Assvice: Lets talk baby play yards for a second…

Posted on Apr 08 in 2008 pregnancy, Life in Evansville, parenting, parenting adviceby TalinaPrint

You guys are so helpful with the mommy assvice advice! I can’t call it assvice because really I do appreciate hearing all the good info about those useless things that new parents often get sucked in to buying. My eyes have been opened, thank goodness! Gives me less to stress about, lol.

So, we figured since Tater’s room is down stairs from our bedroom and since she’ll be so small… having an alternative sleeping area for her up in our room, for the first 6 months or so would be smart. Now, we’ve started thinking that a play yard (aka. a pack n’ play) is a good way to go.

Problem is I am having trouble making sense of all the subtle little differences in the models. Like, does a vibrating option really make a difference? How important is storage space on those things? Did you find the changing table part useful or a waste?

For us the changing area is important because we’ll want to use the play yard for both baby sleeping space, plus as a changing area until we are able to get a crib and a real changing table. The play yard will be our “all in one” sleeper, changer and play area until we can get the other stuff.

I found this one I like, the Graco Moderne Pack ‘n Play Playard with Bassinet & Changer in Zurich. I like it because of the added storage space on the side of the changing table, plus the changing area seems sturdy and it also pivots to allow easier access to the inside of the play yard.

The one thing the Graco Moderne model doesn’t have is one of those removable bassinets like the Graco Pack ‘n Play Playard with Newborn Napper in Broadstreet. The ones with the bassinet (aka. the newborn napper) seem to have less storage space and the changing area looks like it is not adjustable.

All of the play yards seem to have wheels on one side and are easily collapsible. Some have shade covers, mobiles, dangling toys, music players, vibrators and so on. So, which features really mattered to you?

Bring on the assvice, lol. I am sitting here in the new place scratching my head here wondering what is and isn’t really important…

See, here is my little work area in the corner of the new house:

Today my job is to unpack as much stuff as possible so that we have less boxes to manuver around come this weekend when all our furnature will be moved in. Yep, you read that right! We’ll be all move in to the new place this weekend. Can’t wait!

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8 Comments

• melissa says:

  April 8, 2009 at 3:36 pm

  Well I love giving you advice about stuff I have learned In my opinion, the Pack an Play is a great investment. We have one for Riley even though he has a crib. It’s great for traveling and nap times and stuff.We have one that just has the bassinette part that yuo can pull out and turn into a playpen. Honestly, I never had the vibrating kind with either of my kids. It might soothe the baby a little, but I think it’s a way for the company to try to make more money, honestly.
  If you get a bassinet,Tater will gorw out of it so quick, especially is she’s born big, and that will be a waste of money. Even if she’s meduim size, she won’t be able to stay in it for 6 months.
  I never have had a changing table for either of my kids. I never had the room for it and I felt it was waste of money. If you have the room and the money though, it would be nice. I just changed my kids on the floor , either on a blanket of theirs , or on the little pad that comes with a diaper bag when you buy it.
  The Pack and Play do have wheels on it so you can move it around, which is great. It looks collapsable, but you just lift up the middle thingy’s and they lock. You’ll here it lock , so you’ll know it’s safe.Mobils and danlgy toys are great because babies love the colors and it helps them develop.
  I’m excited for you to me moved in soon!! I love the house
• melissa says:

  April 8, 2009 at 3:39 pm

  LOl, I can’t spell today,hahah. I meant excited for you to BE moved in soon.It’s been one of those days. :p
• witchypoo says:

  April 8, 2009 at 3:53 pm

  Ask you mom what she needed. I had cloth diapers because disposables were not readily available. I’m old.
  A car seat is a must, but changing tables are superfluous. If you feel you must have a playard, the vibrating feature is helpful for colicy babies. Both mine were colicy, and they spent a lot of time in the car; it was the only thing that soothed them to sleep. A small motor mounted on the underside of the crib would do the same thing. Since N is a handy guy, that may be the way to go if your Tater is colicy. Don’t go overboard, your child will not remember the “stuff” she had, just the love, and the time spent with you. Same goes for birthday parties. The first few years? Strictly for the parents.

  witchypoos last blog post..How I Killed My Grampie
• Starr says:

