regular pack n play as crib

My husband and I have bought a pack n play for our bedroom where we plan to put the twins for the first few months. We wanted to get a twin pack n play, but they are no longer sold in Canada, so we bought a regular Graco one. I'm not too sure what I am supposed to put in it - do I lay them on a blanket? Crib sheets? Can I tuck the sheets under or is that even possible - we are currently waiting delivery so I haven't had a chance to check it out in detail. Should I be concerned about the padding around the top (ie for breathability) - I couldn't find one that had mesh, they all had a kind of built in bumper. How did those of you who used a regular pack n play know what to out in there? lol Obvious first time mom, here. Thank-you so much for your replies!

 

You aren't supposed to put anything in it (with infants) except the sheet that is made specifically for the PNP. They're often sold as "play yard sheets." A regular crib sheet will be too big, and even if you tuck it in, the babies could squirm around and crumple it up and it could be a breathing hazard.

There's no need for extra padding or a thicker mattress. The mattress that comes with it doesn't look very comfortable to adults, but babies seem to like it just fine. And if you add anything else, that's also a hazard because the babies could get stuck between the pieces.

Re: the bumper, we had one that looked just like this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B0...s=baby-products
and I didn't worry about breathability. With the bassinet set up, they are close enough to the top that I think there's plenty of air circulation. Also, one of the hazards with actual crib bumpers is that the babies can get stuck under them or the bumper can come loose and drape over them -- not a possibility with this one that is actually part of the side wall.

One thing to be aware of is that they might not be able to sleep together in the PNP for more than a month or two. Once mine started moving around a lot, they were just elbowing each other constantly (even when they couldn't actually crawl yet) -- they needed their own spaces. We actually had them in separate bouncy seats most of the time after the first few weeks.

 

Yup, as the PP mentioned you can buy separate PnP sheets that fit perfectly :good:

Mine slept together in the upper bassinet portion of our pack n plays (we had the mini ones - used to be called Graco Travel Lite?) for a couple months then we moved them into their own cribs.

 

Thanks!!! I had no idea that there were special sheets but I will definitely go out and buy them. Minette, the bumper in your pnp is very similar to what we ordered so I feel relieved to hear that it is ok. I am assuming you take the change station out when they sleep?

We have two cribs in their nursery as well, so if they start moving around etc we'll probably move them in there. Well, they're on backorder but should be here some time in July.

 

Keep in mind too that a lot of pack n play bassinets have a 15-lb weight limit (at least the two I have do - one Chicco and one Graco). So if your twins are very large they won't be able to sleep in the bassinet together for very long.

 

QUOTE(rogerdodger @ Jun 27 2009, 12:32 PM) [snapback]1371012[/snapback]
Keep in mind too that a lot of pack n play bassinets have a 15-lb weight limit (at least the two I have do - one Chicco and one Graco). So if your twins are very large they won't be able to sleep in the bassinet together for very long.


I really wanted the Chicco pack n play but they dont have it here in England so I may have to get the Graco. Do you like one better than the other?

 

QUOTE(sparkle77 @ Jun 27 2009, 06:37 AM) [snapback]1371015[/snapback]
I really wanted the Chicco pack n play but they dont have it here in England so I may have to get the Graco. Do you like one better than the other?


I like the style of the Chicco more. It's plush and sturdy, and the fabric patterns are not as garish as what I've seen on other brands. I have Chicco infant carseats and the Chicco Trevi twin stroller for the same reasons. The Chicco pack n play was expensive ($175 or so) compared to the Graco ($80), but I deliberately bought a scaled-down version of the Graco just to use as a second bed for the babies while traveling. I keep the Chicco set up all the time at home for use as a second diaper-changing station.

 

QUOTE(rogerdodger @ Jun 27 2009, 01:43 PM) [snapback]1371065[/snapback]
I like the style of the Chicco more. It's plush and sturdy, and the fabric patterns are not as garish as what I've seen on other brands. I have Chicco infant carseats and the Chicco Trevi twin stroller for the same reasons. The Chicco pack n play was expensive ($175 or so) compared to the Graco ($80), but I deliberately bought a scaled-down version of the Graco just to use as a second bed for the babies while traveling. I keep the Chicco set up all the time at home for use as a second diaper-changing station.


See, I think I would like the Chicco better as well and I too am getting the Chicco carseats. I think I'll think about taking the graco back and having my husband buy the chicco when he's in the states next month. I didnt love the graco and its actually really expensive -- 129 pounds, which is nearly 200 dollars.