# When did you stop using a play pen?



## colsy

Am currently deciding whether or not to take down our playpen. It's a bit of an effort to dismantle and store, so I want to make one decision and stick to it, hence me faffing about thinking a lot and asking on here. Baby (toddler?) is almost one, and we've had a play pen in our main room for the past few months. He tends to wander in and out of it as the mood takes him, and only very occasionally do I 'lock' him in, like if somebody is at the door for example. But now he's crawling properly, and to be honest likely to be walking in the next couple of months, I wonder really whether we still need the play pen.

Those of you who used play pens when your babies were younger ... at what point did you decide you no longer had a need for it?

(What I LOVE the idea of is reclaiming a bit of floor space in our kitchen - although I realise the play pen will simply be replaced by a toy box and loads of other 'stuff'.)


----------



## Mum2b_Claire

I have a playpen upstairs for when Ruby decides to wake up while I am still getting ready for work. I too was wondering whether to just ditch it to be honest but we hang washing up in the spare room where I get ready and Ruby pulls it all off the drier. 
Never used one downstairs, I just take her everywhere with me.


----------



## Shri

Oscar has one set up still and he is nearly two! He doesn't spend much time in it at all, just a place to pop him for a minute while I do something that he mustn't get into. It's mostly a toy holder...sometimes he likes going in there to make a den/chuck toys out or whatever. We will get rid of it when he 
a) tries to climb out
b) shows signs of disliking it
We don't use it as a play pen really, more a little quiet nest where he sometimes looks at books and stores all his soft toys.


----------



## Mary Jo

I have a travel cot set up almost all the time in our open plan living room/kitchen. We would love to take it down permanently but we just can't yet because I don't feel happy with him wandering around when the oven is on. We have locks on it so I am confident he cannot get in, but it does get rather hot on the outside; also, he fiddles with the controls and he has been known to turn the temp up on stuff I'm cooking without me realising. 

I try to use the oven for anything that needs more than about 20 mins when he is having a nap because I hate putting him in the travel cot, but he doesn't mind being in there, he has some toys that live in it, like his shape sorter, and he always sits and enjoys that, so I don't feel too awful.


----------



## Tsia

I never got one.. i dont have the room.. but dont really see the need either.. mylo likes to explore.


----------



## cuteboots

I had one for my daughter when she was 9 months but I took it down by the time she was a year old because she could climb out of it. I actually brought it out for my little boy the other day when I was doing some ironing so he was beside me but safe still. He's 15 month. He hasn't tried to climb out of it, quite the opposite, he tries to climb into it to get some quiet time away from his sister lol. Tbh I would only use it if ive to go into another room for 2 minute or to run to the loo without them both following me lol


----------



## Laura2919

I never used one


----------



## Tiff

Tbh we stopped using ours once she was too big for the bassinet portion of it.

She's too restless and active of a sleeper for her to ever actually sleep in it. We used it more as a toy bin than as a pen for her. I use it occasionally if I need to have a shower and I want her contained. She'll be more content in the pack n' play than if I were to leave her in her crib.


----------



## craftymum

We only used ours for the bassinet part a the beginning too but we've just brought it out again just for when I need to do something that I don't want him getting into, like if I'm cooking or ironing, as Jacob would be pulling on the iron lead, we don't have a big house so it's folded up and kept under the stairs and only brought out when it's really needed which isn't really very often.


----------



## Weeplin

Jason has a travel cot as a playpen and it's probably coming down tomorrow as I think the base has broke but I was planning on putting it away anyway so it's no biggy. He was only ever put in it if I really needed to keep him out of something.


----------

