Should I return this bassinet/playard?

[MamaLoCo]

I got the Eddie Bauer Complete Care Playard from Target.
It has a built in changing table and a bassinet. It was about $150 and seemed like a great purchase.

I was planning on using the bassinet for a WHILE...as in forgo a crib and use it as long as possible until we just get a toddler bed or something. We have a tiny house and the baby is just going to sleep in our room until we move (not sure when that's happening).

I realized, while trying to find sheets for it, the company doesn't even make sheets for it. I read about people using sheets made for other pack & play bassinet mattresses but these are much thicker mattresses, so they don't really fit. The one I have is a very thin pad that doesn't feel comfortable to lie on at all. It also warns against adding any mattresses not made by that manufacturer...but of course, they don't make anything else to put in there.

There is apparently also a maximum weight limit on the bassinet of 15 lbs. What does that give me, like 3 months?

I'm starting to think maybe it wasn't the best purchase but I threw the box away already so I'm not sure if they'll take it back or not. It's also the ONLY thing we've bought for baby so far and I don't want it to be a bad purchase. I'm starting to think it is though. It has great reviews but nobody says what they used it for or how long or where they got accessories for it.

 

[orionfox]

I bought a different play yard as i didnt want to buy a bassinet that was only going to be used for a short time. All the attached bassinets for the play yards are just meant for the tiny babies. Once they get to big for it, then you move them into that actual playpen part of it. Im not sure of that particular play yard though. Yes because you dont have the original packaging you couldnt return it and would have to just sell it to someone.

 

[DebbieF]

I used the Graco Pack + Play with my daughter and plan on using it again for this baby. She slept on the bassinet part until she could sit up and then we moved the pad to the bottom where she slept until she was a year old. She could still sleep in it, but we wanted to get her adjusted to sleeping in her own room in the crib before the new baby arrived. I don't think you could return it though without the original packaging.

 

[MamaLoCo]

Well I have the receipt, just not the box.

So I can still use the bottom part for her to sleep in by just moving the pad? I wasn't sure if that was an option or just for a pen.

What are your thoughts on getting a mattress for it? I think I could always maybe try to use a Graco pack & play mattress in it despite manufacturer warning. Those seem to be a little thicker.

I mean seriously the reviews of this thing are great so I might be overreacting or just thinking too far into it. I'm also a first time mom and have never babysat, been around babies much, or so much as changed a diaper so I just don't understand how a lot of things work.

 

[jlw617]

No I bet target would take it back especially if you called ahead of time and spoke with a manager about the situation, I wouldn't advise a different mattress especially if the manufacturer warns against it, they have to meet certain safety standards and so you wouldn't want to put your baby at risk, I say return it otherwise you may end up regretting it if it's a pain especially if you plan on using it for any subsequent children. Then go on Amazon, see which one has the best reviews and why and get a different one! Greco makes good ones and there's a new one on the market I've been tempted to buy because it's really light weight but we have a graco already

 

[orionfox]

Yes they can sleep in the bottom part. At the daycare i work at in two of the rooms they have some playpens for some of the little ones to sleep in during nap. They are perfectly safe for them to sleep in as long as they cant climb out.

 

[GoHawks]

Have you checked Etsy? I seem to remember seeing sheets on there for pack n plays. Maybe someone has made some sheets for the specific one you are talking about. Sometimes they are more expensive on there than normal, but worth looking into if you can't return it!

 

[greats]

Yes the bassinet is for when babies are tiny, so like up to 3 months old. You would then just lay baby in the regular pack n play part for sleep. I agree that I would not get a mattress for the pack n play (plus I've never heard of anyone getting a separate mattress to put in a pack n play?) I've just used what comes with the pack n play. I don't even have sheets for mine tbh lol

 

[Insomniash]

Well I have the receipt, just not the box.

So I can still use the bottom part for her to sleep in by just moving the pad? I wasn't sure if that was an option or just for a pen.

What are your thoughts on getting a mattress for it? I think I could always maybe try to use a Graco pack & play mattress in it despite manufacturer warning. Those seem to be a little thicker.

I mean seriously the reviews of this thing are great so I might be overreacting or just thinking too far into it. I'm also a first time mom and have never babysat, been around babies much, or so much as changed a diaper so I just don't understand how a lot of things work.

I looked up an image of your particular play yard. Basically once your baby outgrows the bassinet portion of the play yard you can use the "changing pad" as a bassinet. Other models that don't come with a bassinet that sits on top actually refer to the change pad feature as a bassinet...silly I know but it is all about marketing and making us think we need more than we really do.

My play yard is a Graco one, with the full bassinet (aka change pad on yours). I purchased a dream on me mattress from Amazon that is a perfect fit and I am super happy with the set up, and I have sewn sheets to fit it (shockingly easy to do thanks to youtube videos). However I have watched a youtube video made by a mother with the same set up showing that Carters portable crib sheets also fit.

 

[Christina86]

We have the graco version. It comes with the bassinet and changing table. The top part has a sling thing that goes over it which is what the two parts hover over. After the baby grows out of the bassinet we will need to get a mattress for the sling area for baby to sleep in before putting him or her at the bottom part. We have the crib set up but at least for a while baby will be in our room. And we are using it when we travel which we do often. I'm not sure about mattresses as we are getting one that says it goes for the pack n play we have. Maybe see if you can just exchange it for a different pack n play? I don't see them giving you a really hard time with it. Just call before you go in so the manager knows what is going on.

