Another baby- toddler question--- play yard/sleep yard?????

[TravelingChris]

I also want to get a play yard/sleep yard thing because I have no idea how long he will want to sleep in carrier- versus laying down, and also want to be able to set it up so he can play safely at our house.  But I want him to be able to play there for more than a month or two.  Or is this whole idea, dumb?? 

dd2 had to be taken out of her crib. I believe, before she was even one years old because she was trying to climb out of it.  All I know is that my 4.5 year old gd, who is the product of my ddil and her ex, is very, very hyper.  DS was what I call moderately ADHD but at young ages, that means quite hyper, and my dd1 has severe ADHD. My dd2, the one who was climbing out the fastest is not even hyper, but just dyslexic with the usual very good spatial relations that come with that and that showed up much, much earlier than the rest of the dyslexia.  But I am not thinking of having it out of the way, but more like having a place where he can play while adults play games, or watch something, or eat more than he wants to eat, etc.  but not out of the way.

[KSera]

Does your dd want one for him? I would go based on that. They were never useful for us except for as a place for a young toddler to be safe in the bathroom while I showered.

[Clarita]

So the play yard/sleep yard thing is only useful for sleeping. It's way too small for playing except for a newborn. 

Technically you shouldn't keep a baby in the carrier for long periods of time. It's not good for physical development. It's not going to kill the baby if you do it once in a while out of convenience, but if the baby stays with you routinely you do not want to be keeping the baby in the carrier for their nap times every time.

For playing I would consider using baby gates to either block places you don't want the baby to get to or to sort of corral the baby. FWIW though by 1 years old I had to remove the baby gate for my eldest. He was climbing them and figuring out how to dismantle them. I think I could have used the baby gate things for my youngest until she was 15-18months.  

[HomeAgain]

We had the older version of this: Phil & Ted's Traveller.

It worked well for us because the top could have a sunshade zipped on, it was easily stored (it fit in a regular suitcase and left room for clothes), and it adjusted to the needs of a toddler who could get himself in and out of bed.

[prairiewindmomma]

Who is going to help baby in and out of the place?  From a mobility standpoint, I find playpens very difficult to navigate. Play yards with adult pass through gates are much easier for me. This may be entirely for DIL, but I wanted to raise the issue in case that sometimes included you. 

I'm including a link so you can see some different photos: https://www.scarymommy.com/parenting/play-yard-toddler

[TravelingChris]

44 minutes ago, KSera said:

Does your dd want one for him? I would go based on that. They were never useful for us except for as a place for a young toddler to be safe in the bathroom while I showered.

I want one for here when they come over.

[TravelingChris]

15 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Who is going to help baby in and out of the place?  From a mobility standpoint, I find playpens very difficult to navigate. Play yards with adult pass through gates are much easier for me. This may be entirely for DIL, but I wanted to raise the issue in case that sometimes included you. 

I'm including a link so you can see some different photos: https://www.scarymommy.com/parenting/play-yard-toddler

It is for when my DIL visits with baby or both DS, DDIL and baby visit.   I can't take care of the baby by myself because he is already too heavy for me to pick up as it is.  Without my neck surgery, I am unable to pick up more than 10lbs,. and I don't think I can schedule my neck surgery until fall. 

[rebcoola]

One like this is pretty good for actually playing.  Than you could just clean up and put a nap mat down when it's time to sleep.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B096LLV1X4/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_K3XKRDW9T88FZAYR5QB9

[KSera]

22 minutes ago, TravelingChris said:

I want one for here when they come over.

Right. I mean still that you should ask dd if she wants you to have one at your house. My mom thought she should have one at her house for when we were over, but I saw no reason to because we didn't use them and I had no wish to use one over there. It would have been a wasted purchase had my mom bought one.

[Arcadia]

We had a superyard XT that my teens didn’t mind when they were toddlers. However they could topple it, just that they had fun trying to rearrange the six panels while inside.

https://www.amazon.com/NORTH-STATES-SUPERYARD-Baby-Gate/dp/B00VVT4O6A

Playpens won’t useful since my kids were great at climbing out of playpens and toppling playpens at a very young age. They toppled playpens at relatives homes. 

[catz]

I have never taken care of a baby or toddler who would be content to sit in a play pen alone for more than a couple minutes while adults were up and active.  So I guess I wouldn't spend much hoping for something for that purpose because it's not likely to work, especially if it isn't someplace he's coming many times a week and it's a more unfamiliar space.  If he's around enough to have something like a pack and play for napping and overnight stays that may double as some place to be able to set for short periods maybe.   I'd maybe look for some cheap tension baby gates (you can sometimes thrift things like this) if you need to contain baby to a space when over.

