Are "Pack N' Plays" Good for Newborns?

I used a pack n play for my son for the first few months i believe he was 3 or 4 months old when I put him in his crib..now that his crib is broke and i'm puzzled as to how it got that way he is temporarily back in his pack n play..pack n plays are ok for up to 6 months for steady sleeping...

Hi,
My 18 month old is still in his PNP, has been since 8 months in which he was co-sleeping. It's too convenient and I hope to keep him there until he transitions to a "big" bed. It also takes up less space in room and has soft sides and travels, so he's used to it when we travel. Plan to use for my 3mo old as well. DOn't waste themoney on another crib!!

As long as the bottom is firm and you can soften it with blankets etc., I guess it would work. My sister-in-law used them for her babies when they traveled up to visit family from TN.
I think we forget people used to put newborns in boxes or dresser drawers for a bed, lined with blankets. Was a lot cheaper, wasn't it?

That is exactly what I did and it worked great for us. Our daughter slept in the pack 'n play for 3-4 months. We experienced one draw back while she was still sleeping in the hammock portion of the playpen. She was big enough that sometimes when she was just moving a bit in her sleep she would wake herself up. The hammock would sway. I am sure if we would have put her on the bottom of the pack in play sooner this would have been avoided. However, I was not able to bend down that far to pick her up in the beginning months.

My baby slept in her pack n play just outside our bedroom door (in our living room) for the first 8 weeks. All our other bedrooms are on the second floor and I had a c-section and couldn't go up and down the stairs to nurse. After the 8 weeks, I moved her up to her crib and it was an easy transition. I would think you would want to get a crib with a mattress eventually. I don't think pack n plays are the most comfortable things in the world- they are okay for naps or for overnight trips to grandma's house but I don't think I would keep the baby in the pack n play until he/she is ready for a big kid bed.

I used the bassinet part of our Pack N Play until my dd was about 6 months old. She slept with us part of the time and in her PNP the rest of the time. I never had any problems. We transitioned her to a crib at 6 months old and it was so easy! Like you, I wanted the convenience of having her in my room for nighttime nursing. The PNP will be useful long after she stops using it at night. Congrats on your pregnancy and your baby girl!

We've used the Pack n Play at our house (grandma and grandpas) since our granddaughter (5 months)was born, overnight, and it has not been a problem. Just no blankets; get those wonderful sleep "bags" to put the baby in. Also, no toys in with baby for at least several months to a year.

They are fine. My Pack N Play even came with a bassinet option so I wouldn't have to bend so far over all the time. I'm sure the manufacturer makes one if you are worried about the strain on your back.

I think it will work fine for a few months... you can put her in the bassinet part. But as your baby gets older you might miss having a bigger crib.

I think it's a personal preference. They are safe for children up to the weight/height restriction listed on them. If yours has a bassinet attachment that's great for newborns. As long as you don't mind her in the pack-n-play, she probably won't either. My sister only used her pack-n-play with her son until he outgrew it. I don't know if it makes sense for you to buy a crib when she's several months old, unless you know you'll have more children or can acquire one for free. Is the pack-n-play you have a mini or a full size? The only drawback to a pack-n-play vs. a crib is you cannot really attach a mobile or anything else to it since most of these things fit through the slats of a crib, as long as you don't mind that, go for it! The full-size one should last until at least age 2 if not longer. It really depends on the child - my son figured out how to climb out of it at 19 months (while we were out of town at a hotel of course) but my nephew never even tried after he turned 2. In regards to a previous post concerning state requirements for foster children...these are very different than normal parental expectations - I'm pretty sure they also require a foster child to have their own bedroom. Be careful of a used crib, be sure it meets all the current safety requirements.

We used our Pack N' Play for our son in our room for almost the first four months. He did great and also transitioned smoothly into sleeping in his crib in his own room. He's seven months old now and we still use his Pack N' Play to sleep in when we're out of town. I think it would be fine to wait a few months before getting a crib. Congratulations!

We've been fine with our 16-month old in a pack & play, pretty much since birth (first as the bassinet, then dropped down). BUT this past weekend we were away & he would NOT sleep in it, he wound up in bed with us each night. I think you'll be fine for at least the first year or so, but then may need to figure out something else. But that gives you a while to look for something cheap or even a hand-me-down. Congrats & good luck!