  April 8, 2009 at 6:14 pm

  Logan slept in our room until he was 8 months old, and he slept in a pack and play until he was 6 months at which time he grew out of it, he is very tall! Then we had our crib in our room until Logan could finally have his own room and we didn’t need a roomate anymore. The pack and play we had only had the bassinet feature which was great! We were fortunate enough for a very generous family memeber to give us a changing table/dresser combo which I still use! I believe having the changing table being more flexible is a plus and you will soon find out you can never have enough storage! Also its good to have supplies that you would need right at the source in the pack and play. Honestly this is a great investment and I agree with the vibrating Logan loved it we had a bouncer that vibrated that was a hand me down given to us and he preffered that over the swing that we splurged for. Hope this helps!
• Karen says:

  April 8, 2009 at 6:16 pm

  I agree with Witchypoo on this. You don’t need a lot of stuff for a baby. Most of the things you think you need are just because they are out there and everyone has them. You do need a car seat, something to use for a bed, a bouncy chair would be nice for during the day downstairs.

  I personally think that the vibration could be troublesome–your bed doesn’t vibrate, does it? Well, if she gets used to a vibration in the pack-n-play, then you switch her to a crib that doesn’t vibrate, you and she will be in for some sleepless nights.

  I never had a changing table, either. I either changed on the sofa, the floor, or on my bed. It worked. My children aren’t damaged.

  Both my daughter and my daughter-in-law used the pack-n-play type things as beds for my grandsons. They worked really well because they are portable. You can take them with you in the car when you go on a trip, you can move it downstairs during the day and upstairs at night. If you go to visit friends you can take it with you. I think both boys stayed in them until they were about 8 months, when they got big enough to start pulling up.

  You’ll need onesies, diapers, t shirts, socks, blankets, a couple pair of little mittens to keep her from scratching her face. Most anything else is fluff.

  Karens last blog post..A Visit To Geogypsy, Part I
• Hyphen Mama says:

  April 8, 2009 at 9:42 pm

  I would skip the vibrating feature, but if they offer the one with the attachment that clips to the side that plays music, I’ve had girlfriends who LOVED theirs that played music. I would also skip the extra changing table attachment AND that little tiny bassinet. She will outgrow those little things in no time at all and you’ll have to stow them away while you continue to use the rest of the system. I would be sure to get the full sized bassinet that clicks over the whole top, but rides about 8-10″ below the rail. We ended up having 2 of them. One was a $30 one we picked up at a yard sale and that was the downstairs “daytime” one that we changed diapers, napped in, etc all day long. PLENTY of room for some diapers, wipes and baby for at least a few months. We had the 2nd one (again, the no-frills kind) next to our bed. Because we got the cheaper ones and one was 2nd hand, we were able to have one upstairs and one downstairs for less than the price of the more expensive ones.

  One thing that you MUST MUST MUST have is a bouncy seat. They vibrate and play music and have lights. There are a million kinds, all run on batteries. My kids went through 2 of them. They’re prefect for napping and sleeping in when the baby is sick and can’t lay down because they’re stuffy. It’s a MUST HAVE.

  Hyphen Mamas last blog post..Because I’m 3 rolls short of a picnic. Oh, who am I kidding? I’m not 3 rolls short of ANYTHING!
• Donna B. says:

  April 9, 2009 at 12:52 am

  I wish you could find a garage sale like the one my daughter’s Mom’s group just put on. They had so much really good stuff for babies.

  The price of the pack ‘n plays… wow. I had no idea they cost so much now. I am out of touch, obviously.

  Vibration: I vote no, for the reason Karen says.

  Storage space: There’s no way a pack and play is going to have enough, so I think you’ll be looking for more anyway. I’d skip that if it adds to the cost. My recommendation is a bookshelf w/ baskets. But that’s probably just because I like bookshelves and baskets.

  Changing table: eh… I don’t think I’d let it be a deal breaker. As several wrote above, you can change the baby almost anywhere. I’d invest in diapers!

  Donna B.s last blog post..A Culinary Error To Avoid
• Reiza says:

  April 11, 2009 at 11:19 am

  If you can find storage, that’s a plus, but not if it increases the cost too much. We liked the bassinet feature for when the kids were tiny, but we didn’t use it with my son at all nor have we used it now with the baby. I think the mobiles and vibrations are a waste. We didn’t have a changing table part nor did we need one.

  I’d suggest checking consignment stores. The prices on new ones are insane, but you can find great deals at consignment stores. Pack & Plays are the type of thing that wear really well, so you can still get lots of use out of old ones.

  Reizas last blog post..Another side effect of the bad economy

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