Can a newborn sleep in a Pack N Play
As a parent (especially a mum), you will definitely need space and time for yourself; you need time to sort things through, take care of yourself, or even do basic clean-up. However, you are naturally worried about taking your eyes off your baby. Besides, it is not possible that you put your baby to sleep all the time.
This post may contain affiliate links. For my full disclosure policy click here.
What choice do you have? You need to find a way to let your baby play on his or her own when you are occupied
However, babies are naturally curious; you know, they are just getting familiar with their environment.
Aside from the above, what If your baby gets bored or tired and needs to sleep? How do you intend to? They cannot pick out what is dangerous from what is not. In most cases, these babies are even alien to the concept of danger. That, therefore, poses another challenge.
How do you ensure your baby stays within a safe space when you are busy? See to it that your baby does not sleep in an exposed area?
Some individuals have factored all of these concerns in, and they made the Pack and Play. Oh yeah! That is another thing on the list of things you may want to get as a parent.
What is Pack n Play?
Pack n play are bassinets designed to serve as a safe, comfortable, and confined space for your baby to play and sleep from birth through to older babies. These bassinets are made to be portable and easy to pack. Just in case you need just a couple of minutes to attend to something, you are rest assured that your baby can find somewhere to play in.
In this case, you also do not need to worry about your baby falling asleep. After all, a bassinet is supposed to be comfy. A pack and play is designed with a playpen underneath the sleeping area. Usually, packs and plays are designed with different toys to engage a baby when they need to play in recent times.
Also, the upper and lower sections of a pack and play are often separated by a mesh to allow airflow out of the playpen.
Are pack’n plays safe for overnight sleep?
Can a baby sleep in pack n play or a bassinet?
Can Pack n play be used as an alternative to a crib?
Yes, the pack and play can be used as a bed. The price for the crib is quite on the high side, but they are a good and right option long term use for a baby’s room. Pack n play on the other hand is considered a portable short-term baby bed.
How long is a baby expected to sleep in Bassinet pack n play?
It is natural to be skeptical. Over time (and rightly so, by the way), some individuals have reservations about using packs and playsets solely based on safety. Here are some of the concerns people have expressed over time;
There are speculations that babies may fall off the pack and playsets. This speculation arises most times because of doubts about the support material.
There are also reservations based on airflow. Some fear that babies are at the risk of suffocation in a pack and playset. Also, there is the risk of the playpen folding on the baby. You can imagine the consequence of that, especially in an unmonitored scenario.
Some individuals have pointed out the risk of babies getting entrapped in the play yard of a pack and playset. This is due to the mesh designs used to separate the play yard from the mattress underneath. It truly may pose a threat to babies that cannot move on their own yet.
Finally, some parents fear that the babies may roll out of a playpen when they are not looking. But, again, this stems majorly from skepticism about the strength of the latches.
How safe is it for a baby to sleep in a Pack n Play
Yes! Babies can sleep in the pack and playsets. The design of these sets is suggestive enough to answer that question. However, just because they can sleep does not mean it is safe.
The truth is that packs and plays are safe to use (and come in very handy) when they meet the safety requirements. These requirements were put together for the sake of safety, and they are enforced by market regulatory bodies in respective local markets.
Summarily, babies can sleep in play and pack sets if the sets comply with regulatory provisions. Let us examine what these provisions are;
The pack and play must be within the size recommendations for specific baby ages. For example, you don’t want your baby crashing into a pack and play. You also don’t want the nap area and the mattress to be undersized.
The toy sets of the pack and play must be detachable if any parent would not be around to monitor the kid. Of course, you don’t want your kid choking on some plastic or rubber toys when you are not around. Also, these toys can interfere with a baby’s sleep, so you may need to detach them if your baby wants to nap.
The pack and play mattress must be something firm. Most times, it is preferable to have firm over plush. This ensures that the mattress can handle the baby’s weight even when the baby is playing around.
The pack and play should have a strong and durable latch and lock systems to prevent the baby from playing off the edge of the set.
The set must pass the height requirement set by regulatory bodies. When these sets are too low to the ground or too high up, they pose serious threats to the child’s safety.
The pack and play set should preferably have a meshed barrier between the bassinet and the playpen. Again, this is for the sake of airflow. You need your baby’s sleep area to be well ventilated, don’t you?
Finally, the set must pass the entrapment tests. That is, you must ensure the trails and the interior mesh are strong enough to hold the baby’s weight. If these parts of the set are not firm enough, babies may be at the risk of entrapment.
Have You Read These Yet?
Bassinet vs Crib vs Pack n Play
Pampers Vs Huggies for newborns
Safest way for a newborn to sleepÂ
How to handle first child when second is born
Precautions for using Pack n Play
To ensure the total safety of your baby, you also need to see to some things. Oh yes, these are irrespective of if the set meets the safety requirements or not. What are these precautions?
You should ensure to remove all toys, pillows, teddy bears, and so on from the nap area (the bassinet) or the playpen. You should take this precaution, especially if you are not always there to monitor the baby.
Never forget to latch-up the playpen if you intend to leave your baby to play inside it.
You should avoid using blankets when your baby is napping in the pack and playset. The baby can get all the warmth they need just by being in a pack and playset.
Do not put your baby to sleep in a pack and playset with a bottle in his or her mouth. This is to avoid the baby choking on this bottle. That could be really dangerous.
You should make sure your baby meets the recommended height and size for using a pack and play. Experts have recommended that babies use packs and play up to when they are still 30 pounds and 35 inches.
Benefits of using a Pack n Play
It is not mandatory for any parent to use a pack and play. However, if you are curious about why you should do it, here are some of the benefits;
It is safe
This is one of the primary benefits of using a pack and playset. For instance, you are in the kitchen; you have hot stuff here and there, so you cannot carry your baby near, then use a pack and play! It is a foolproof way of ensuring your baby stays clear of harm’s way.
You have more time to yourself
Moms deserve self-care and rest too. If you need to steal away some minutes to take care or rest from the stress of the day, you should consider a pack and playset. Aside from that, these pack n plays allow you to take your baby with you to chill spots. You could take the set along with you to a beach without worrying about your baby playing with sand and getting exposed to the sun.
It is easy to move around
Most pack n play can be folded and moved around with you as you go on any journey. What this means is that irrespective of wherever you go, your baby can play with minimum supervision.
It is easy to clean
Most packs and playsets are very easy to clean up. This is because they are designed to relieve parents of stress as much as possible. In most cases, these packs and playsets can be cleaned with just a piece of cloth, small detergent, and water.
Conclusion
No matter how safe an object is, misuse could make it dangerous. You will be misusing packs and playsets if you don’t follow the precautions for its usage. It is also important that ensure your brand choice meets all the regulatory safety requirements. If all these can be adhered to, then you are good to go. Your baby can sleep well – for as long as possible – in a pack and play.