Playpen, Gate or Both?

[Anonymous]

Looking for recommendations on how to set up play zones. I was looking at these:

Gate



Portable Playpen



Do I need both, or is one recommended over the other? We already have a pack and play, but it seems like a LO won't want to stay in there because it is small. But would it be the same issue with a playpen? Did your kids use them, if so how long? We do have a small dog also. TIA

[Anonymous]

Never used either. Why would I cage my child? OK, not literally, but why don't you let your child have some free reign in his/her own home? Baby proof and WATCH your child

[Anonymous]

I used babygates and babyproofed the heck out of the living room and kitchen. That's where the baby was, and me with him almost all the time. I am not a fan of the playpen type things, only because I think babies/toddlers/etc. need to be with people, not separated, and those have too much separation for me. You do need someplace 100% safe to put the baby if you have to use the bathroom, answer the door, shower, etc. but a crib or pack and play is fine for that. For regular activity, let the kid move around.

[Anonymous]

We did the gates.... My son never liked feeling confined in the play pen type things. So we did gates and baby proofed in a major way.

[Anonymous]

We have two rooms totally baby proofed, with gates at the doors (baby's bedroom and the dining room). We are usually hanging out in one or the other with him, but he's totally safe and confined if I need to go to the bathroom, or fix lunch, or get the stroller out, or whatever. Personally, I find it unrealistic to watch him 100% of the time, and I want him to be able to keep doing whatever he was doing when I need to step out (as opposed to me putting him in his crib or PNP, for instance). Also, he LOVES the gates. He stands at the one to the kitchen and talks, makes faces, etc. the whole time I'm cooking.

[Anonymous]

Don't do the playpen idea. Your child won't want to be in there alone. Baby proof the family room so you can all play and hang out together safely. Keep the pnp handy for when you need to run to the bathroom. We have an open floor plan so I baby proofed the entire fam/dining/kitchen area, but I could arrange furniture to enclose us all in one area if needed (your top gate pic would work too). I think the main thing is to create an area where the whole family is enclosed together so you're not following a crawling baby all over the whole house, yet you can all be together (minimum jail time. .
Not many kids would play as happily as the ones in the picture).

[Anonymous]

We have both - the playpen is big and we are generally in there with her but also use it when we need to run to the bathroom
Etc. for dd2 it's been great to keep toys separated from her that I don't want her playing with yet. Our playpen has a door that we often leave open if we have put older kid toys away - we also have gates on stairs and let her risk around a lot - I'd say she spends about 45 mins a day in play pen - maybe 5 mins alone - she loves it though- we have two music tables and a ton of toys in it

[Anonymous]

3 yo twins with a very open floor plan. I went to several consignment sales starting just before they were born until they were about a year old and bought about 60-70 panels of superyards (they usually come in a set of six panels). When they were infants, we started with a pen in their playroom that we would sometimes put them in. As they grew, the pen grew larger and larger until it was hugging the walls (we put floor lamps just behind, and used it to keep them away from air vents and plugs). Finally around 18 months, we took down the playards and put a gate over the entrance archway. For the rest of the first floor, we just cordon off anything they are not supposed to get into (stairways, living room, TV, etc) and they have the run of the rest of the first floor.

These are the panels we use. I like them because they are pretty easy to find and you can extend the set by adding on additional panels easily.

[Anonymous]

We had many gates and a metal play pen in the basement. LOVED them. It kept my child safe and it helped with containment. It will depend on your set up and needs but sometimes when you are cooking or trying to get something done, they are useful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never used either. Why would I cage my child? OK, not literally, but why don't you let your child have some free reign in his/her own home? Baby proof and WATCH your child

Baby gates are to prevent falls down the stair and fine, but most kids will not like being in a play pen.

[Anonymous]

OP here, thanks everyone!

We have a large open floor plan, so I like the idea of the gates at stairs, and maybe one on the main floor to limit access to certain formal areas of the house. I can use the pack and play we already have as a holding spot when necessary. In the basement, I suppose we are comfy with her having free roam down there (after baby proofing).

I forgot to mention that we do have a designated playroom off of the family room on the main level, we just have not yet set up yet. In my mind guess I always think of using it for an older toddler or something, but maybe now is the time to look into ways to set it up for a younger child just getting mobile too, with some functionality for me while supervising her there.

[Anonymous]

Gate. We often let her roam but it's good to be able to restrict the area sometimes. Our playroom doesn't have doors but it does have gates. We also have a dog which plays into this but I think we'd want them anyway

[Anonymous]

Gates on the stairs are a must. Our place is pretty well baby-proofed, but I still use the pack-n-play as a play pen when I need to run down to change laundry, take a shower, etc.

[Anonymous]

We have a dedicated playroom like you and it's wonderful! We've baby proofed it but there is still a pole lamp in there, we are working on other lighting options. So we can have DS in the playroom while I'm making dinner and I can see him, however if I am going to go to the bathroom or to put laundry in on another floor, I feel safer putting him in the playpen. Ours has lights/music stuff on the side and he is totally content playing with toys by himself in the playpen but we don't leave him in there for more than 5-10 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:3 yo twins with a very open floor plan. I went to several consignment sales starting just before they were born until they were about a year old and bought about 60-70 panels of superyards (they usually come in a set of six panels). When they were infants, we started with a pen in their playroom that we would sometimes put them in. As they grew, the pen grew larger and larger until it was hugging the walls (we put floor lamps just behind, and used it to keep them away from air vents and plugs). Finally around 18 months, we took down the playards and put a gate over the entrance archway. For the rest of the first floor, we just cordon off anything they are not supposed to get into (stairways, living room, TV, etc) and they have the run of the rest of the first floor.

These are the panels we use. I like them because they are pretty easy to find and you can extend the set by adding on additional panels easily.

Good lord, I can't even imagine setting up 70 of those things!