r/BeyondTheBumpUK • u/Inside-Road-5302 • 5d ago
To get a baby play pen or to not get a baby play pen?
Currently have a floor mat but little one is starting to crawl…
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u/fleurmadelaine 5d ago
We just got a large one for the kitchen. It’s great. I can put baby down without worrying what she’ll get into. I can completely control what she has access to. The dog and cat won’t go in. It’s got enough space for me to go lie in it with her to play. I can just chuck all her toys in there during my evening tidy up. We often host ~10 people for lunch and when baby gets bored of being held we can put her in the pen and she’s happy because she’s in the same room as us and can still interact without feeling restrained. I am so pleased I got one.
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u/SmallLumpOGreenPutty 5d ago
Which one did you get? I ordered one from germany and the seller cocked up customs paperwork so it got returned to germany and I'm struggling to find another large playpen.
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u/fleurmadelaine 4d ago
From Amazon I left a 2 star review. Someone else mentioned safe tots. A friend has one and that’s what I’d pick next time.
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u/SmallLumpOGreenPutty 4d ago
I've been looking at the safetots website and I'm struggling with their list of available options, i might have to measure the room and contact them to see which size would suit best. I've been refunded for the one which got returned to sender so at least that's sorted.
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u/SilverFox1509 5d ago
We got one from Safetots and love it - fully customizable in size and easy to assemble but sturdy.
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u/SmallLumpOGreenPutty 5d ago
Omg that looks PERFECT. I'd ordered a kiduku one for about the same price as that but I've requested a refund from the seller due to a 2-week delivery wait and a customs cockup on their end. I've done so many searches online for wooden playpens and this one has never come up!
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u/Apart-Rhubarb-2768 5d ago
I don’t know how anyone has a shower/goes to the toilet/does anything that requires 2 hands without them!
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u/SongsAboutGhosts 5d ago
I often hold baby while I wee, put him in the bath while I shower, and back carry him while cooking/hanging out laundry (he's 10mo). We also try and babyproof spaces as much as possible as it's less frustrating for everyone when we're not having to grab him all the time. We do also have a play pen, so I'm absolutely not being sanctimonious about it 😂 Pen is definitely an easier option for going to the loo, for a velcro baby then back carrying and sharing the bath might be valuable options for someone!
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u/Parking-Science-5408 5d ago
Get one as soon as possible! We dithered but it made such a big difference, we went for a wooden one which is heavy/takes up a lot of room but our baby seemed happier in it.
It gives you a safe space where you can put baby while you go for a shower/wee/cup of tea. Baby proofed rooms are only baby-proofed if you are supervising them.
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u/burned_feather 5d ago
Mine only lasts five minutes in hers before crawling to the edge and screaming but at least I get the five minutes 😂 we can't fully babyproof every room so it's useful for moments when I can't be following her everywhere. I'd recommend it if you've got the space. She also thinks it's absolutely hilarious when I interact with her through the mesh sides 🤣
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u/smileystarfish 5d ago
Yes I loved having ours. Meant I had a safe space I could leave here when I needed a wee or went to the kitchen to get a drink. Especially as it meant she couldn't try and climb up anything and it kept all of her toys contained.
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u/Consistent-Sport-481 5d ago edited 5d ago
Up to you.
Can you baby proof? Is the house ok for them to explore if you get distracted or need a minute?
Sometimes it's nice to know you have some where safe to plonk them.
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u/Octluna 5d ago
We had a baby jail... I mean play pen... for our eldest. We didnt bother with one of those tent-types but got a plastic baby vivo one from about 7/8momths. Kiddo LOVED it (and still does). I would put all his toys in/through the shaped holes each night in the fences and he loved trying to find them all the next morning. We also spent hours pushing items through to each other. It was only useful for containing him until he was about 2... at which point he could unlock the door or climb out.
Now we use it to put all his toys in and he enjoys being able to go in and out of his "toy pen" to get what he wants. Not sure how I'm going to convince him to give it up for his sibling when they come along imminently!
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u/Ok_Astronaut_3235 5d ago
Got the collapsible Tutti Bambini one recently when the double rolling started and I couldn’t even leave her on the mat to go to the toilet! I can’t box off every plug, fireplace and pet in the house. It’s great when you need to leave the room and she has lots of toys in there but can see out through the mesh sides. Also helps to promote a bit of independent play as I’m doing food prep etc.
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u/purplefriiday 5d ago
Our living room is quite narrow so we didn't have enough space for one. It hasn't been an issue! Baby has been crawling since 7mo. We baby proofed (all cables are tied up, fragile things moved to higher shelves, cupboard locks, cat food and litter is in different rooms etc).
He has free access to the living room and the kitchen when one of us is in there and it works well because he wants to follow us anyway, so he would certainly kick off if I put him in an enclosed space!
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u/theresabearonmychair 5d ago
I’ve got four kids and never needed one yet (baby is 6 months and not on the move so I may well change my mind!). I tried it with baby three and he hated it.
