Playpens, they don’t make them like they used to. We couldn’t find one when we needed one. I know that I grew up in a playpen and my husband seemed to share the same sentiments. So we looked and looked and didn’t find what we thought would hold our children. We did get the baby gate that can sort of be used as a playpen but we never used it except to enclose the Christmas Tree. Did you know that almost every fake Christmas tree has lead in it and the State of California recommends that you wash your hands after touching the trees? We just gate up our tree. We can’t have a real one because one member of the family is allergic and we want her to come visit us.
Take a look at the video above.
Let me know what you think of using a playpen or not. .
My son wouldn’t stay in one but my daughter loved sitting still. So it turned out to be a good thing that I couldn’t find one. Just baby proof the house that’s my opinion. And yet I also feel like the playpen time didn’t last long enough. I mean it would be great to be able to plop them in their pen and get some stuff done or get the living room floor clean. I’ve been in a new house maybe three weeks now and I have not seen the floor since the day we moved in.
Contest:
I’m going to offer up a 20.00 Gift Card to Amazon to one person randomly that watches the “Life in the Pen” story and tells me what they thing on the subject.
Enter as many times as you want, just be sure to tell me something else about baby playpen time and the video above.
Contest ends:
Friday September 25th at midnight Pacific.
I could only watch not listen – speakers packed – the beginning was pretty funny/sad – like the parents are living their life as if the baby not born and making an analogy to prison i think. but the later “pens”
lo oked big and had lotsov toys inside and attached. i kind of wish I had one of those 0 I have; no time for myself 0 right now included why i can’t type
The film wouldn’t play for me, but I think playpens are good as temporary safety equipment when you can’t devote all your attention to your child. Better in a playpen than pulling dangerous things from shelves or falling down stairs.
I don’t think they are bad, but personally, we never really used one. We have one, but it always seemed to get more in the way than help.
I like the purple playpen in the video. I would use a playpen for my cats, but they’d climb out. I don’t think I was ever in a playpen, not at home. At least I never remember seeing any photos, and my parents took a *ton* of photos.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with them at all. I never used one but only because we never bought one due to shortage of room.
My daughter was a mover, so she didn’t like to be in a play-pen. I have nothing against them, but she preferred her to be put in her activity table thing. It still kept her safe, but she could move around a little bit. Thanks!
I see nothing wrong with using them occasionally. I did, if they were willing to stay in there and when they wanted out I took them out.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with using a play pen for brief periods under supervision.
I have one that I use when we travel or are going to be outside all day (camping, or playing softball). I don’t see anything wrong with using them sometimes. There are just some things you can’t do with a baby crawling around, like cook dinner, or take a shower. I grew up in one too. I’m fine lol!
I agree with the part of the video where someone says that children learn to play by themselves when they’re in the playpen. I support playpen use as long as it’s used in moderation – kids shouldn’t be left in it the majority of their waking moments. But it’s good to contain them when you’re cooking, cleaning or whatever, especially if you keep the playpen in the room with you so baby doesn’t feel abandoned.
I agree with most others who say that playpens aren’t a bad thing if used sparingly and not relied on as a long-term babysitter. I think they do ensure the safety of one’s baby and allow a mom or day to do other things around the house without compromising the safety of the child (or their sanity!).
I think they’re fine in moderation, it’s a great way to make sure that my daughter is safe and surrounded by all her favorite toys while I make dinner or do some mopping.
I only use a play pen for my son to sleep in when we travel. However, I could see using it outside if your child doesn’t like grass yet.
I’m not a mom, but I think playpens are great for kids and moms.
Oh my, how funny! I actually have memories from my childhood of pressing my face up against the mesh on the side of my playpen. I wonder how much time I spent in it?
As for me, I have four kids and I do not use a playpen.
I dont think that playpens are bad at all as long as you are not keeping the child in it for 8 hours a day. I used one with both of my kids. It was how I get chores done.
I think playpens can be a very helpful safety tool for busy moms, but they are not holding tanks or some kind of incarceration.
