Four Ways to Use a Pack 'n Play for Infants

Baby B is on the move! He’s crawling all over the place and I can barely keep track of where he is in the room. He’s on the brink of walking, but I’m holding out hope that he stays in this crawling stage for a little bit longer. I want my babiest to stay a baby for as long as possible!

One of the most used baby gear items for each of my three boys is the Graco Pack ‘n Play. It’s the first baby gear item that D set up when I was a first time mom. I remember putting it in the corner of our bedroom. I planned on rooming in with the baby and this was the perfect solution.

We used it for the first few months of A’s life almost every day! Our Graco Pack ‘n Play came with a portable bouncer and bassinet that made the entire set so versatile and easy to use in a lot of different settings. And the bassinet worked really well for the first few weeks, when he was tiny and we could carry him from room to room without worrying about waking him up. He probably got the most use out of that original Graco Pack ‘n Play, but we also used it in the same ways when C came along.

Four Ways to Use a Pack ‘n Play for Infants

It now lives permanently in my in-laws’ home up north as our travel crib for weekend trips. I was elated to receive the Graco Pack ‘n Play Quick Connect with Portable Bouncer Playard for Baby B. It serves us well as the only place we can keep him contained these days. Here are four ways to use a pack n play for infants:

Newborn Crib in Master

Like I mentioned previously, with our two older boys, we used the Pack ‘n Play as the temporary crib in our master bedroom. We didn’t have a guest bed in the nursery back then, so it was an easier, convenient setup especially during those early infant months.

I set it up next to my side of the bed and it was ‘convenient’ to roll out of my bed in my half awake mom zombie mode to grab the baby and nurse him before putting him back down for the night (aka hour or two).

Travel Crib

Whenever we travel, we pack up our Pack ‘n Play and use it as the travel crib for the babe. We’ve flown with it, bring it on long road trips and sometimes we’ve even used it for a longer visit to extended family/friends. It doesn’t take up much trunk space and the peace of mind that I can lay down a sleeping babe is great (for my arms, too)! Once you get the hang of folding and collapsing, it’s pretty easy to setup. I bring a playard crib sheet or just use a light blanket to wrap the bottom for sleep.

Napper

From 5-11 months, A napped frequently in the Pack ‘n Play. Oh the joys of being a (then) only child! It was convenient for all of us that he was on the same floor and slept pretty soundly through noise. The bassinet is also a great piece for newborns in the early months.

CLICK HERE FOR MY POST ON SLEEP TIPS FOR TODDLERS / TODDLER SLEEP REGRESSION TIPS

Playard

As you can tell, we use this as pretty much the only place that contains B at the moment. He loves pulling himself up, playing peekaboo, and he does a lot of independent in the Pack ‘n Play as a playard. Next to baby wearing him, the playard is the only way I know that he’s safely in one place!

We throw in a bag of plastic balls for a makeshift ball pit. And other days, he’s happy with his board books and story time with his favorite stuffed animals.