this time I'm going to actually need to sleep, so I'm breaking it out of the box!

sanbry · October 2014

We had both. Mainly used the PnP for a changing table the first few months while DD was in our room. She slept in the RnP next to our bed until 6 months when I put her in her crib. 2 rough nights and she learned she liked to sleep on her tummy and that was that. We didn't know there were any risks to sleeping in the RnP and our DD had no issues whatsoever. Not sure if we will do the same this time or try to put this baby in the PnP from the get go. Either way, he will be in our room starting out.

Milagros315 · October 2014

We're going with the PnP for night sleeping since, as PPs mentioned, it is approved for this purpose while the RnP is not. I have read that it's not necessarily the incline that can lead to flat head, but it's the fact that in the RnP (and other similar items were the baby is cradled), the bay can't really move it's head from side to side like they can in a flat open sleeping area. Not sure if that's correct, but it sounds reasonable to me.

We also bought a nice, but relatively inexpensive, travel bassinet by Delta. We're going to use that for naps in the living room and office since the PnP doesn't fit out my bedroom door. Obviously we haven't tried it yet, but it seems sturdy, convenient, and it's really cute. It only goes up to 15 lbs but I figure by then I won't feel like I need to be with him all the time.

Pips09 · October 2014

I'd also say both. We used them for different reasons. The PNP is more practical, but the RNP saved our sanity when our first was a newborn.

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