Pack 'n' play/playard suggestions

Can anyone suggest a good pack n play ?
I am planning on buying one so that I can have it in my living area, I want one which would have the changing table on, so I dont have to go backwards and forwards to the bedroom to change the babies, I thought it would be easier to have in the room and then I would be able to put one baby in the bassinet and change the other. (My DH thinks that I am overthinking this way too much, maybe I am but I would like to try and make my life easier once they arrive).
Oh and do you think there worth it ? most of the pack n plays that I look at, the bassinett only holds up to 15lb of baby...and with two babies in there, that wouldnt give me long...decisions, decisions eh ?
Also, I dont want to pay hundreds of dollards...any suggestions ??
Thanks
Bel

 

With my first we got a GRACO bassinet with changing table playard... after almost 4 years we still have it and use it. After the point where the baby (babies) get too big to be in the bassinet area.. it can be lowered and still used as a crib with the changing table.

I totally love it and plan on getting another one for the upstairs.

 

Which Graco are you thinking of getting...there are so many different ones ?

 

We have both a Pack 'n Play and a co-sleeper. It sounds like you're in a similar situation to what we have. We spend most of our time in the living room and the nursery is too far to cart them every time someone needs changed. Also, as they get older, you don't want to have to leave one in the living room while you tend to the other, or have to drag both around. I'm going to toss a couple of ideas at you, based on what we've been through.

The Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper doesn't have a changing table addition but the bassinet holds up to 30lb. Our boys are on the big side for twins and it held both of them until they were 3 months old. It converts into a play yard that's identical in size to a Graco PnP, so it's easy to find sheets and covers that work. Now that our boys are 7mo old, I bought them some ball pit balls for Christmas and they sit up in the bassinet part to play with them.

We have a Graco PnP that came with the whole changing table ensemble - table, diaper/wipes/stuff holder, etc. I found that the changing table part was a little too low and my back would hurt standing there, changing them. Also, after about the second week of the boys being home, they didn't want to sleep in it during the day in our living room anymore. They would just cry and cry if we put them in there. We used it on a trip once, when they were about a month old, since it packs up better than the co-sleeper.

So what do we use to change the boys in the living room? The Spoling from Ikea! It holds up to 25lb, folds up if you need it out of the way, has a washable changing area that zips off, is water resistant for easy mop-up, and comes with a ton of pockets, mesh storage bags, and a shelf (where we keep extra diapers and a little laundry basket. There's even a place in front to hang a burp cloth. And with the curved, hammock-style changing surface, the boys haven't been able to roll off. The sides make them slide back to the middle when they try. Next to it we have Trofast to hold our wipes warmer, butt paste, diapers, and clothes. That's one thing I didn't initially think of - if I don't want to cart them around for diaper changes, I probably don't want to do the same to change their clothes.

I hope this helps!

 

I don't own it, but I am thinking of buying the Graco one with twin bassinets, I found lots of them on ebay with free shipping.


http://www.amazon.com/Graco-Pack-Playard-Bassinet-Scout/dp/B000BKPGEE

 

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3417592

That's the one I have and I love it! I used it in the living room as a changing table and now that I had to split up my girls and haven't gotten another crib yet, we use it for that. I used the newborn napper a lot and would put one in there and the other in the bassinet. You can't use the bassinet portion for very long anyway. I left my girls in it together until they were 10lbs each and it was fine. After that, we lowered it.

 

I always changed my girls on the living room floor. I have a Longaberger Market basket where I kept all of my diaper supplies and some clothes so that I could move room to room with them.

I did have a Graco Pack n Play with the bassinet that took up the whole top. They used it for a while but they tended to snuggle together and once they were bigger it kind of dipped in the middle. I used my PNP until the girls were in toddler beds. We used them at my mom's instead of cribs when we visited.

 

Thanks for everyones replies, I went ahead and purchases a Graco pack n play for our living room.
With our son, I used to change him on the floor, I always said if I got pg again then I would have to have a changing table because it used to kill my back. This pack n play has a changing table on, so hopefully it will work for ahwile for us.

 

We had the Graco one with the changing table too. We rarely used the bassinet (as it turned out) because they slept so much better in bouncy seats, and by the time they were sleeping flat, they were in their cribs. But we used that changing table until they were almost 30 lbs (around the time they gave up diapers)! We also used the PNP (without the bassinet part) as Amy's "nap bed" until she quit napping around age 3. So it was totally worth it for us!

You are definitely not overthinking -- these kinds of logistics can make a big difference in your life! Just remember to be flexible because you may realize, after the babies come, that some things work better if you do it slightly differently than you planned. (For instance, we did not intend to have them sleeping in bouncy seats in the living room for 3 months... :laughing: )