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 see nothing wrong with using a playpen for short periods of time. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t used one at some point. I mostly used mine for my daughter to nap in while i did things around the house, so if I was not in the room when she woke up, I didn’t have to worry about her wandering into something that she didn’t need to be in. I can also see how they are abused though with lazy parents. A playpen is not a babysitter, but instead a helpful tool to be used in short periods of time.
I have a playpen at my house for my grandson, who generally will not stay in it for very long. But since he has outgrown the bassinet and I don’t have a crib yet, it is good for short naps. I think that, as with almost anything else, there are good and bad points for them. Children need to be able to roam safely, so a baby-proofed house is best, but there are times when having them corraled is best for at least a short time.
My oldest son liked playing in his playpen, and it was great to take along when we were traveling. But my younger two would have nothing to do with it. so we put it away both times.
We tried it out with my 2 grandsons when they would come to our house, and again neither one liked it so we gave up.
We used a playpen with our daughter, but not until she was 10 months or so. It became the place to contain her once she became mobile. With my son beginning to move much more, I suspect we’ll get it out again soon.
Our two-year-old son is a monkey, and he literally destroyed the playpen he was in. So, we replaced it with a pen. It’s white with metal rails, has a gate, the rails are higher than in a playpen, it comes from the floor up, and has pad that you place inside it and tie to the bars. He can’t climb out of it or flip it over like a regular playpen.
There is nothing wrong with using a playpen as long as it is not used as a babysitter and you are not leaving your child unsupervised in it.
With that being said, I never used one with either of my children.
My son loved his playpen. I would place it by the screened front door, and he could look at the cows across the road, and the traffic go by. I think he also liked it because it gave him a way to stand up and walk around before he could really walk — practice, I guess!
We’ve got a playpen for our little one, but whether we use it or not is more up to her than us. We’ve got one at my mom’s because things are likely to be busier there and she’ll need a safe place, but I don’t think she’ll be in the one here all that much.
sign me up
I had 5 children under 6 years old and used a playpen with all of them. It was never used as a full time “babysitter” but on a limited basis. With 5 children you simply can’t be with them all the time unless you have a way to keep them all in the same room. Four of my children tired of the limited space very quickly and wanted out to roam around. The other child actually preferred his contained space and wanted to be there all the time. I think he knew the other kids couldn’t take his toys and he felt more protected inside the walls.
My parents used a play pen with me but it was only for short periods of time. I didn’t use one with my son. I learned that some experts think that they can be safe for kids and can help promote creative play. To each their own.
playpens are fine for short periods and don’t hurt kids at all.
I used play pens with my children an they did fine,I can see where some people might abuse the use of them,I have a niece that does that,but my opinion is that it depends on how long you use them an for what reason,as a baby sitter no,as a aspect of safety while you need to do something in another room,yes,just my opinion
I definitely think it is up to the parents and what works best for them. We don’t have a play pen, but we have a couple gates that help keep the kids out of places that we don’t want them.
Play pens are great for naps! You can get some chores done without worrying that they will wake up and get into something or fall off of the bed
I, too, grew up with the playpen being used for myself and for my 3 younger brothers. I do not believe that any of us were harmed by it. I specifically remember it being used with my youngest brother (I was 8 when he was born), and it was pretty much a necessity with him. By that time, we were living in a sprawling 2500 sq ft home, and there was no way that my mom could have kept track of him all the time. The playpen allowed her to continue to keep up the house while he played happily nearby.
I just gave birth to my 8th baby 7 weeks ago. I have used the playpen with all of my children to one degree or another. With my 6th baby, I used it extensively when we were moving into a new house and having to do a lot of cleaning up and fixing. She was an active child who would have been into everything, but the playpen allowed us to keep her safe. I don’t know whether or not I’ll use one with this baby, but only because our house is so small that there really isn’t room for a playpen. We now have 10 people and a dog living in a 1250 sq foot home, and we’re already tripping over each other without taking up a lot of room with a playpen! We spend most of the day in our living room home schooling, so I’ll probably just use a gate to keep this baby in the living room with us when she gets old enough to be mobile.
I do believe in the concept of a child being taught to spend limited periods of time playing alone without having to be entertained by someone else. Whether that is done using a playpen or some other means doesn’t matter, in my opinion. I have a “play yard” that I use for my baby, but it is the baby’s bed. I don’t know whether or not I will ever use it as a portable playpen, but the baby definitely gets “crib time” with the mobile or other toys to look at, and will probably get some toys to play with in there as she gets older.
I think it’s all a matter of what works. Like EVERYTHING with parenting, it’s all so subjective. It’s not up for debate, in my opinion.
I think they are great if not overly used. Your child should not spend a ll day in the playpen. But sometimes you need a safe enviorment to put them in until you cna do much needed things. Its life all kids used to have a play pen, and they are not scarred for life by them.
i subscribe
The playpen was useful on trips for sleeping or holidays at families houses
I used them with all four of my daughters. I think they are a great tool if you are doing soemthing and need a secure place for them to be, but within moderation.
They are also gret for naps going to Grandmas house.
I think they are find for short periods of time. They shouldnt be used as babysitters. Thanks for the chance.
mogrill@comcast.net
I never used one for my 3 kids but did have the baby gates on the stairs and around the tree and wood stove. But it was interesting to watch. Thank you!
