What to Look for when Choosing a Playpen for Your Baby

Playpens for your baby can be a lifesaver when you need to have your hands free to work on other tasks. However, it is important that you look for a quality playpen with the right safety features to ensure that your baby or child will not be harmed by the playpen.

Playpens for children are traditionally made of wood, although today they often come with plastic frames. The flooring of a playpen is usually a soft mat or padding where your baby can play for short periods or time while you attend to other tasks that require both hands such as ironing, talking on the phone or doing the dishes.

While a playpen can help to free up your hands and keep your baby from getting into trouble, a child should never be left unattended in a playpen. Be sure that you remain in the room with your baby and stay watchful to avoid any potential accidents that could harm your baby.

When shopping for a playpen your most important concern should be safety. Many accidents and even deaths happen each year because of playpens that malfunction or that were designed poorly, so it is important to shop carefully.

The first safety issue that you should consider is the sides of the playpen. If you are buying a wooden playpen with slats on the sides, be sure that the slats are stable and that they are not spaced further than about 2.5" apart. If the playpen you are looking at has mesh sides, you will want to make sure that the holes in the mesh are not larger than 1/4" and that the mesh doesn't sag or hang down as this could pose a suffocation risk to your baby. Whether wood or mesh, the sides of the playpen should be at least as tall as your child to prevent them from climbing over the top or falling out.

Additionally, all of the rails - both across the top and bottom and in the corners - should be padded.

There have been many recalls of playpens over the years, so rather than buying a used playpen that may or may not be safe it is generally a good idea to buy a new playpen. With a new playpen you will be able to learn more about the safety features that it offers.