Does anyone think playpens are kind of...cruel?

At times you simply have to leave the room for a couple of minutes, and in those instances my son would have been trying to grab plugs/climb furniture. I think it would be far crueller to allow this to happen, than contain him in a pen with his toys and plenty of space to crawl around! Of course kids want to off exploring, so no, they probably don't like it, but so what if it is for a short time to keep them safe? The same could be said for car seats!
 
Bought one ages ago and it doubles up as a playpen/travel cot. Only used it as a play pen maybe 5 times and I only used it when LO had started cruising at 7.5 months. She was falling over loads and trying to climb furniture and bumping her head and for a couple of weeks if I needed to do something I would plonk her in the playpen. Once she was moving about more smoothly it became a dumping ground for toys and it wasnt used again.
 
Thanks to those who answered without giving me some kind of 'attitude' reply, there was no need for it, i was just saying how i felt about them and genuinely asking other mums why they use them so i can maybe see them in a different light. I should have expected responses like that on here though :nope:

It's interesting to see the reasons why people use them/dont use them.

I personally always just left my DS in the lounge with the gate shut while i was in kitchen so i could still talk to him/see what he's up to and if i ever needed a bath or shower i'd just either bring him in the bathroom with me or let him jump in too, but usually i would save my baths for the evening when he was in bed.

Obviously i don't need to watch him nearly as much now he's a lot more independent and im sure i'll just use the same tactics with DD.

I still think a baby would be just as safe if they were on a big playmat surrounded by toys etc if you're only doing something for a few mins but i do consider my lounge area to be quite baby friendly so don't see it as a problem :)
 
I don't have one but i think they're a good idea for mums who need to put their baby in a safe place whilst they grab some food/shower etc but i don't like the idea of putting them in one for hours on end whilst they watch TV or something to keep them from exploring.. seems unnecessary to me, each to their own though xxx
 
I am completely baffled as to why anyone would think a playpen is cruel :wacko: I have a travel cot in my living room, and I couldn't manage without it. Holly goes in there when I have a shower, go to the toilet, catch up on chores etc. She is happy to sit in there and play with her toys, and I put the TV on for her too *shock horror*. My house isn't babyproof, I put her in there so she's SAFE. If I leave the room the first thing she does is climb on the sofa, pull everything off shelves, generally destroy the room. If I am in the room, she has free reign. I certainly don't leave her in prison while I'm sat on my arse doing nothing. And I don't know about anyone else, but I prefer to shit IN PEACE! :lol:
 
My LO loves her travel cot to lie and play in and it doesn't have to look like a prison. We don't put her in it for hours on end etc. but if I need to pop out the room (for the loo etc) it stops the dog licking her and she can roll around safely. I put loads of toys with colour in there and put her blankie in there and some time she just snuggles in to it and goes to sleep. I just think it's personal preference and one of those parenting decisions some will agree with and some won't

:flow:
 
Wow I'm too am baffled. Its a playpen how can that even be considered cruel? Do you people not use cribs at night? They're the exact same thing :dohh: We have one and its awesome, I live with my parents and our house isn't baby safe so I'll pop him in his "baby jail" when he wants to play and I want to cook or tidy up. We always just put him in his exersaucer but there comes a time where they WANT to move and explore alone so this provides a safe spot to do so. The entire house is hardwood, one little slip and he bonks his head pretty hard.

I still think a baby would be just as safe if they were on a big playmat surrounded by toys etc if you're only doing something for a few mins but i do consider my lounge area to be quite baby friendly so don't see it as a problem :)
I will respectfully disagree. We do have a huge play mat area in the family room downstairs when we sit and play with him too but if you blink he's off getting into something he shouldn't. He will not just sit there and play with toys.. Hed rather venture off and pull himself up on a table or couch where he will fall and smash his head on the floor, or crawl and eat dog toys, or get into the hedgehog food, or find electrical things etc etc. The list is endless. In my opinion no room is babyproof.. They can always pull up and fall, fall into a wall etc and its silly to this all houses are the same. His playpen is the one place I KNOW he's safe. :thumbup:
 
I'm not keen on them because they limit baby's access to their environment, which is crucial for optimal neurological development. Obviously that's not a problem when used for just a few minutes, and I suppose they might be useful in certain situations.

We've never used one. When the babies were little I just used to take them everywhere with me, either on the floor or in a sling. Once they were a bit older they had free range of the whole house anyway.


Does the same apply for kids who are in "confined" in slings and wraps when their mothers try to do the dishes, sweep the floor, etc?

