Pack N Plays: how long can they fit

Multiple things lately have made me realize I need two Pack N Plays. First and foremost, the cribs my girls sleep in are part of the huge Jardine recall. I've filled out the paperwork to get vouchers to buy new cribs. However, I have to send in parts from each crib in order to get the voucher. That will make their cribs unuseable and it takes three weeks to get the vouchers. (this makes me so mad!)

Second, we're moving and will need to take whatever cribs we have down the day before the move so there's at least two days in PNPs. Third, we're taking a big trip to the East Coast to visit family this summer and I need to bring portable beds; PNPs seem like the best option.

So... I already have one PNP and need to buy another. Does anyone know how long their kids could sleep in PNPs? Will my girls be able to sleep in them at 26 or 28 months? They're average weight and height. Also, does anyone have recommendations for a good inexpensive PNP that could be used for sleeping? I don't need any of the fancy changing pad or mobile attachments. I'm not comfortable buying a used one from a stranger and all of my friends have given theirs away already.

Thanks!

 

My son slept in a pack n play up until 36 months comforably, and he's a big boy. He has a friend who would sleep in the pack n play when he spent the night at our house up until probably 3 1/2 years, but he was quite a bit smaller.

 

I'm interested in seeing what other people say because I'm also looking for one. The one I'm considering right now is from Sears made by Bily?? and it's on sale for $59 Canadian It looks pretty steady and that's all i care about.

 

Amy is still napping in ours (it's the Graco PNP with changing table attachment) at just over 3 years. It is a little cramped by this point, but she likes it. She even sleeps there all night when either one of them is sick (so we can go to one of them in the night without waking the other one up) and she slept there for a week when we were on vacation in September.

I don't know of any inexpensive ones, though -- it's been such a long time since I did that research.

 

My nephew who is 2.5 now refuses to sleep in a pnp when they travel and has so since he turned 2, he is average height/weight, I just don't think he likes being confined in it. They did move him to a regular bed at age 2 b/c they had another baby, maybe that's part of it. When they travel they make him a bed on the floor in the corner using comforters, sheets, etc. and he does fine in it. They also make those travel chairs that pull out into beds on the floor with a built in sleeping bag, don't know how expensive they are though.

 

Mine slept in PNP's on vacations until last summer and they were 2 years 8 months but they were snug. They were about 2 inches short of the length of the PNP. I should add they were about 30lbs and about 31 inches.

 

My two are out of PNP's already -- Karina is 36 inches tall and looks like she can climb out, and Kevan, well, does climb out. Also, I can't help but think they're not comfortable.

I highly recommend the "Peapod Plus" that you can find at One Step Ahead --

http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/produc...cmSource=Search

We have two of these, and used them when we traveled over Thanksgiving. They worked great. I didn't use the sleeping bag part -- I just put a regular crib sheet around the inflatable mattress, and stuck it inside the tent.

I thought they might be weirded out by sleeping inside something enclosed, so we "practiced" at home first, and it was fine. I kept all the solid panels rolled up, and just zipped up the screen part, so it was plenty ventilated. Oh, and I bought two red/blue ones, because they're darker inside.

I expect these to last for a long time to come -- Nadia was even able to lie down inside (barely), and she's 46 inches tall.

A few reviews say they're cumbersome to fold back up, but they're really not, once you figure out how to do it. And, they're MUCH easier to travel with than PNP's!

If you're interested, look around online -- now I can't remember where I bought them, but I found them cheaper than at One Step Ahead...

If you still opt for PNP's, I know Babies R Us sells the entry-level Graco model for around $60. I wish you were closer -- I'm trying to get rid of my two that are still in perfect condition...but I'm sure it wouldn't be worth the shipping cost.

 

QUOTE(Becca34 @ Jan 14 2009, 10:15 PM) [snapback]1147760[/snapback]
My two are out of PNP's already -- Karina is 36 inches tall and looks like she can climb out, and Kevan, well, does climb out. Also, I can't help but think they're not comfortable.

I highly recommend the "Peapod Plus" that you can find at One Step Ahead --

http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/produc...cmSource=Search

We have two of these, and used them when we traveled over Thanksgiving. They worked great. I didn't use the sleeping bag part -- I just put a regular crib sheet around the inflatable mattress, and stuck it inside the tent.

I thought they might be weirded out by sleeping inside something enclosed, so we "practiced" at home first, and it was fine. I kept all the solid panels rolled up, and just zipped up the screen part, so it was plenty ventilated. Oh, and I bought two red/blue ones, because they're darker inside.

I expect these to last for a long time to come -- Nadia was even able to lie down inside (barely), and she's 46 inches tall.

A few reviews say they're cumbersome to fold back up, but they're really not, once you figure out how to do it. And, they're MUCH easier to travel with than PNP's!

If you're interested, look around online -- now I can't remember where I bought them, but I found them cheaper than at One Step Ahead...

If you still opt for PNP's, I know Babies R Us sells the entry-level Graco model for around $60. I wish you were closer -- I'm trying to get rid of my two that are still in perfect condition...but I'm sure it wouldn't be worth the shipping cost.


Becca, this is awesome to read! I've wondered about those!

The last time we used our pack n plays the girls were probably sometime late this spring/early summer until Searra decided she was going to climb out and Ellie was one leg behind her!

And the girls are technically too tall for them now, so we really didn't get longevity out of ours. It was worth it to have the two of them while we did use them.

 

They can stay in them till they climb out - we were 2.5 when that happened...

 

My boys are 33 lbs and very tall at nearly 2 years old. They're over 3 feet tall. Evan still naps in a pack and play every day, and they sleep in them at night when we go to my mom's. I don't recommend buying a cheap one though - I'd go for a high-quality Graco. The cheap ones just aren't sturdy enough to hold a toddler. It's worth the extra money.

 

If you're trying to keep it inexpensive, look at places like Once Upon a Child, or other nice, children's resale shops. Otherwise, they sell a basic Graco one at WalMart for about $40. It won't have the changing table, mobile, and stuff like that, but you shouldn't need that at this point!

 

My grandsons still sleep in their pnp's when they stay at my house... they are 30 lbs and 25+ months old.. I wouldn't say they love them but they still serve the purpose well. I got the cheapest Graco at Walmart... I want to say about $39.00 each... I know our days are numbered with the pnp's so I'm thinking about next steps for sleep overs...

 

My Paul still sleeps in his at naptime only- daily. My guys are about 32 lbs. and tall for their age of 31 months. He has never tried to climb out- but when he does- we'll have to look for other options!
Good luck
Lanie

 

I have two from walmart that i paid like 45 bucks each for. They are just fine and just as good as my 125.00 graco one...

 

Joseph still sleeps in a PNP every night (this actually ends tonite, we put together toddler beds last night.) They both sleep in them when we go away. They can get out, and have been able to for about 7 months, they think it's great fun. When it's bed time the go to sleep (hope they keep that pattern in the toddler beds.) Once they got big enough that I wasn't worried about suffocation I got inexpensive down throws to put in the bottom, it makes them much cozier.