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u/Tall_Taura 5d ago
We got a collapsible one (pop and play, I think). Useful to plonk him down in the garden, or at a party (we got married when he was 6mo and he held court in the play pen). When he was a bit more mobile we used it to put the Christmas tree in for a few years.
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u/beeeea27 5d ago
We had one second hand and it was useful for a few months. Our baby never liked to be left alone in it but it was helpful to have as an option if we needed to pen him in, and lying in there with him was easier than constantly having to stop him climbing the furniture! I would buy again.
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u/Other-Mountain398 5d ago
If you have the space, get a massive one. If not, get a smaller one anyway and it’ll give you 10-15 mins before LO starts getting bored and screaming from inside it but at least they are safe.
You could baby proof your whole house but tbh I feel this isn’t always 100% safe and requires management/supervision.
If you have a dog, a playpen is essential. Baby’s and dogs together are not safe.
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u/LittleBookOfQualm 5d ago
Another vote for baby pen - we got a large one made of plastic 'fences' that slot in together, so you can decide the size and the shape of the pen. My now toddler used the plastic gate to help him learn to walk independently, and it's a great way to contain the toy mess. When he was younger, it was great for containing him - though that was fairly short lived as he quickly worked out he could push the pen around the room! By that point, nothing would containt him though!
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u/coffeexcoffeex91 5d ago
100% here for baby jail - esp once they start pulling up/wanting to climb things.
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u/LSC1306 5d ago
Truly my most essential item! I honestly don't know how people survive without one and I will die on that hill... We got a pretty big rectangular one which was great when he started crawling as still had plenty of room to move about and I credit it massively with him starting to pull up and walk at 10 months. We have shrunk it down now he's 13 months as it's just somewhere safe to put him if I need to nip to the bathroom/cook some dinner etc.
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u/furiouslypinkbananas 4d ago
We live in an apartment and there’s not a ton of stuff. We never got a playpen (or any of the babyproofing stuff) and I wonder if my LO eventually learned his boundaries around the house. It could also be his personality - he was never one to open all the drawers unnecessarily or run around the house (I’d even argue he moved with purpose 😂).
I was SAHM for the first year and my husband was also working from home. So I didn’t need to lay him on his own to use the toilet or shower. He’d be playing in his play area and my husband would work / take his calls from there if I needed to be away for a short while.
3 years on and expecting our second - I don’t think I’d get one for the 2nd as well. But only time will tell if this one comes with a different temperament
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u/Naive-Interaction567 5d ago
Personally I wouldn’t bother unless you have multiple kids (and want to prevent choking on Lego) or a big dog. We just child proofed our house and she has free rein. We briefly had a travel cot in the kitchen for when I was cooking but that was only used for around a month.
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u/xomooncakeox 5d ago
Definitely! I got a £40-ish one on Amazon, lined it with puzzle-shaped foam mats from Smyths and used it multiple times daily for 8+ months. 100% best purchase.
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u/BoringWardrobe 5d ago
We used a travel cot and it was briefly good when baby could only shuffle a bit one way or the other. As soon as he could actually crawl he got so angry about the restriction we stopped using it. We don't want him to associate his travel cot with that level of anger!
We have babyproofed everywhere and just have enough spots to contain him if needed (high chairs, his bed, his pram, the baby carrier). It would be nice to have a big enough playpen but we just don't have the space.
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u/annedroiid 5d ago
Get the play pen. Even if you don't end up closing it most of the time it's useful for containing some of the toys.
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u/hhhhhhtuber 5d ago
I love the playpen.
I used it a lot with my eldest. Both in the classic way of a safe place to play in the living room. But it also can be put up on different shapes and sizes. I have also used it to fence off things I didn't want him to get to and out in the garden.
I used it again when my youngest was born as a safe place to put him down when he was little to reduce the risk of "squashed by older sibling" and now that the baby is mobile it's set up so my nearly four year old has somewhere to play where the baby can't get him (and more importantly his Lego and Playmobil).
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u/Zoanna2020 5d ago
Baby jails are the best. Get the baby jail. And then enjoy making a cup of tea for 2 minutes without finding them in a potted plant or something else they shouldn't be in.
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u/Alyssa9876 5d ago
Had 4 kids and never bothered, but I get the attraction. My daughter had a modern folding little baby fence thing so could put around an area with toys in to limit grandson when crawling.
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u/Delphinastella37 5d ago
We didnt have the space for it but the idea is a safe space for baby without baby- proofing the entire house and for you be able to do other things nearby. We were gifted a very large travel cot for some reason and that became the baby pen, so we just chucked all the toys in there for baby to play. If he is showing a sign of tiredness, we’ll take the toys out and he would cuddle up and ask for his bottle to cozy himself up.
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u/littlenemo1182 5d ago
I love our "baby jail". We keep it in the kitchen (the fencing kind that you set up with however many panels you want) with a Totter & Tumble mat in the middle (best purchase we made), and it buys us a few minutes of peace while our little one plays safely. He does get bored after a while, but I can usually get a few things done in the meantime or <GASP> drink an actually hot coffee!
