Experienced Moms - is a play yard worth the $$?

hmhierholzer · May 2015

Im a FTM due at the end of October. I'm reviewing my list of "must haves" for baby and am not 100% convinced we need a play yard. Are they really worth it? What do you use them for? We have a one story house and don't travel much, so I just can't envision a time where it would be useful...

LiveNLove44 · May 2015

The only time we use our P'n'P is when we travel or when we have guests who have small babies/toddlers who need a place to sleep. It sounds like it could be something that you wait on and only buy it if you find a need for it. It's nice to be able to shift some things lower on the priority list (or take them off completely)!!

MerVer · May 2015

You might wait on buying it and then possibly get one or borrow one for free. Or if you realize you need one or could use it, you can always get ahold of one after the baby is born.

edavis926 · May 2015

I would hold off in your situation, like pp said you can always borrow or buy one if you need it. We'll most likely have one for a while because we have a very split level house (the levels and almost all of the stairs are hardwood) and for a while it'll be easier than baby gates if I can't sit there and watch her. We'll also probably take it to our friends houses in case she wants to sleep.

sweet+cheeks · May 2015

We used it early on for DD to nap in in the living room. Then we mostly used it when traveling or visiting others as a portable crib. But most hotels have them and if you don't plan on traveling much you may not need it. The one time it was the unexpectedly useful was during a move. We were able to break down her crib and get it packed and transported to the new house while she slept in the PnP.

cgummie · May 2015

I'm a FTM too and we don't have a huge house, but I registered for one thinking it would be good to keep the dogs out of his face. Has anyone else used to it keep pets from getting too close too early?

loveleighmami · May 2015

I enjoy using mine when I need to clean or cook and I can know that baby is safe and I can have her in my view but I don't have to be right by her side. I let my baby play on the floor too, but I prefer to be with her or right by her in that case, but with the playpen I feel like I can focus more on what I'm cooking.

JaqiDec04 · May 2015

We had one with my first, and never used it. I felt like the changing station was flimsy and I didn't like using it.

The floor was so hard, DD wouldn't sleep in it. So we will not be getting one this time around.

We are getting a cradle/bassinet though, so we can roll it through the house when needed.

When we travel, which is only to my moms for visits, I'm not sure what we'll use. I've got to put some thoughts into that. But not a PnP. DD would never use it so I need to figure that out. Possibly just a rock n play or Moses basket.

kfry22 · May 2015

I got one used at a flea market. It is the same one that they have at Disney world in the hotel rooms. I paid $5. If you don't want to spend the money for a brand new one check out thrift stores, consignment shops, and garage sales. My mom and in laws have both gotten pack and plays for their respective homes at garage sales and both spent $10.

nsaid4u · May 2015

it doesn't sound like one would be useful to you but for us we use ours as a baby bed for the first year. My children never did sleep well in the crib especially in the early months. The last two babies have slept exclusively in a play yard in our bedroom for the first year of their life. After that we switch them to a big kid bed in their own room. It's very handy to have the baby bed and change table right there beside your bed for all the middle of the night feedings and changing. I hate walking from our room all the way to the baby room back and forth all night half asleep like a zombie to feed or change the baby. And I found that in the first three months our newborns slept unbelievably well in the playard bassinets. I always ensure we have the bassinet that have the little vibrating music and night light. It's so crucial to get a good sleep the first few months after you have the baby and I feel the vibrating cozy little playard bassinets do the trick :-)

ChariZae · May 2015

We were gifted one with our first. We got the most use of it when DD1 was starting to get mobile, and I needed a safe space for her to be while I was doing something (vacuuming, cleaning, cooking, etc.). We also used it when traveling for her to sleep in. We used it for DD2 in the same manner. Now that we are in a two level house, I think we'll use it as a place to sleep on the lower lever for LO#3.

Cupcakesandquilts · May 2015

We've used ours mostly in the mornings after our dd became mobile while my husband was showering.

aah1013 · May 2015

We only used ours occasionally. I'd put her in when I'd shower when she was finally mobile. Other than that, my daughter slept in it when she'd stay at my parents house. Also our one week at the beach each year. It certainly wasn't over used. We got one of the most basic ones.

mrsdhouse89 · May 2015

We used a pnp as a bassinet with our son. We'd use it outside in the summer at functions if he started getting fussy and needed a nap. My parents had/have one and I sold ours after our son stopped using it. I don't plan to buy another one unless we go camping next summer more than what we did with our son.

gerbies · May 2015

I bought a really nice one and used it enough to make it feel useful. We had a 2-story house, so perfect for downstairs diaper changing, napping or baby chill time. We took it traveling and brought it to a Grandma's and his aunt's house when he stayed the night. If you can get a gently used one to save $. Mine was expensive.

eat111315 · June 2015

Skip it.
We got one because everyone said we would use it but we really only did for traveling and even then the kids didn't sleep well in it.

