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Ok so Play pens - useful or a cruel form of incarceration?
I think I would like to get one for Charlie around christmas time - he's not mobile yet but there are going to be heaps of kids zt Christmas this year and they run around and scream and don't look where they're going - so I thought if I had a play pen thingo with Charlie in it, then instead of squashing him they'll just wind themselves....
Anyone got a play pen - if so what sort is it and do you like it?
Thanks, Em
Ooh.. I was going to post a question about playpens! Looking forward to answers on this.
Someone told me its' best to get it before they're mobile so they're used to playing in it? Dunno how true that is. Also I've heard of some people using them for themselves! LOL. Like doing the ironing in there so the kids can't get to the iron. hehe.
That;s funny Liz!! I have visions of myself in there with coffee and choccie biscuits and a magazine.......
Oooh yeah. LOL.
Oh another thing.. I was told to get one with a 'floor' coz otherwise they can just push the pen around.
I have one that is meant to double as a porta-a-cot (no mattress though - grrr) and has a UV50 roof that can be attached when put outside. It is also meant to be hosable if it gets dirty.
Maggie did not seem to like it, only occasionally was she happy to go in it for more than 5 minutes. I probably did not persevere enough, but I really only wanted it for times when I had to leave the room. In the end it became a toy dumping ground, so I put it away. It is becoming useful again now as a cubby house, as I can put the roof up and it has a little door that unzips in the side.
Hello, the playpen is a bit politically incorrect these days (LOL) but you gotta do what you gotta do. I think a lot of ladies end up with a portacot permanently set up in their living area and just use that for the spot to pop bubba down when needed.
The thing I really wanted to say is - don't worry about the kids running around, etc, they are surprisingly nimble and aware when it comes to having the little ones around. I used to worry about DD when we went to large gatherings with kids, but they are amazing and seem to just know how to avoid the littlies.
:-)
We have one! We got a wooden one Em. We got it from Baby 2 Kids on the Eastern Shore if you're interested! ;) We also got a mattress for it, but it's not currently in it.
Sorry to hijack but I'm thinking of getting a playpen for Charlie, not for all the time, just for when I need to answer the door, have a quick shower etc. I told my sister about it and she's now dropped off a portacot to me to use instead, but C can't see me very well when he's in it and already has a whinge the minute I put him in. Would a playpen be better?
Sushee, I got my dad to give us a wooden playpen for those reasons - answering the door, toilet, shower, cooking etc and keeping the dog at a bit of a distance while I do these things. I'm hoping that if we use it from the beginning in these circumstances that it will work ok. I'm not wanting to use it all the time as a method of confinement.
We brought one for Matthew from babies galore, it`s made out of very heavy duty plastic, I haven`t used it much but it`s there if I need to use it, lately I`ve been putting Adrian into it so Matthew doesn`t jump all over him but that isn`t working now as Matthew now climbs into the playpen.
Both my DSS`s have often sat in it for various reasons LOL
We have a wooden play pen we used when Matilda was little. I would use it to pop her in her rocker & be protected from the dogs if I wanted to make dinner or something while she was awake & happy. I also used it for when I wanted to go to the toilet LOL... We used it with Matilda for protection from the dogs & just so she could roll around in peace with her toys. She started going in it from 8 weeks and would sometimes be in her rocker in it. When she started commando crawling it became a life saver for me. With her at 4.5 months and me trying to do anything was very hard because all she wanted to do was explore. So I could set up toys & quilts and she would explore the play pen. I didn't leave her in it all the time, but it was great for being able to get some things done around the house & not have to worry about what she was getting into. When she started pulling herself up on things at 6 months we had to limit time in there because of the bruising (her pulling herself up on the sides & then falling over). But we used it until she was around 11 months when she started picking it up & carrying it to where she wanted to go ;)
Depending how old they are you can always just use the travel cot (if you have one) as a playpen also. My sister did this with all of her kids when the older ones were running around. Save buying a playpen.. but the playpen does actually come in handy to put around the christmas tree when little ones start to explore ;)
Jacob wasn't in his all the time either - it was used for the same kinds of reasons as you've mentioned Sushee and Christy. It enabled me to be able to do a few jobs/make dinner etc knowing that he was safe and sound.
And it does come in handy for the Christmas Tree as Kellxx said LOL ;)
I inherited one from my bro - it's fantastic!!! It has been around the TV (kids can pull them down on themselves), around the Christmas tree, around me while I iron.... it's great!!!!!! So many things to protect in the house - including babies!!!
With Louis I just put a gate on his bedroom door. We're only in a unit so his room is fairly central anyway and he's got all his toys in there.
Saying that if I actually try to lock him in there he screams! hehe. So even though we have a gate it stays locked open and he just walks in and out as he pleases - hehe. But an option if you didn't want or have room for a playpen.
So for us they don't work but I didn't really try anything when he was little - the little cheeky basically has the run of the house!!
We've got one of those old fashioned wooden play pens (I bought it off Ebay from another girl in Brisbane for $50). Maddy hates anything that prevents her from getting where she wants to go! *LOL* Someone suggested to me to put a mattress down inside it because when it sits flat on the carpet, Maddy has discovered she can push the playpen along the floor while she's standing up inside it! Eeekkk...
They are good though if you need a toilet break or what-not. :)
OH, and yes, this year it's going to be put around the Christmas tree to keep Maddy out from that! *LOL*
hey with the portacots - do you find it difficult to then get you bubby to sleep in one if you're out - seeing as they are used to playing in it?
My sister didnt no. I guess because when they go down to sleep they already have the tired symptoms and youre tucking them under sheets with no toys near by. I know with Jesse during the day he has a musical aquarium thingy that puts him to sleep so whenever i travel i take that with him so he's familiar with knowing that means sleep time.