Not at all, watching adults going about their daily life has been shown to be very beneficial for development. :)
 
Question for the ladies with older children who've never used a playpen--how did you manage? Do you always keep your babies with you? We try to baby-proof the place but I wouldn't trust LO to be out here alone. One thing I've learned is that babies are very good at finding ways to get into trouble! I'd never leave her on her own, and taking her everywhere with me wouldn't be safe or practical. We have a very small kitchen for example and I wouldn't want her underfoot while I was cooking.

i think im just lucky that poppy has always been happy to amuse her self for a while and if i need the loo i'll use the downstairs one and keep the door open so i can see her and when im cooking she will happily play in the living room with her toys r if she is a bit fussy she will sit in her high chair while im cooking and ill give her little bits of whatever im doing , also if im cleaning she will happily run around upstairs with her toys or just watch and try and help the same with downstairs too , i take her with me for most things even hanging the washing outside ill take her and she will pull at weeds or something while i do it. i've never really needed one. But! im not against them at all ive learnt that somethings work for some people and every baby is different i might need one with this next baby you never know!

:flower:
 
I don't have one, I'm gonna be completely honest and say If I had one I would be tempted to put him in there with his toys on days when I'm tired. I don't think it's right to 'keep' them there. I think it's perfectly fine to use as a safe place while having a shower or something
 
Everything in moderation, if we had one I wouldn't leave Isobel in it for long periods but then as far as parenting goes I've only got Isobel to worry about - Joe Bloggs and his wife can raise Baby Bloggs however they like, its nothing to do with me.

As far as how we managed without one - once she was mobile we baby proofed what we could (although no such thing as 100% baby proof lol), got stairgates and allowed her to move as much as was safe. When I went to toilet she'd come with me - either in bathroom or I'd leave the bathroom door open, close the bedroom doors and let her play on the landing - as she's gotten older this has extended to landing and her bedroom. For showers she comes in with me though mostly I shower when hubby is home and can watch her. In the kitchen she wanders free while I wash up or cook on hob (she can't reach yet and I tell her not to touch cooker) but if the oven is on then I'll mostly keep her out of there - highchair with crayons is a good option too.

I have friends who put their children in the cot while they grab a shower. Isobel would scream her head off at that but for some families everyone is happy with doing that and it works. So good for them.

Its all dependant on the child, parent and house set up. We all do things differently and rightly so - if we were all the same the world would be a boring place!
 
Surrounding a baby with toys might work for some. And how did you not expect harsh responses when you said they were cruel?
 
The house we now own is big and old...we've child proofed it, but there are some areas that you just can't child proof. It's an old place. There is one massive fire place that you'd need a blinking six foot guard to protect! Therefore, it's useful to have a playpen for safety in certain instances. I babywear, but I need to pee and do certain things not wearing Ally. Also, she wants to get involved with whatever her big sis is up to. I'd say the playpen is pretty useful for us....but I'd estimate she's in it a maximum of 10-15 minutes a day.
 
How can putting your baby somewhere safe while you nip to the loo cruel?!
 
^^Because you're not allowing them to explore the environment of the bacteria-ridden bathroom floor.
 
^^^Oh no, I am a terrible mother after all:cry:Seriously though, there are worse things in life than playpens x
 
I have one- its huge 3m x 1.5m. Shes not mobile yet so its more to keep to keep the dogs out than to keep her in. Before we had it she would have very limited floor time because i couldnt leave her unnatended for even a second with two dogs around. I would put her in the jumperoo in front of the tv or in the swing if i had to go to the loo or make dinner. Now she has this huge space to practice her floor skills with loads of toys, i climb in and play with her, and when i need to do something she is entertained and safe. I dont 'chuck' her in there for hours on end, without interacting with her while i sip a martini. I dont see how its cruel.
same with me , i am not using the pen yet, but I do have a dog who keep trying to lick her (especially her mouth when she is crying, dunno what's up with that. breastmilk, I guess?)
 
I put Alex in the playpen for about 45 minutes at once per day, 5 days per week, even to this day at 2 years old, so I can work out in my garage gym. If it is better to either let him get smacked in the face with a 24kg kettlebell or pinch his fingers under 100kg worth of weights, then I don't know what to say to that. Or, I should just give up my hobby of powerlifting that I had for 10 years.

Or leave him in the house and let my Shiba Inu babysit him because I don't have any family in the day to do so.

If that's cruel then so be it. I wear him exclusively even at 2 years old while 7 months pregnant, I am considered by many to still be an AP "hippy" in many senses, but I draw the line at this. I do like to work out in my home gym and yes, there are buzz saws, heavy weights, wrenches everywhere. So if it's cruel to put him in his playpen while he watches a cartoon and plays with toys then so be it.

Just because leaving them on a mat is safe enough for your houses does not make it safe enough for mine!
 

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