 

[MamaLoCo]

I looked up an image of your particular play yard. Basically once your baby outgrows the bassinet portion of the play yard you can use the "changing pad" as a bassinet. Other models that don't come with a bassinet that sits on top actually refer to the change pad feature as a bassinet...silly I know but it is all about marketing and making us think we need more than we really do.

My play yard is a Graco one, with the full bassinet (aka change pad on yours). I purchased a dream on me mattress from Amazon that is a perfect fit and I am super happy with the set up, and I have sewn sheets to fit it (shockingly easy to do thanks to youtube videos). However I have watched a youtube video made by a mother with the same set up showing that Carters portable crib sheets also fit.

The changing pad? The smaller part that sits on the very top? That seems dangerous! lol
Unless we're looking at different things in reverse. The changing pad isn't the large flat surface; the smaller thing that sits at the very top is the changing pad. The bassinet is the larger flat surface that is just as large as the bottom of it but it's elevated to sit closer to the top but still low enough to be surrounded by the side walls. It sits below the changing pad.
The changing pad flips over the side so it's not in the way when you don't need it but still attached. So they're not referring to the change pad as the bassinet - if you look up a diagram, they have it properly labeled to the weight limit is actually on the full bassinet. I'd never leave my baby in the changing pad part - that's scary.

 

[mod19]

I have an Eddie Bauer pack n play that we got from target as well. The pad in mine is also thin, so I forwent the warnings and bought an extra mattress since I couldn't put my baby on that hard pad to sleep and got portable crib sheets and padded sheets for it. The mattress and sheets fit great. And yes, baby can just sleep in the bottom portion if you choose not to use the bassinet portion of it. I got the mattress (a 3" one, really wanted a 5" though) and sheets from buy buy baby.

 

[LilFooshFoosh]

Also just want to point out that with a regular crib the mattress height usually has two settings and you are only supposed to use the higher setting until baby can sit up on their own, then you switch to the lower setting- similar to the playpen setup just not based on weight.

The warning for adding mattress is probably to do with fit and height. If you do decide to go that route, please make sure that it is a snug fit (no space between the new mattress and the sides of the playpen) and that there is still plenty of wall left above the top of the mattress so baby can't roll out.

Personally I wouldn't add a mattress, I would be paranoid about it.

 

[MamaLoCo]

I think I'm just going to try to find a small pad to put in it. The pad it comes with is just too darn hard, like mod19 agreed. I think other pack n play "mattresses" are basically just thick pads moreso than mattresses. I bet my hubby can find a piece of foam to cut to size too.

I was just a little irritated with the weight limit but I wasn't thinking about her sleeping on the bottom level.

 

[Insomniash]

I looked up an image of your particular play yard. Basically once your baby outgrows the bassinet portion of the play yard you can use the "changing pad" as a bassinet. Other models that don't come with a bassinet that sits on top actually refer to the change pad feature as a bassinet...silly I know but it is all about marketing and making us think we need more than we really do.

My play yard is a Graco one, with the full bassinet (aka change pad on yours). I purchased a dream on me mattress from Amazon that is a perfect fit and I am super happy with the set up, and I have sewn sheets to fit it (shockingly easy to do thanks to youtube videos). However I have watched a youtube video made by a mother with the same set up showing that Carters portable crib sheets also fit.

The changing pad? The smaller part that sits on the very top? That seems dangerous! lol
Unless we're looking at different things in reverse. The changing pad isn't the large flat surface; the smaller thing that sits at the very top is the changing pad. The bassinet is the larger flat surface that is just as large as the bottom of it but it's elevated to sit closer to the top but still low enough to be surrounded by the side walls. It sits below the changing pad.
The changing pad flips over the side so it's not in the way when you don't need it but still attached. So they're not referring to the change pad as the bassinet - if you look up a diagram, they have it properly labeled to the weight limit is actually on the full bassinet. I'd never leave my baby in the changing pad part - that's scary.

Ah my mistake, lol, I didn't look closely enough and ended up reversing it like you suspected. Baby brain strikes again. The reason I confused it it because some of the Graco ones come with what they call a "newborn napper" which looks very similar to the change pad feature, and is essentially a bassinet but it sits a bit lower (not by much) on the top than the change pad. Still scary though in my opinion.

 

[Scout]

I used the dream on me mattress for my graco pack n play, and yes, it's just a thick foam, but seemed so much more comfy than the pad that comes with the pack n play. Like someone else mentioned, you just need to make sure you get a tight fit with the mattress and no gaps around it. I never bothered with the basinet or changing part of the pack n play, but put baby on the bottom part from the get go. I was using the anglecare movement monitor and couldn't use it unless baby was on the bottom. It's a great option instead of a crib. I had a bassinet, the pack n play, and a crib and baby never slept in the bassinet or the crib.

 

[katangel90]

I've got the same one. I got a mattress topper for mine. That board is to hard to me. So just gonna fold it in half and make it work that way. If Jeremy is gonna be anything like his father he's gonna be wiggling all over the place. I am feeling good about the combo set for my first. If you do want to return it you can. As long as you have the receipt they will take it back. We charge it back to the manufacturer as a defective merchandise. I work for Target.