Where to put down a newborn?

[Anonymous]

I live in a three-story townhouse and want to purchase something to leave in the living room on the second floor where I can put down DS while I cook, tidy up, etc. Options I've looked at are a pack n' play, the fisher-price papasan infant seat and the fisher-price swing. I'm not due for another two months and would like to have something set up for when I bring DS home. Any advice? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Perhaps my response will not be very helpful, since I have four things in the living room: swing, pack-and-play, bouncer and car seat. I must we use all of them at various times, depending on what DD (who is 3 months old now) prefers at the moment...

[Anonymous]

We had a moses basket in our living room and I loved it. We bought the basket with a stand and I was able to carry my baby around in the basket to the different rooms without waking up baby. I must say it was one of the best investments I made and I miss the days where I was able to keep the baby with me in every room.

[Anonymous]

We had different "stations" around the house: Bouncy, pack-n-play and a swing (a travel swing is what she liked). She slept in all of those until 4-5 mos. when we really made an effort to have naps in the crib.

[Anonymous]

we used a pack and play because most of the time i wore the baby around the house.
we also had a bouncy chair but my son didn't really spend time in it until 3 months.

[Anonymous]

We had a pack and play in the family room - but the baby rarely slept in there. He only slept in his bouncy chair for the first 4 months. You might want to borrow some stuff to see what the baby looks like and then purchase what they like. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Pack n play especially since it has so many functions - great as a safe playing environment (especially when baby is a little older, like 6 months, and starts learning about the surroundings), great for travel, no need to replace it when baby gets older (ie a baby outgrows bassinet or bouncy seat way too quickly to be worth the money).

We also have "stations". The pack and play is one of them. Somebody gave me a swing for my shower. The third station is an exersaucer from a garage sale - $5!

Newborns don't really care where they are. We left our DD bundled in the car carrier while we ate dinner, cooked, etc (we knew she was safe and secure plus she could still see us). Then around 5 months or so she really enjoyed wiggling and discovering her limbs and moving so "stations" became key.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Newborns don't really care where they are. We left our DD bundled in the car carrier while we ate dinner, cooked, etc (we knew she was safe and secure plus she could still see us). Then around 5 months or so she really enjoyed wiggling and discovering her limbs and moving so "stations" became key.

Newborns all have different personalities. Mine absolutely cared where she was. She wanted to be in our arms. Period. The Fisher Price Cradle Swing was occasionally an acceptable alternative for her. Otherwise she only wanted to be held, and that especially included dinnertime. By the time she was two months, she liked her Gymini (sometimes), and by three months, she liked her bouncer (sometimes). By four months she was sitting by herself, she I would just put her on a blanket (with a pillow behind her in case she tipped) and rotate toys in and out.

It's hard to predict what will work for your child.

[cmkeough]

I am 39 weeks and although I didn't want all the baby stuff through out my home. Well, I broke down and now have on the first floor a pack n' play, papasan swing and what I think will be most handy is an inexpensive changing table (with baskets to keep extra diapers, change of clothing etc...) so I won't have to go upstairs to change the baby or if I need to put her down for a few minutes won't have to worry about one of my dogs stepping on her. One of my girlfriends suggested this and it worked out great for her so I am following suit.

Best of luck!

[Anonymous]

My baby is 6 weeks and he LOVES his papasan swing (sleeping in it now). He likes his bouncer seat too. I also have a pack and play in the living room that has a changing table attached to it (this has been VERY handy). So I would recommend the swing and pack and play.

[Anonymous]

You can also try putting the baby in a sling or carrier while you cook, clean, etc so they are still with you but you have your hands free.

[Anonymous]

cmkeough wrote:I am 39 weeks and although I didn't want all the baby stuff through out my home. Well, I broke down and now have on the first floor a pack n' play, papasan swing and what I think will be most handy is an inexpensive changing table (with baskets to keep extra diapers, change of clothing etc...) so I won't have to go upstairs to change the baby or if I need to put her down for a few minutes won't have to worry about one of my dogs stepping on her. One of my girlfriends suggested this and it worked out great for her so I am following suit.

Best of luck!

I don't think I'd leave a baby unattended on a changing table, even if using the strap!

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the tips. I am going to ask around and see if any coworkers with kids have any of these that I could borrow to test out before I buy. We have an open living room/dining room so I really only want to buy one of these items. Two+ seems like overkill for the amount of space.

I like the idea of the sling in general but am not comfortable, for example, standing in front of the stove wearing the baby.

[Anonymous]

We have a Graco Travel Lite crib in the Living Room. It is smaller than the Pack and Play (and has a lower weight limit) so may be more limited in its usefulness, but is great for a smaller space.