We use our playpen as another commenter stated, as a safety tool. We have the carpeted portion of the house gated off and baby proofed, and our daughter has free reign to crawl about. I stay in that area with her doing chores or other things or just playing with her. If I need to go into the other section, I put her in the playpen there. She doesn’t spend long periods of time in there, and frankly would never want to. She would rather be moving about and exploring, but sometimes I need her contained to clean up a mess or do the dishes before we go back to playing.
Also, I think it’s good for kids to have a period of time to themselves. It’s not a jail unless it is being used as punishment and they are kept their against their will for long periods of time.
We never had a playpen because our apartment was small but I think for short period of time they are fine, but a child in a playpen must still be watched at all times
I don’t think it’s a bad thing to use a playpen, as long as the baby isn’t in it for too long at once. I used it as a way to know the baby was safe if I had to cook dinner, or clean the bathroom, or get something done. Thanks!
Playpens don’t really seem to work. They never liked to play in it, but when it was nap time, it seemed to work out pretty well
jason(at)allworldautomotive(dot)com
I think all kids should be just put in dog cages. It is economical and safe for everyone.
honestly i think play pens are okay for certain occasions, but not day in day out.
Playpens are great for when you need a break and want your baby to be safe
I think playpens are fine as long as you don’t overuse them.
I had a blast in the playpen when I watched my sister. She was 4 years younger than I was and we would make forts and everything out of the top of it.
I never used one with my kids but it was never needed or practical. We’ve lived in small, babyproofed homes when they were that age and were either playing freely, in arms or being worn (usually in a mei tai or AngelPack LX) and they were (are) intense, high needs children so I don’t think they would have been happy in them anyway. That said I think playpens can be useful as long as they are not abused/overused.
I love playpens, especially the large area ones. We have lots of small toys for older kids, so it’s a perfect way to let the baby play however they want while still having them be safe.
I still think it’s a great way to keep the kids in a confined area, but only when there is an adult in the same room too – we don’t want the kid to feel abandoned. With a bunch of toys, he should be able to keep himself amused!
Thanks for the giveaway!
I had a play pen for my kids but they all screamed whenever I tried to use it — it was like they were claustraphobic or something. So the main thing I used it for was storing their toys, or else when I had to use the bathroom and I didn’t want them crawling their way into mischief or danger I would place them in the playpen until I finised “my business.”
I put my kids in the playpen. What do you do with them when you want to take a shower? How do you keep them safe from wandering around the house getting into what they shouldn’t? If they have toys and book and a blankie they are happy. It’s not a prison its a PLAY pen.
I don’t have a problem with using a playpen, I never would have been able to get dinner made when my kids were younger without one. The only problem is if a child is in there all day. An hour or so a day won’t hurt a child.
I think playpens are ok on a very limited basis. My Mom used them with us, but I would not use them on my kids unless it was for perhaps 15-20 minutes max.
runningmatey at hotmail dot com
I don’t recommend putting many pillows into playpens. I remember my sister’s child didn’t like being in her playpen and figured out that by placing pillows in a certain manner, she could climb out!
My siblings and I weren’t placed into playpens as young children. We did have cribs, but never a playpen (is there really much of a difference?).
I put my kids in playpens just for small periods of time i did not just walk away and leave them but for small periods I put them in their. I do not see anything wrong with it.
Playpens were handy when my kids were little and I had to cook or take a shower. They had toys and it was safe and fun for them.
i used a play pen for when i was doing chores around the house..it not like i left them in there for hours on end but if you have to hang out a load of laundry a play pen can be your best friend
I have no problems with a playpen. It is individual for the parent and especially the kid. Some take to them just fine.
I don’t have any playpens..
My kids would never stay in a playpen. We just used ours to hold the stuffed animals.
Our playpen was only used when really necessary; most often it was open and stored toys, the kids had open access to it and would often go in themselves.
I don’t know enough about the subject to offer a concrete opinion; it seems like it could be a good thing to have sometimes. LOL at the “Mum kept me in the playpen during cocktail hour” – now that’s what I would NOT recommend using them for! Thanks for the giveaway!
I never liked a playpen,too many problems with it
I say you can put barriers up and child proof.
I totally agree with you on this.
I thought the Life in the Pen video was very interesting and informative. Thanks for the great contest!
I found playpens very useful with both my kids. I was able to set it up in the bathroom so the baby would be in a safe place whilst I had a shower.