Like they said on the video .. 2 sides to this. I personally liked the playpen as it was a safeguard to a certain degree for me when I was busy or occupied as long as I had my son in sight within the playpen
lighthousee27(at)gmail.com
The one lady was saying like its imprisionment but it’s not like you will be leaving your child or children in it for hours at a time. When it gets to that point … then yes it would be like imprisonment
I never used one. My house was basically childproof, besides my kids never seemed to want to leave my side. I see no problem with using one as long as the baby is content and happy with the situation.
My mother put us in playpens, and I really don’t care. I don’t remember it, and in all the pictures, I looked like a normal happy baby.
I would use one with my kids. But only when I really need it, Im not going to leave my baby in there all day.
We have used playpens but very little,usually just for naps!
ardelong2(at)gmail(dot)com
My daughter didn’t like the play pen so she wasn’t in it very often, just used it for taking a nap at grandma’s house
I have to agree with the woman who says don’t have kids if they can’t explore. I know she said ‘poo’, but still, you can child-proof and oh, here’s a novel idea; interact, watch,and care for the kid. If you can’t, you have too many.
And if it’s trouble to get them to stay in, then maybe they need some time with a human being.
I am a child of the ’70′s and my mother didn’t have a playpen. I had one for my girl. I thought since I got it as a shower gift I should use it. It became a very, very nice toybox. I never had a reason why I had to have her there. And she enjoyed interacting with the dog, cats and other humans in the house. And we like to play with her, too.
Nothing wrong with it for certain uses, especially visiting others
we only used them in the same room as us for short naps
I think they are perfectly fine. The only problem is when you use it too much. Play pens and TV’s do not replace actual child care
Playpens seem fine for use on a limited basis. Thanks!
i think playpens are great for naptime
I was so happy to find an old school square playpen at a garage sale for $20…the thing was mint. My grandson didnt spend a whole lot of time in there, but when he did, it was great for both of us.
I was a child of the 70′s, so I too was a child of “captivity.” We use the “pack and play” to keep the baby safely nearby when our bigger kids are playing video games. He likes to be close to them, but often pulls on the cords, gets tangled up, and pushes buttons. The play pen keeps him from pulling the game system off the shelf, and also lets him play with toys without the risk of having them taken by our next oldest child (who just turned 3). That being said, we use it rarely, but are happy to have the option available when needed.
They’re great when you have to go to the bathroom and you don’t wanna worry about them getting hurt.
A playpen can be a good way to contain a child, but you still have to watch them!
I never used a playpen with my first two, but with my twins, it is nice to have a place to let them play while we are outside, so that they are safe.
I had a great playpen for my kids. It was an old one, huge with mesh sides so they couldn’t bang their heads and get hurt falling against it. It folded up flat if we wanted to take it with us to a friend’s house.
It was great. I would put the kiddo in there (later two, mine are 19 mos apart) and clean house. I had a little house at the time with the great room concept so I could see and/or hear them from everywhere in the house. It took me about an hour to clean the whole house. (Those were the days.) I put music on in the background, a few toys and books. I have some great videos of my firstborn “reading” to her stuffed animals in the playpen before she could even really talk.
I think a playpen sets physical boundaries for a child and makes them feel safe, especially when Mommie isn’t holding them every moment. My children did stay in the “jail” for hours on end, as if they were in a subset of the house, the way the first arrogant mom on your video seemed to portray it. Oftentimes, they fell asleep in the playpen, curled up with their stuffed animals and blankie. They were happy in there. They did not stand at the rail and scream and cry. And they could see and hear me while they were in the playpen. It’s not like I got in the car and left or even got in the bathtub, like the video suggested.
My kids are 17 and 19 now. They are excellent students, socially well adjusted, and normal. They do not have any “scars” from having been in the playpen. They do not wake up at night screaming, “Help, help, get me out of the playpen. I’m dying in here. It’s just like jail. The food is terrible. The clothes are boring. They make me play basketball on recess. help me!” If they do, I’ll let you know.
Thanks for having the giveaway. My daughter is in college now, year 2, and she gets a lot of her textbooks on Amazon, preferably used (so someone else has done all the highlighting!)
I think it is important for kids to learn how to play by themselves, a playpen facilitates that quite well, when they can’t be trusted not to stick objects in light sockets.
Kids can’t be entertained 24/7, moms have other things to do than constantly play with baby. It would be nice but cleaning, laundry, etc is important.
I’ve never used a play pen,never made sense to me but I can see why some parents swear by them.
I think people overuse play pens, but they are fine in moderation.
I’m a child of the 70s! But really I have no idea if I was raised in a play pen. Probably not since I was in daycare.
We only used the playpen for naps for the kids. Because they screamed in their otherwise.
I like the idea that putting a child in the playpen helps them to learn to play by themselves. I’m a big endorser of kids being able to entertain themselves. However, it’s a moderation thing. and I’m equally all for learning to play with siblings, so if the child has those, maybe they should be playing with them instead?
I guess I’d be considered “old school” (my kids are grown and I have two grandchildren.) I really don’t know how any Mom can get anything done without the use of a playpen. My kids actually liked theirs. When very little of course, I left the sides all up to protect them, but when they were a bit bigger, one side was left down and since they liked their toys in there, they would love to climb into it and nap.
My daughter is anti-playpen (but then couldn’t understand why she couldn’t get anything done.) I jokingly called my grandchildren “free-range kids.” I don’t believe in “caging” a child, but the playpens do have their time and place.
The video had a great suggestion to change the toys often when using a playpen. Actually that is a good idea generally also! Each child is different and some may like the pen more than others. But whether you use a play pen or protected area in the home, you need a space to keep a young child for those short times when you need them to be safe but you cannot actually hold them. Pens should never be used for prolonged periods or as a substitute for a baby sitter, in my opinion.