Baby Prison (Babyden Playpen)

Member Name: sersha

Product:	Babyden Playpen
Date:	08/12/05 (5848 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: three-in-one playpen, fireguard and room divider

Disadvantages: takes a while to convert from one thing to the other

Well, you might not think so, but Leah certainly did - she objected strongly to ever sitting in her playpen and playing for more than about two minutes. A playpen was one of those things I thought I would never actually use - and although I don't use it often, it's a very useful thing to have when you have a mobile baby and you need to answer the door, put the washing out, or just need two minutes to get on with something.

What's a Babydan?
-------------------------
It's a large, hexagonal metal playpen made of six sections. They divide into two lots of three, and can be "folded" like a zizag, allowing you to make whatever shape you like (useful for cordoning off an awkward area of a large room.) One of the sections functions as the door to the playpen, or can be used as a separate stairgate. The playpen has a comfortable blue material mattress base, which is cushioned and comfortable for falling heads and other body parts! It's machine washable - now that IS useful!

Everything comes apart and together without tools or fixings - it's just a question of inserting slider poles and pressing and clicking things in the right way, so it's easy to assemble and unassemble.

Why did I choose it ?
---------------------------
Lots of friends advised me to just buy a travel cot, instead of a playpen. It would have taken up a lot less space, but I went with the Babydan anyway - on the grounds that it is multi-purpose. It converts from a hexagonal playpen to a room divider, fireguard, or a stairgate.

What I didn't realise was that you can't actually have all of them at the same time. You could have the stairgate (but let's face it, who only needs one? Most stairs I've seen have a top AND a bottom!) and then five sections left for a fireguard or room divider, but you can't make the playpen without all six. It was the playpen bit I really wanted, so I ended up leaving the playpen up all the time and buying separate stairgates (two!) and a fireguard.

The thing about fireguards and stairgates is that they protect children from two very dangerous areas and generally you need them up all the time, unlike playpens, which are more of a luxury item that you might not need every day.

The thought of having to unfold the babydan and put it up again as something else all the time, despite it being relatively easy to do, is not something I relished. It's "easy" in that you don't have to get your toolbox out. It's not "easy" as in you just pick it up and carry it. There's a fair amount of grunting and clicking and carrying and heaving involved, so it's not exactly a picnic.

If for some reason you wanted a playpen until your baby was mobile, and then wanted a room divider instead, THEN it would be multi-purpose. However that doesn't make much sense to me. Before Leah was mobile, I didn't NEED a playpen, as she didn't go anywhere. It's only now she IS mobile that I find I need a playpen, several stairgates, a fireguard, a room divider, and 25 extra pairs of hands would be nice too.

Would I recommend it?
---------------------------------

It's well made, stable, and it's easy to open the gate with one hand. The "click" means you know when it is properly closed, so it's safe. But is it really as multi-purpose as they claim?

So would I?
---------------
As a room divider for awkard areas, yes. To use as two separate small room or corner dividers, yes.
Or to use as a playpen even, yes, although it's a bit pricey.
To use as one stairgate and a fireguard, I think you would be mad. You can easily buy both separates.
To attempt to use as all of the above, no. It's just not practical to keep switching it from one thing to another.

------------------------------------------------- -------------

I could have bought a much cheaper playpen or a travel cot, as my friends suggested, and saved myself a lot of money. That's hindsight for you...

Dimensions: H74.5 x W124 x D106cm
The six sections are about 61 cm long and 75 cm high.

Best price: Kiddicare £69

Summary: a three in one room divider, playpen and fireguard