“Oh, how convenient it would be - I would put the child in some kind of device, he would play there, have fun, and at that time I would wash the dishes, lie in the bathroom, and talk to a friend.”.
And it turned out that such devices have been around for a long time - children's playpens! Will the baby sit there? Will you like it? Isn't it harmful?
In fact, children do not need playpens. Parents need them. So do pacifiers, diapers, slings and walkers. To make maternity leave easier for yourself, find time for home and personal matters, get less tired and enjoy life. On the other hand, think about whether newfangled things are really needed. Will they cause any harm?
A playpen can help out a lot, but it can also stand idle and collect dust. The child may not want to stay in it, feeling uncomfortable there. Its activity is high and the whole apartment is needed for exploration, not just a small piece of it! However, if your baby likes to look at books and rearrange toys, the playpen will become a place for him to play, which is also safe.
FOR
Whatever you say, it’s convenient. The child is busy, which means there is some free time.
So that the playpen is associated only with positive emotions - put him there when he is most calm, well-fed, and in the mood for games . If the baby is capricious, and you put him there to calm down, the playpen will become a place of “punishment”, and it is unlikely that he will play there calmly the next time.
Time spent in the arena is a maximum of half an hour . As soon as the baby gets tired of being on his own and demands attention, take him out and do something else.
The playpen should not be bright – the child will either become overexcited or quickly get tired and begin to be capricious.
Place the playpen so that you (dad, grandma, nanny) are in sight . Even if he gets very carried away, he will look around to see if his mother is nearby. Near? Everything is fine. And you can go about your business without sitting near the playpen - everyone will be fine. If you sit your child down and leave (for a long time), there will be no pleasant associations with him. Therefore, determine the place in the room (kitchen) where you need it most.
AGAINST
There are opinions that using a playpen is a whim. It is harmful to the child's development and creates a psychological barrier.
A baby needs a large area to learn to crawl. In the playpen, the baby will be able to sit, stand up, walk, and hold on. But doctors recommend not to lose sight of the crawling process, as it is very important. Playpens do not provide this opportunity, with the exception of large playpens, which are the size of half a room. It is especially not recommended to put children who have hip dysplasia or any other types of disorders in the musculoskeletal system into the playpen. Getting up and walking early puts a strain on the spine and legs.
And even healthy children are not advised by pediatricians to stay in the playpen for a long time.
But no one says that the child needs to be placed in a playpen for 24 hours a day. It may only be 15 minutes, but it’s a very important 15 minutes when mom has time to iron dad’s shirts. Reduce the intervals of stay in the playpen, let the child spend most of the time outside it.
The same applies to psychological barriers. This fear is greatly exaggerated. After all, both the stroller is a barrier and the crib is a barrier, but they cling specifically to the playpen.
If a child is categorically against being left in the playpen, you should not put him there. If the baby calmly plays in it, showing that he is comfortable, he will not experience any psychological trauma.
Another argument against is that you can do without it.
That's right. Many families do this, adapting to household chores in other ways.
Always monitor your child's reaction. Yes, your friend may find the playpen very useful, and she will praise it and convince her that the thing is irreplaceable. And your baby won’t stay in it for even a second. Don't get upset, just look for another way out of the situation. There is no clear advice on purchasing it. Consider all the PROS and CONS, don’t panic and always look golden mean!
Have you used the playpen? Was it useful? What are your impressions?
For the baby, the playpen becomes a new space that he can explore. The playpen fits a lot of toys. The child will be happy to take his old friends with him there and will be happy to have new toys. Many models are equipped with special rings, by holding which the baby learns to stand up and sit down. Mesh bed walls are safer for falls, as opposed to hard bed sides, which can cause injury. It is difficult to fall out of the playpen or get out without assistance. You can be in it next to your mother, for example, in the kitchen while your mother is cooking, rather than being left alone in the crib.
But at the same time, the playpen is a very limited space. A long stay in it can interfere with the development of a baby who can already crawl or walk well. Even if the child plays calmly and is not naughty, you should not leave him there longer than you really need.
