Now that LO is seriously mobile I'm considering getting one of these. Is it worth it? Do you have one? They seem to have mixed reviews on Amazon. LO is big for his age so I'm afraid he will just be able to push it around. It also seems so "cage" like. .. Help!
31 votes
cantaloupe / 6206 posts
YES this saved us when LO was 8 mos - 15 mos or so and we have an open floor plan (so no baby gates). We actually opened it so it blocked off the entire living room (it is sturdy enough that it stands on its own) and until she started walking, it was great! Life saver!
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts
We have this one and LOVE it. Its great that its so easy to store when not in use and so easy to take with us when we go to the beach etc.
http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Infant-Play-Portable-Playard/dp/B00KBGTRAC
pomegranate / 3521 posts
The comments and poll results are messing with me!
@JoJoGirl: she couldn't walk up to it and knock it over?
pomegranate / 3032 posts
we returned one we got at our shower and bought this instead http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Infant-Sure-Secure-Custom/dp/B0009RG8R8
we were able to then take 1/4 of a room and make it hers. It attaches to the wall and has a little gate
coconut / 8279 posts
We live in a not so baby friendly townhouse with balconies that look over the floor below, railings that you can't attach baby gates to, etc.
It was the best solution for us!
J was also an early walker (cruising at 7 months, walking by 11months). He couldn't knock it over. I could actually lean against the sides holding him and it wouldn't budge.
Easy to store, could use it outside if you want to. Pretty inexpensive.
It was a must have for us and our very mobile baby.
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
YES! But look for it used on Craigslist. We got one for $25. It was perfect. I love that you can adjust it. We would put her into it at times and other times we would put it around the couch so we could sit on the couch and she could play on the floor. It's great at keeping dogs out, too.
pear / 1648 posts
We also had the Summer Infant pop-up one and it was great and easily portable. She never knocked it over and couldn't climb out.
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
I knew it was something we wanted, but only use for a short period of time so I found it used. I got 2 sets of the below item for like $70. It was super helpful for probably 4-5 months when she could crawl/cruise... That way she could be contained in our living room and we can go into the kitchen for a moment, etc.
I also plan on re-using with #2 so it def will be worth it's money!
apricot / 287 posts
We got one when LO was about 8 months and he played happily for about 3 month, and now it's basically the gate between out living room and dining room. I think it was worth it, but if you can just baby proof an area and gate off the others that might be a better option in the long run.
And to downplay the cage feel of it, we always called it LO's super awesome fort...
honeydew / 7444 posts
I think it really depends on your house set up and what you're comfortable with.
I preferred to let my kids roam around the house. Our first house wasn't very open, and our current house is more of an open concept. I just made sure we were in rooms/floors that were as child proofed as possible and let them explore. However, i can see how it would be useful if you have to use the bathroom or run upstairs for a few minutes.
You could always buy it used to see if he is okay with being in it. I know that DS would have shaken the gates like crazy since he did that to all of the gates we put up when he started climbing up the stairs.
persimmon / 1165 posts
We had one and it came in handy once my boys became mobile, but were too young to understand what was dangerous. Really helpful when I had to run to the restroom. But I'll warn you, two babies can definitely push that around! My boys learned to work together and would push it from room to room for where they wanted to go. 
honeydew / 7230 posts
We gated off part of our living room to keep my twins contained. Having that safe space to contain them in is a life saver! With having two kids, I wanted a bigger space for them. It's worked really well for us for the last year. I'll see if I can find a pic that's somewhat cleaned up. Our living room is a disaster right now. 
pear / 1750 posts
@twodoghouse: yes, we have the same setup and I love it! DS is 9 months and he loves to pull up on it. It's secured to the walls on both ends so he can't knock it over but it does slide a bit. I love that it has a door.
grapefruit / 4418 posts
We never used any gates or play yards. I never found a need for it. I've never felt uncomfortable letting DD roam the house. She usually stays put where I leave her and she's good about not getting into things she shouldn't (for now!)
pomegranate / 3521 posts
@mediagirl: I looked online and most people are selling the uses ones for almost new $$$. Pfft! Thanks but no thanks!
pomegranate / 3521 posts
@twodoghouse: @macintosh: Thanks! Good to know! I have a play area downstairs so I *really* wanted to keep the kidzone down there but it's so hard because it's so far from the kitchen.
pomegranate / 3521 posts
@Freckles: I picture LO being a gate shaker too. I moved the pack and play on the main floor for now (he already hates it/being contained for more than 5 minutes).
cherry / 188 posts
Baby jail is hit or miss for us. Sometimes my 10 month old will happily play with his toys in there, other times, he'll stand at the door and sob until we let him out. It definitely works for mobile-baby-containment for short periods of time, but not always without whining and crying.
pear / 1558 posts
@MoonMoon: that's a great idea! Still haven't set up our purchased-used superyard, but part of me doesn't expect it to go over all that well, so thanks for the ideas of how else we can use it.
pomegranate / 3393 posts
@GoGoSnoGirl: basically it's a bunch of gates! You just need to figure out ways to latch them in place 
grapefruit / 4291 posts
Definitely a yes for me! My house is pretty baby safe but there are definitely times when I need to keep him safely contained. Here's a pic of my guy in his playpen.
eggplant / 11408 posts
We never used one. We had a small apartment, though, and I wasn't concerned about LO roaming around in it. We finally bought a baby gate at around 7 months, because we wanted to be able to load/unload the dishwasher in peace! It's a swing open door one, though, and 95% of the time, it stayed open. Now, in our new place, we don't even have that up. LO is a chaos monster, but we don't really have much she can get into. I'm not worried about it!
eggplant / 11408 posts
@KatieBklyn: yeah, I'm pretty sure, based on our experience with the gate, that LO would not have tolerated being left to her own devices in baby jail. Yet another reason why we didn't get one!
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