Play-prison or Play-palace? (Playpens in General)

Member Name: Kelly2719

Product:	Playpens in General
Date:	21/02/09 (183 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: extremely useful!!

Disadvantages: large, expensive new,

I never used a playpen for my first 2 children but with my 3rd i had 2 other children to deal with and was unable to give my daughter 100% attention 100% of the time!

When my daughter turned 9 months she started crawling and all of a sudden was into everything! Now my house is as babyproofed as you can possibly make it but it is physically impossible to make it 100% safe. I would never even consider leaving her unattended even for a second and so i came to the conclusion i needed a playpen!

After looking at the very small selection of playpens available i couldnt believe how tiny they all were! We purchased a Lindam one which can also be used as a stairgate or a room divider. It is made of metal and a hexagon shape with a padded insert available seperately. My baby girl hated it! She couldnt crawl around as it was so tiny and she kept banging her head on the metal bars, even a few toys wouldnt console her.

In the end we decided to check ebay for anything different. We ended up buying a second hand one which we went to collect. I have never seen anything like it for sale in the mainstream shops but there are a few on ebay. It is very large with a wipe clean proper floor and made of wood. It is a rectangle shape and actually looks quite attractive! We attached loads of toys to the bars and my daughter loved it! She can walk around in it and play with bigger toys such as her walker and dolly pushchair.

I have found it to be a lifesaver for us, i can now pop to the downstairs toilet for 2 minutes or answer the door knowing she is safe. Have you ever tried signing for a parcel with a wriggling toddler in your arms? If i need to do the hoovering or help my son with his homework i can pop her in it for 5 minutes. I really dont know what i would do without it and my little girl is 13 months now and still really enjoys playing in it.

It is also great if you have a puppy or small dog who likes to jump all over baby and play with her/him. A friend of mine also puts her newborn baby in the playpen in its bouncy chair to keep him away from an inquisitive older brother!

Playpens should be used in moderation though and i can imagine some people may see them as an easy option to put their baby in there all day with a few toys and leave them too it! All babies need stimulation and human contact so i would only advise it to be used when necessary. It is also no replacement for adult supervision and babies shouldnt be left for a very long time alone, my maximum is only a minute or two when i have been out of the room.

The disadvantage is that they take up a lot of room and cant be folded away anywhere. I would reccomend looking around at second hand ones as they can be very expensive new and not very well designed as i have found out!If buying second hand though please make sure if conforms to recent safety standards and give it a thorough check for loose/splintered/cracked bars etc. A wipe clean floor is a must or at least a machine washable one.

If buying new a playpen will set you back around £80 but can be picked up second hand for as little as £15-20.

Summary: A very useful item but no replacement for a parent!