Not every child agrees to spend time in the playpen. Some children can occupy themselves for a long time, crawl, stand up, play, throw toys over the side and demand them back. Others express loud indignation at any attempt to place them in the playpen and do not agree to spend even a minute in it. Then this piece of furniture quickly turns into a large basket for toys or unironed laundry.
It is impossible to predict in advance whether your son or daughter will like a new place to play. If your baby enjoys playing in the crib for at least 20 minutes and remains calm when mom leaves the room, he may like the playpen. If your baby spends most of the time in the arms of her parents and cries as soon as she loses sight of the adults, it is better to refuse the purchase.
Playpen for mom
If a mother and her child are at home alone all day, without helpers, a playpen can be a real salvation for her. Wash the floors or quietly drink tea, iron the baby’s things or look on the Internet, prepare lunch or do homework with an older child - free minutes are necessary for the baby’s mother. If the baby sleeps a lot in the first months, daytime sleep becomes shorter and shorter with age.
The mother can be in the same room with the child and go about her business while the baby plays in the playpen. Folding playpens are easily moved from room to room and installed where they are needed. Mom can even leave the room for a few minutes, knowing that the child is safe.
The stores offer a huge number of different models of playpens, and you can easily choose the appropriate device according to function and budget. A compact folding mesh playpen is suitable for a city apartment when there is a need to move the playpen from room to room. A collapsible wooden structure is used when it is necessary to enclose part of a room for a baby. The playpen bed is ideal for cottages and travel. And a cheerful inflatable playpen will give your little one many happy moments.
When a baby appears in a family, you want to give him all the best. And now there is such an abundance of gadgets on sale that it’s simply dizzying. Chaise lounges, electronic swings, walkers, wheelchairs, educational tables and much more. As an inexperienced mother, my eyes just run wild. I want to buy everything at once. In this post I will try to answer the question of whether a child under one year old needs a playpen, based on my own experience.
My son is 11 months old and I declare that he has never sat in the playpen for more than three minutes. I didn’t buy it, thank God, my relatives gave it to us. Being pregnant, of course, I imagined grandiose pictures; my eyes imagined that I would do my household chores, and my child would sit in the playpen and play. I will be happy, my son will be happy. Utopia, in a word!!! Oh, these mothers expecting their first children!!! Do you recognize yourself?? You know, when you're expecting a baby, you've read smart books and you think that when the baby is born, I'll be right? perfect mom. And I won’t do this, the baby will sleep separately and no motion sickness - this is harmful!!
But life puts everything in its place, and at some point you understand that a newborn child is not a walking manual, he has his own character and often he does not quite agree with your rules and methods of education. Harsh reality sets in and the rose-colored glasses come off. You can read more about how all my parenting strategies, formed during pregnancy, collapsed in my post: “What I never intended to do with my newborn son, but did it anyway!!”
Let's return to the arena. Does a child under one year old need a playpen? Attempts to place my son there began when he was three months old. He threw wild hysterics, cried and did not want to be there at all. To be fair, I note that until six months he did not want to be anywhere other than his hands. How I managed to wean him off my hands, you can find out in this post. Starting from the age of six months, he could sit in the playpen for no more than three minutes, then he would become hysterical.
I had to give up the playpen. I threw toys there and turned on the TV, but nothing helped. I have a very active son, he constantly flies somewhere, falls, gets up and falls again. He perceived the arena as a prison and always tried to get out of it.
My advice is that it all depends on your baby's temperament. If you have a calm child, if he can sit silently and play in his crib, perhaps he will like the playpen. If he doesn’t even want to be in his crib, purchasing a playpen is useless. Wasted money. I don't argue that this is a very, very convenient thing. And I would be incredibly happy if my son stayed there for at least 10 minutes. But most of my friends didn’t find the playpen useful. There was a situation similar to mine. And if you really want to, buy a playpen bed; in the worst case, the child may sleep in it. Very convenient for traveling to the country or out of town.
To summarize, character is everything! My friend’s six-month-old daughter simply loves the playpen; she can sit and play in it silently for about an hour, sleep and eat there. But this girl is simply an example of calm and meekness. Little angel!! If you recognize your baby in this description, feel free to go to the store and buy a playpen. Does a child under one year need a playpen? Decide for yourself! I just described exclusively my experience of using it. You might have better luck!!