Hi R.,
We are actually planning on using a pack n play for our second that has a risen part in it like a bassinet for newborns. Our oldest is almost 15 months and is in the crib still so we plan on keeping our newborn which is due in 2 weeks in the pack in play in our room til we get another crib. I think that your newborn would be fine in the pack in play until you get a crib. I have a friend that has a newborn also her second and she did that with her baby for the first months in a pack in play.She said it worked good for her.
Its really up to you if you want to get a crib in a few months after the baby is born or just use the pack in play. A crib may be easier, but if all you can afford at the moment is the pack in play I would just keep using that. I hope that helps a little. Congratulations on your second baby! Hope all goes well.
God bless you.

I used my pack and play for about a month exclusively for my daughter. She, however, does not like it as much as her crib. When she moved to her crib, she slept tons better. I would say that if your baby likes it just fine and sleeps well, that will be all that you need for a while. Congrats!

First of all congratulations! My kids are about the same age difference and are the same genders as yours...you're in for such a great adventure!!! It sounds like maybe your daughter was an unexpected blessing like mine, I've come to the realization that the best thing I've ever done for my kids was to give them each other and to see them together is the most beautiful thing in the world!

I used a pack and play as my daughter's bed off and on from birth to sometime between 6 and 7 months of age. We had a crib but for the first 6 weeks she used the P&P in our room and then about 3 months of age, due to well, life, we had to move into a smaller place and the kids had to share a room. I wasn't incredibly comfortable with my 2 1/2 year old son and newborn daughter in the same room right away so she stayed in the pack and play in a hallway ( I know, I know)

Anyway, there are really just 2 downsides to a pack and play in my mind.

First, it is very low to the ground so laying the baby down requires bending down pretty far and it's not always the smoothest transition from arms to bed. Our P&P had a "bassinet" attachment which was basically another layer you velcro and snap on and lays about 8 inches from the top more like a crib on it's highest setting. It doesn't take too long for a baby to get too mobile to use this but in the beginning (those first 6 weeks before moving her to her own room) it did the job for us.

Secondly, even in my higher end P&P, the mat at the bottom while not uncomfortable isn't even close to a mattress. I've known a couple of moms to layer blankets and such on the bottom of a P&P to make it softer, and that is simply not safe. Even under a specifically designed P&P sheet (which are available and wonderful) blankets don't have a place in an infant's bed.

All this said, we used it for a long time and it worked for us. My daughter went from P&P to crib, back to P&P, then back to crib, and now to toddler bed and has never suffered any sleep disruptions or anything like that.

Good luck and enjoy all of it!

Hi R.! Congratulations on your upcoming baby girl! You'll have lots of fun with her! As for the sleeping situation, I wouldn't use a Pack N' Play for every day use. I would think it would be very uncomfortable, because the mattress is so unbelievably thin. If you decide to use it, I would most certainly put something under the mattress or something to make it a bit more comfortable. You could try looking at the second hand consignment stores to see if you can find a crib. I would purchase a new mattress, but I'm sure you can find a crib in the paper or even online somewhere. I wish you the best of luck with your delivery!

We used a moses basket for our 3rd child until she was 3 months old. It was nice being portable and being able to fit right beside our bed. I loved it. I don't see how a pack and play would be any different than that, other than a little back strain from having to bend over so far to pick baby up. If you find that it doesn't work for you, you can go get a crib then.

Dear R.,
Back in the day, people without cribs put their babies in dresser drawers for a time, so I am sure using a Pack 'n Play will be just fine.
My only concern would be your back, from having to bend over so far to pick up the baby...
Best wishes.

I think it is a personal preference. We had someone give us a bassinet in the beginning, but our youngest turned a year old in August and she still sleeps in the pack n play. I am not sure what she would think going into a crib.

Hi. I have a 3 month old daughter and the pack n play is the only thing I have been using. She does have a crib in her own room, but I am not ready to put her so far away from me at night. We have the pack n play right next to our bed and it has worked out just fine.

Good luck to you on number 2!

I am pregnant with my 3rd son and Im due in 4 weeks. Im planing on using our pack and play with this new baby instead of spending the money on a bassinet and we arent planing on getting a crib until the baby is like 5 months or so old. We have the infant setting in ours and a changing table and a mobile and when he gets to big for that we plan to just drop it down. I think the pack and play is so much more convient personally. Hope this helps. Congrats on the new baby. God Bless.

My 4.5 month old twins are still sleeping in the pnp in our room, and have been since their first night home. They started out in the bassinet part, and once they got too big for that, I moved them down. They do great in there together all night, and I love having them close to me! Good luck!

