Tell me what you LOVE about your pack and play

[paysensmom]

Going to purchase one and do not want to spend money and not have it be quality. Don't want to wish I got a different model either!
Thanks a bunch!

 

[scanmom]

I got a pack-n-play to use at my house for my grandson. It is awful! It is hard to set up, uncomfortable for him, and rather flimsy to boot! I wish I had not gotten one at all, we still use it sometimes, but I always end up fighting it for 30 minutes just setting it up then he is in it about 30 minutes at most! Totally not worth it!

 

[Nette]

I don't like ours past the bassinet stage which ends when your baby weighs 15 lbs or can sit up w/o support.

They are HEAVY. Hard to set up. Hard "mattress". And after the bassinet stage, you have to lean over so far to put baby down to sleep that the baby (at least my babies) always wakes up.

 

[Swimalie]

I bought one used off craigslist when my son was younger and used it just for hotel stays and traveling. If you are going to use the bottom for the baby to sleep in, one thing I recommend is to get a quilted bed sheet. It really makes the mattress more comfortable than what comes with a pack-n-play.

 

[IllumFan]

We have a Graco Pack 'N Play that is 5+ years old and has gotten daily use from two kids (Mommy needs to shower) and is in perfect shape. My DS1 is close to climbing out of it so I think I need to retire it soon. It has held up very well.

 

[rvchat]

hard to carry, hard to fold and unfold.

 

[laughinplace199]

We had a couple of Graco Pack N Plays. I loved them. I always got the ones with the bassinet (but not the fancy schmancy ones with the separate changing area and all the bells and whistles). The bassinet was great because baby could nap in it in the living room. I also used it for diaper changing when we were downstairs (our regular changing table was upstairs). I don't like Graco's sheets though. They're thin and didn't seem to fit the mattress very well. I bought some sheets online (can't recall the name of the company) that were flannel and they fit the mattress like a pillow sham, so there was no risk of a corner coming off and baby getting tangled in the sheet.

 

[phamy76]

I hated them! I had one w/ my son and and chose not to have one for my daughter. A waste of money, in my oppinion.

 

[malibuconlee]

I really liked the one we bought and had all the bells and whistles. Then she quickly outgrew the bassinet part and the diaper changing part.

We have used other ones that were cheaper and they worked just fine when we travel. My daughter will still sleep in one when we travel. She's just too wiggly for a big bed yet and doesn't sleep well in bed with us. She could climb out of it but doesn't, we do get her up when we hear she's awake right away. She's almost too tall for them now tho!

Just get a cheaper one don't spend tons of money on the more expensive ones.

 

[farmermr]

We hava a Graco pack and play, and it's served us well. It's a little difficult to figure out the exact order to put it together/take it apart/pack it back into that bag, but once you figure that out you're golden.

 

[paysensmom]

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4279440#viewAllPromos

I am eyeing this one. I like the shelves in the side, but can't really tell if it eats up the space inside. Do you think it would be smaller than the regular ones?

 

[mamaLori05]

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4279440#viewAllPromos

I am eyeing this one. I like the shelves in the side, but can't really tell if it eats up the space inside. Do you think it would be smaller than the regular ones?

You'd have to go and look at it, but my guess is when you go to use it as a regular pack n play (instead of the bassinet as it is shown) that the shelves collapse to the bottom and are no longer usable.

We also have a Graco pack n play with quite a few bells and whistles. Quite honestly, we barely used ours. We used it just a few times when we traveled, or if we had guests sleeping over with little ones. Definately save your money and just get a basic one, if not a used one.

 

[msmama]

I had a pack n play similar to that one for baby to sleep in when he first came home from the hospital. It was fine for that. But once baby outgrew the top part (15 lbs so like 2 mos for my big guy) the shelves were useless.

And that pretty much made the entire thing useless.

It it's like the one I had, it was smaller than the regular pack and plays.

What are you planning on using it for? A bassinet in the bedroom? An extra bed? Containement, lol?

 

[akcire]

I'm pregnant and figured I'd get one for the living room--to use as a changer when she is little; and also to travel with.

There is a Graco Disney print one that is sold at Walmart & JcPenny's. Since it is mostly for travel, I am thinking it may be the way to go--as it would theme nicely with my Disney hotel room.

Here is a link to the whole collection:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Graco-Mickey-Mouse-in-the-House-Collection-Bundle/13448988

I am only going to get the pack & play.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I love ours--it is a graco that I bought in 2000.

They are easy to set up when you have it figured out. I remember cursing the darn thing back in 2000, but by my fourth kid--easy peasy. Not an issue at all. It has mechanisms in place to prevent collapse, so there is a particular way the pack n play must be positioned to collapse it. If you don't have it right (and it isn't hard to get it right), then you will be able to collapse it each and every time.

My kids do prefer to sleep with me as babies, but the pack n play is nice as a makeshift crib.

I don't even have a crib now for the baby.

It was great as a basinette...using it without that feature, can be difficult on the back, but I have back issues and don't find it difficult at all.

And ours was basic. A navy blue color. Nothing fancy at all. You don't need all the extra gadgetry IMHO. I didn't even use the changing pad feature, but if you have the bassinet, it probably will come with the changing pad anyway.

We do NOT travel with it though. Takes up too much room that is needed for our luggage.

ETA: I believe also--that once baby rolls over, you can no longer use the bassinett. I used my a bit longer than I was supposed to. But it is less than 4 months (probably sooner, I just cannot recall when baby rolled over and she's the 4th, so we didn't document that stuff. Lazy--yes.) I wouldn't buy something with features that can be used only for a very short period of time, regardless of how neat it is. Those shelves will be useless once baby rolls over unless you are using the whole thing as a fancy changing table.

 

[jcgonczi]

We bought a square one that is more the shape of play pens from years past. LOVE IT! It has survived 3 kids. Not only does it make a great bed when needed, but it also makes a great place for little ones to play that is safe and contained. The fact that it is larger than most pac and plays has been wonderful. Many friends have borrowed it when they have had company come in with little ones that are too big for a pac and play but too small to sleep unconstrained. Not sure of the brand - one of the major ones like Gracco or Evenflo. It was the only one we could even find that was square. Got it at Babies R Us about 8 1/2 years ago. Still going strong.

 

[ArielRae]

This is what we have and we love it. We plan on bringing it with us for DS on our Disney cruise.
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3383527

 

[Shmily1]

We got a Jeep pack n play from Amazon for DGS17 months and we love it!! It was great when he was little as a living room bassinet and is still great as a place to take a nap. It has a huge storage area on the end, which is great for packing stuff in to take a trip. It is like having a rolling suitecase when we are traveling! Whatever it costed, it was worth it!!

 

[martikus]

We bought the Graco one and it has really held up well. I never used the changing table attachment - found it too low.

For those who complain about the hard mattress....my kid never minded - in fact he slept in the PNP for a month when we moved. When I stress about it I remember that as a kid I had no problem sleeping on the floor, etc. I didn't notice it was hard. It is only as an adult I would notice those things.

We didn't use it at home a ton, but it is great for traveling.

 

[naomi78155]

I used a Graco one with DS 6 and DD 3. I loved it. I could put it up and take it down with one hand and it folded up so nicely.
I will have to get another one for this baby because my moms dog chewed a hole in my other one.
I plan on getting another Graco, just not sure which model.