LiveNLove44 · June 2015

I have to add, we traveled with the Rock 'n' Play when DD was 3 months and younger. We didn't even use the P'n'P until after she was too big/mobile for the R'n'P. The R'n'P is good for moving around in the house, too, as others have mentioned about the play yard.

lanaloulittle · June 2015

I just bought one today at a rummage sale for $3.75. It is going to be kept at my parents house for when we are there. We are then going to find another one to use as our travel/home one. But I don't want to pay full price for them so I'm all about garage sales. And, I see them on Craigslist all the time.

valerierose15 · June 2015

Waste of money for sure. You don't really use them unless you are traveling. We bought a pack and play and only used it for you storage.

We ended up buying a guava lotus which is a travel crib - best investment ever. We used it on vacation, on the beach and every time we went over to someone's house. Lightweight and so easy to set up. I HIGHLY recommend it!

vamomtobe · June 2015

I'm repeating others, but we use ours only when traveling. We probably used it for 5 or so family visits a year, and on vacation. It worked great because LO could sleep in at at the hotel room, and it packed up quick and easy to take to relatives' houses for nap times. I don't see how it would be considered "essential" though, especially if you don't anticipate traveling much. A lot of hotels actually have pack 'n plays you can request during your stay, no extra charge.

rylee murray · June 2015

I used mine a ton. DD slept in our bedroom for the first 3 months in it. That is the only time I used it at home, and I never trusted the changing station on it. Both my parents and my husbands parents live far enough that when we visit we needed it for naps and sleeping overnight. You could always search garage and consignment sales for a cheap used one and then just buy a new sheet?

MamaOwl15 · June 2015

I'd look around and see if you can get a really good deal on a used one, or skip it.

We registered for a really nice pack'n'play when DS was born, with the bassinet, changing table part, and a mobile thing that can either set up over the pack'n'play or be attached to the mattress to create a little baby gym. We used it a LOT in the beginning, when we were living in a two-story townhome. The pack'n'play stayed in the living room whereas the bedrooms were upstairs. DS napped there, got changed there, etc. We didn't use the baby gym feature as much, though.

After the first year, we used it mostly for travel, though my inlaws have a pack'n'play at their home for grandkids. We learned at the last visit that DS won't sleep in a p'n'p at all now that he's in a toddler bed at home.

I think I'll set it up in the living room this time, since we're now in a one-story apartment and there's no room in my bedroom (den right off the LR) for baby, and DS will eventually share his room with her. That way, I can be within a few feet of DD for feeding and changes for the first few weeks. She'll move to the crib once she's sleeping 5-6 hours or more a night.

Honestly, if I hadn't received ours as a gift, I wouldn't spend the money on it. The thing spends more time in a closet now than in use, so a smaller used model would've sufficed!

komorebi · June 2015

I love mine. But we didn't get it until my third baby was 4 or 5 months. I love it for the beach. And it came in handy if i was doing anything and she needed to stay put. She never loved sleeping in it, but i had a regular pack n play with my first and she slept in the bassinet part for months. It's a wait and see purchase, but it's also great to have somebody else buy it. ..

adcoxmt · June 2015

I'm planning to get a pack'n'play that comes with a bassinet insert (as well as a diaper changing station insert). That way he'll have a bassinet to sleep in before the crib, and if we go visit his daddy or someone, we can just take that!

McRad · June 2015

I would have passed if we lived in a one story. The inly reason I registered for one was because we live in a two story and didn't want to be running up and down the stairs all day for the first few months. If you don't think you'll use it, I'd maybe pass. But that's just me.

devonsd315 · June 2015

McRad said:

I would have passed if we lived in a one story. The inly reason I registered for one was because we live in a two story and didn't want to be running up and down the stairs all day for the first few months. If you don't think you'll use it, I'd maybe pass. But that's just me.

I am a first time mom, but this is the reason why I'm registered for one. I live in a townhouse, and don't want to be schlepping up and down stairs to the nursery for naps, changing, etc. I'm thinking of it as my baby station in the family room. That's where I'm planning on changing baby and having baby nap during the day.

I'm also planning on taking it with us while we travel. However, I don't think I would think of it as a necessity for traveling if I had somewhere else for baby to sleep.

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