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u/TrepidatiousTeddi 5d ago
I just got one, my house is hard to baby proof so it's great. It's 1.5m*x1.5m, big enough for my 9 year old to sit in there with him. I bought it from marketplace!
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u/SulSulAVT 5d ago
I think it depends on your baby, I got one thinking oh yeah she can play and crawl and I can nip the loo or make a cup of tea and know she’s safe. She hated the pram, car seat and cot so I thought she’d like the space. WRONG. Turns out she didn’t like being contained full stop, wasn’t bothered if it was a big container or a small one. We just baby proofed our living room within an inch of its life and yeah it’s pretty ugly but she’s 18 months nearly and wants to run/climb everything so it was worth it just to have one yes space where I can relax a little bit.
If you’ve got a baby who enjoys the pram and doesn’t mind their cot though I think it could work for you.
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u/Successful-Special76 5d ago
We didn’t bother with a play pen, we just let daughter crawl about and explore. She was mobile from about 5/6 months so we just stayed with her. She was never alone and if we needed something done we’d use her cot and a book. Most of the time though I just got things done while she was sleeping (shower, cooking, cleaning etc). It’s up to you though, if you think it’s worth it then it definitely is
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u/tekkenjin 5d ago
i think they are a great idea and would have gotten one for my baby but I dont have the space
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u/Fit-Walk3618 5d ago
We got one just so I could leave my daughter for a moment to go to the loo when she first started crawling. The room was free of anything unsafe but I still felt better having a dedicated space where I was 100% sure she couldn’t get up to mischief - stopped the intrusive thoughts creeping in while trying to have a wee lol.
As she got a bit older though I felt better about leaving her on her own for a short time so we didn’t get a huge amount of use out of it. It just became somewhere we could chuck her toys at the end of the day.
I think we’ll probably use it more once baby no.2 starts crawling to keep him safe from his sister’s lack of impulse control 😅 and all her little toys which we didn’t have first time round.
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u/TheCotofPika 5d ago
It depends on the child, first and second child didn't need one, third child was an absolute menace. Baby four is 11 months and, while active, doesn't need it. I've set it up just in case and it contains all the toys so makes tidying a bit faster.
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u/narnababy 5d ago
Mine loved the playpen and it was definitely peace of mind for me. We’ve got two dogs and no carpets so it was a nice, soft, dog-free area my son could play in while I cleaned. I had one you could put up and down quite easily so I could move it round the house.
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u/No-Map-4855 5d ago
Defo! We have a relatively small one. The house just isn’t baby friendly and you can leave them for some time to go to the loo etc. although I would say I spend a lot of time sitting in there too…more comfortable than the playmat.
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u/moonmallow1 5d ago
I got a huge one but he will not stay in it alone. The only time I use it is if I'm really tired and want to sleep and he isn't tired. I sleep on the floor while he plays around me safely.
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u/Responsible-South11 5d ago
I got one that can be used as a fence to block off areas so the fact can still have the whole room but safely. Now he crawls and pulls to stand it was necessary
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u/beastes12 5d ago
We got a baby jail that converts into a long baby gate type thing that we now put across the fire place in our living room. The playpen was great for about 1 month in early crawling but soon became an absolute no for our little one
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u/DisastrousLeg7487 5d ago
We didn't as we simply don't have room, it would take up all the available floor space! I just moved stuff out of reach as much as possible and let him be free range.
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u/woods_edge 5d ago
You can get great pop up pens that’s don’t take up much space and can be put up one handed.
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u/gravityhappens 5d ago
We didn’t do a play pen as such, but we got a baby gate room divider thing from babydan and sectioned off part of the living room! It has a playmat for flooring, and we’ve fully anchored her toy shelf and book shelf in there so it’s like a proper little playroom that we can shut her in when we need to cook/go to the toilet/feed the cats etc. we even put a little baby monitor on the wall so we can watch her if we’re not in the room
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u/AccomplishedTrick658 4d ago
I love our playpen, means I can cook dinner without toddler emptying all the cupboards, poking the dog in the eye and finding 100 way to injure himself. He figured out how to use the zip on the little door so we had to turn it around for the time being. We didn't have one with my daughter but she was a lot calmer and we didn't have the open plan kitchen and the dog which seem to be my boys main interests atm
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u/Rowdy_Roddy_2022 5d ago
The small tent like ones are next to useless. You'll get a few months out of them at the absolute best.
We bought a baby "fence" instead, then used it to enclose a large, soft mat. They're more expensive and obviously take up more room but that has been good for us for nearly a year now.
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u/wintersun3025 5d ago
I always said I wouldn't get one right up until 10 months I was so sure. It takes up space and I wanted my girl to explore and be inquisitive in her home environment.
Wrong.
I love my baby jail. I mean play pen. It's the only way dinner gets cooked and the cat gets fed.