I agree you should talk to your son/DIL if they think it is worth it for you to have something.  If they aren't planning on regularly setting baby in a contained area like that at home, baby definitely won't go for it in someone else's home.   When my kids were the right age, we just travelled with our own pack and play.  The babies were more comfortable with it because they were familiar with it. It would have been overkill for grandparents to buy something.  We did see them a couple times a month usually when my kids were young.  

That said, my kids did eventually climb out of their cribs but never climbed out of the deep pack and play we used for travel.  And they did transition to be able to sleep in that after about 4 months old until they were about 3.

[City Mouse]

I used to have something similar to this https://www.walmart.com/ip/Baby-Play-Yard-baby-Playpen-Safety-Play-Yard-Fence-Activity-Centre-10-Panel-with-Gate-Door-Home-Indoor-Outdoor-Activity-Cente/538125125

Mine was taller panels and didn’t have activities, but it was 5 or 6 movable panels without a floor. I liked that it was more flexible in use. When the child I was using with got older, I could use it to block off areas, such as the wood stove and/or the television, rather than just keep the child inside a contained space. It also came in handy later when we got a dog that needed some containment.

Edited March 15, 2022 by City Mouse

[Clarita]

3 hours ago, TravelingChris said:

It is for when my DIL visits with baby or both DS, DDIL and baby visit.   I can't take care of the baby by myself because he is already too heavy for me to pick up as it is.  Without my neck surgery, I am unable to pick up more than 10lbs,. and I don't think I can schedule my neck surgery until fall. 

In this case I highly suggest the more like a play yard fence thing like @City Mouse suggested. For sleep (if money is no object, because you can probably find a Graco pack n play for free), Amazon.com : Lotus Travel Crib - Backpack Portable, Lightweight, Easy to Pack Play-Yard with Comfortable Mattress - Certified Baby Safe : Lotus Bed : Baby so you can just unzip the side and the baby can come out all by him/herself.

[katilac]

11 minutes ago, Clarita said:

 For sleep (if money is no object,  

Dang, my hypothetical grandbabies gonna be sleeping on the floor. 

[Clarita]

2 hours ago, katilac said:

Dang, my hypothetical grandbabies gonna be sleeping on the floor. 

I saw a pinterest where people convert this thing into a book nook when the kids are toddlers. I mean I suppose you'd have to when you spend that much on a play/sleep thingy. It is cheaper than the bassinet that rocks your baby for you.

I ended up using a free Graco pack n play.

[Tap]

I had a style similar to a super-yard for dd15. Our house isn't a completely open floor plan but has very few normal doorways for regular gates. It also has a loop, and in the part that you can't see from the seating areas, there is a staircase. When toddlers were running around our house, you have to keep them in eyesight at all times. 

The style like the superyard are nice, because it is big enough that they can toddle around and  have toys. It folds up and stashes out of the way in the garage when not needed. 

[Carrie12345]

I know I’m technically out of the loop on current baby things, but basic needs don’t really change.  We always kept a pack n play on hand for naps in different places, but it was really just for naps. The other helpful thing for routine visit locations was a high chair.  Otherwise, we were holding babies (which is what all the babies wanted anyway.)

In our own home(s), we did have those multi panel play yards, but they quickly became a tool to block off certain areas instead of block in toddlers. Toddlers did not want to be contained. So our TV stand lived inside of a play yard for a while. Some years, our Christmas tree did.

[KatieJ]

Grandma of 13, half of them were born 2 or 3 in the same year…babies everywhere! On more than one  Sunday/holiday  afternoon  we had babies/toddlers  and grandpa sleeping in every bedroom (4 bedroom house) and some in the living room. 

For years I had two pack n plays at my house at a time for naps. Several of my mommies used wraps, and their babies hardly ever napped anywhere else. The other 2  preferred quiet bedrooms , with fans for their babies.  None of them used the pack n plays for “play” time while we were playing cards/games. Babies were held or on blankets on the floor. 
Therefore I agree to having one available for naps, but wait awhile to invest in a bigger something for play time. Mommy may not want it. 

As time went on and babies got bigger, it became much harder for me to reach down and pick them up. I loved it when they could stand up and help me!

[Mothersweets]

17 hours ago, rebcoola said:

One like this is pretty good for actually playing.  Than you could just clean up and put a nap mat down when it's time to sleep.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B096LLV1X4/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_K3XKRDW9T88FZAYR5QB9

My daughter has a larger version of this for her youngest - he is 8 months -  and it is super helpful. It's a clean area for him to play in, crawl around, etc. and his older brothers (3 and 6) love to get in and play with him, lol. She has dogs and an open floorpan with stairs going down into a finished basement so it gives him a good-sized area to play where she can see him. and he can still be a part of whatever is going on in the house.

 

 

Edited March 15, 2022 by Mothersweets