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Keeping our children safe is the most important goal for parents, but mobile infants require constant supervision. You may think a crawling baby isn’t fast, but they are like lightning, finding everything that they shouldn’t touch. Constant supervision leaves little time for showers, bathroom breaks, and chores unless you have a safe place to put your child.
A pack and play, sometimes referred to as play yards, are a middle ground option, a place that keeps your baby safe while you take a short break. Truth be told, pack and plays are safer than just leaving your baby in a baby-proofed room. Even the best baby proofed room still has hazards, so leaving your child unsupervised is never a wise idea.
Pack and plays also serve another purpose - a place for your infant to sleep. Traveling with an infant can seem complicated, but taking your own play yard means you always have a place to lay your child down for naptime and bedtime. These portable cribs fold up in less than a minute. Some parents use them at home for sleeping as well!
Picking the Best Pack N Play 2021
Picking the right pack and play for your child isn’t easy. You want to make sure its safe for your child; safety is paramount. It should be well-built, sturdy, and durable. It has to be able to withstand your child trying to escape as he gets older because it will happen!
A few things you should consider when buying the best playard.
- Sturdy Construction
Anything that holds your child must be well-built. You’ll fold it up and down often, so the metal frame, sides, and clips must be strong. Everything must fit snug. Looking at reviews helps ensure people have had a good experience; you want to purchase a good brand!
- Safety Features
Since you may have to leave your child in the playpen for a period, it must be safe to do so. Each pack and play should have safety clips, locks on the wheels, and padding on the floor to protect your baby from bumps. A low center of gravity makes sure your child can’t tip it over!
- Lightweight
If you are going to spend time traveling, lightweight is an important feature! Most have mesh sides, which reduces the overall weight of the entire thing. Mesh sides also increase the ventilation!
- Easy to Use
When you use a pack n play often, it must be easy to use! It should be able to fold away easily. Nothing is worse than trying to set it up as your child is crying from exhaustion and ready to fall asleep.
- Wheels
A strong set of lockable wheels is important if you want to move your pack and play from room to room. It isn’t an important feature for larger playpens that you intend to keep in one place. However, the wheels make a difference if you want to move your child’s sleeping space from place to place. Small playards are great for newborns!
- The Mattress
The mattress makes a difference because it keeps your infant comfortable. The degree of cushioning varies, so you want to make sure it provides enough comfort your child while still keeping your child safe. Remember, the AAP safe sleeping recommendations tell parents to use a firm sleeping mattress.
- Extra Features
Most modern pack and plays have extra features from storage solutions to changing tables. Look at the options! The best pack n play for newborn sleeping typically has a bassinet at the top. Canopies and mobiles are accessories parents enjoy as well. Most parents look for bassinet attachments, changing tables, and canopies, but what features matter the most varies from parent to parent.
The 11 Best Pack ‘N Plays
If you want a lightweight and flexible pack and play for planning, the Graco Pack N Play Playard is one of the best choices. It’s well-built with soft, mesh sides for ventilation. The fabric is easy to wipe clean, and they used the same mattress on all the Graco playard options! Your baby will be comfortable.
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With over 10 square feet of interior space, the Joovy Room is one of the largest on the lists, making it a great playpen for infants. In fact, there is enough space for two infants or anyone who wants room for their child to crawl around. You can tell that Joovy built it with versatility in mind. It’s so easy to wipe down and has one of the lowest centers of gravity, which means it basically impossible to tip over.
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If you want something that will grow with your children, this Graco Playard is a great choice. Its a baby playpen with bassinet attachment, a changing table attachment, and shelves that can be used to turn the main body into a storage unit. You can remove the features once your child has outgrown all of them. There is a canopy attachment as well.
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Lightweight matters when you are traveling and the Lotus Guava bassinet is one of the lightest on the list. This portable crib only weighs 11lbs. It has a fully zippered side panel that allows parents to lay down next to their baby. You’ll notice that the mattress is thicker than other options. Parents can set up in 15-seconds, making it one of the easiest to set up.
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When your child is no longer a newborn but not ready for a toddler bed, the Baby Bjorn is a great pick for the best pack n play. It is a little larger than the standard baby crib playard, which gives room for your tall baby or toddler to sleep comfortably. The travel crib weighs only 11lbs, making it ideal for travel. You’ll love the modern, sleek design!
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Do you want something that is great to take outside? The Summer Infant Pop ‘N Play gives your child a safe place to crawl around safely. You can place it in your living room or use it at a family picnic. Its one of the best play yard choices because it's easy to set up, unfolding in seconds. There is so much room for your baby to crawl around!
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The concept of the Ultra-Lite is innovative, with a top inclined sleeper and a playard. The sleeper is great for smaller babies who aren’t able to roll over. The size makes it a mini pack n play, and it folds into a square about 9” thick, sliding into a shoulder bag. Once your child is old enough, you can remove the inclined sleeper and let your child sleep in the playard below.
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4Moms is known for their MamaRoo, but now they created one of the best travel cribs on the market! It’s a new choice that is large but heavy. It has about 10 square feet of space for your child to sleep and play, making it a choice for the best playard for toddler parents! The Breeze is easy to pop open and close. There is a bassinet feature that attaches and hangs from the top sides.
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A choice for the best play yard is the Snuggle Suite which features a napper and a portable seat for your baby. You can remove these to reveal an infant playard with additional space. It’s versatile, so you don’t have to buy any more choices. It can be set up in a few minutes, and parents love that one pack and play will last for years.
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Baby Trend makes one of the coziest options. It is similar to a coat and can be enclosed when your child is asleep. The Baby Trend is an affordable option, but it’s still made with high-quality and value. You can remove the bassinet on top once your child is old enough, revealing one of the best playpens for your child!
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The Chicco Playard is our last pick, that offers three stages for your growing baby. Your newborn baby can cuddle in the infant napper before moving to the raised bassinet and then the large playard. There is a side-stored changing table for diapers, and the mattress pad can be zipped-off and washed. The Chicco Pack and Play included a carrying bag for traveling, and setting up takes seconds! Its a 4 in 1 pack n play; parents love having a playpen with changing table included.
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Picking Out Pack n Play Sheets
You will want to make sure you have an extra pack and play sheets. Babies tend to be messy with diaper explosions and spitting up. That’s where Linen & Leah comes into play!
If you are looking for the perfect pack and play sheet, Linen and Leah made sheets that are 100% organic cotton, which is soft enough to ensure your child has no rashes. These pack and play sheets secure using an adjustable Velcro strap to connect to the pack n play mattress.
The straps also make the Linen & Leah the safest pack and play sheet. The fit means that your child is not able to pull at the sheet edges, which poses a risk of suffocation or strangulation. When you are working on creating the safest sleep environment for your baby, loose bedding is a huge no-no. The only thing that should be in your child’s crib or pack and play is a set of fitted sheets.
Linen & Leah has you covered. SIDS takes the lives of thousands of babies each year, and these fitted sheets make using a pack n play for babies a lot less scary. You can feel your confident leaving your baby to sleep or play when using the right sheets.