Hi R.,
I see nothing wrong with having your baby sleep in a pack-n-play for the first few months of her life. I am a mom of three and my first two started out in a basinet for the first two months, but they did not sleep well. I heard it had something to do with the air circulation. Once I put them in their crib they slept through the night. With my third child I got a pack-n-play with a basinet on it and he slept great in it. Better then the girls did at his age. I kept him in there until he was about three months old for night time sleeping, but he continued to take naps in there for a while. I now use the pack in play in the living rm to confine him for short periods of time when I need to do something that I can not watch him. He doesn't always like it but because he knows it is not for a long period of time as soon as I am out of sight he is fine, that is until he can see me.

If you do not have a pack-n-play with a basinet you might be able to trade the one you have now for one at a gently used childrens store. Craigs list is also a great place to look for both a crib and a pack-n-play. Good luck with your baby girl, they are so much fun.

My daughter still uses her Pack 'n' Play, she's 2 now and soon will be moving out. It's worked well for us, there should be a way to make it shallower then the deep playpen depth. That might make things easier for getting to her while she still tiny. When she begins to lift up is when you drop it down to playpen level. I would say it would work well for you too.

Good Luck.

We used a pack-n-play with both our girls, and it worked great. With our oldest, she slept with us for a bit and then went into a big girl bed - our youngest is now in a "full fledged crib" and they've both done just fine.

hey R.
my name is S. and i had got a pac and play for my 17 month old when she was a new born it was at the foot of our bed for four months it was raised to the top and also had a chaging area and it was great we used the rainforst one and it had a moblie and night light and when she is older drop it down and place her in side when clean and u dont want her to get in to thing so i see double the use so i say get one more use for you and your husband to have a good night sleep and enough room for her and she wont be even a feet a way i say take that buy

I don't know if I'm much help, but both of my children used the pack and play like a bassinet. They went to our crib around 3 months old. Just make sure you get a mattress for it.

A.

Congratulations on your second baby! I am expecting my 4th child in 2 weeks. He/She will spend the first 5-6 months in a pnp in our bedroom. We have a pnp with a bassinet level to start with. When the baby gets bigger, we move the mat down to the bottom.

We used the pnp in our room with our 2nd and 3rd babies for several months and it worked great. If you are looking for a crib,later on, you could try the local freecycle network, then you wouldn't have to buy one! Good luck!

We used our Pack-n-play for about 6 months with our second son. We just put it in our room, it worked out perfectly!

I just put it this way. If you were wanting to be a foster parent the state wouldn't let your foster baby sleep in a pack n play. You can get a cheap crib at used kids clothing stores or you can get one for FREE on freecycle. I wouldn't use the pack n play but for traveling or at a friends house. It's hard and not made for full time sleep purposes. There are so many options to get a crib for cheap or free. I say you take those. You can't beat free. I know cause I have gotten cribs for free (including a mattress). Best of luck.

The only thing wrong with it is if you don't have the "bassinet" attachment, you do a lot of leaning down to get the baby out. But, there's nothing wrong with putting a newborn in a PnP regularly - my son has slept in one in our room since we moved him out of the cradle my dad built. We're about to move #1 to his new room and #2 in to the nursery in a crib, but if he doesn't start sleeping better, he'll go back in the PnP in our room.
My 2-year-old still sleeps in one when we go other places! He doesn't care where he sleeps really;) Come to think of it, but cousin's 3-yr-old daughter was happy in one when they visit us!

I don't think it would be a pain at all. When my second son was born my first son was still in the crib. We kept our youngest in our room for six months, all of it in a pack n play. We wanted him in our room anyway for the convenience and just because he was a newborn and I wanted him close. He had no problems in it at all. I say save the $$ right now and use the pack n play.Good Luck

I started using a pack-n-play as soon as I came home with my baby. The only problem I had was that my breasts were sooooo sore that it hurt everytime I had to lay her down - my breasts were so heavy that it hurt to lean over. My hubby had to go and purchase a bassinet.

You can, but the question will be become "will you want to?". Does the pack 'n play have a raised 'bassinet' layer you can put on? If so, that is great for infants. However, once they are rolling (or 15 lbs or whatever the limit on yours is) they can't be on there anymore. Then it's back to the bottom. It kills my back to lower them to the bottom mattress when they are sleeping. You need to decide if you think that might be the case with you.

It's easy to find an inexpensive used crib/mattress in great condition and new enough to meet all safety standards. At one point we had 3 cribs and never paid more than $75 for any of them (including mattress). Check out craigslist and Just Kiddin' Around (kid stuff resale store) but don't forget about mothers' groups. That's how we got ours... someone in the mom's group was selling theirs and we bought them.