My kids hated playpens. They were climbers so playpens didn't work for long anyway. It was easier just to keep the dangerous stuff put away and let the kids wander.

My GKs are now 10, 8 & 6yo twins. When they were small & getting into trouble DS&DDIL had a "corral" kind if thing (they called it "the corral")to keep 'em safe when you had to go to the bathroom, cook supper. etc. (And they used it outside a lot.) It was sections of lightweight, but very sturdy plastic "fencing" that snapped together. It was a GODSEND! Especially to keep them away from the 42 in. tv. And they used baby gates. Pat, LOVING being a Grandma

I never used playpen. Just did not seem to work with my kids, sooooooooo.

Heading off to babysit 2 year old grandson tomorrow. He never used one either.

I was a play pen user,and used one when I babysat my DGS up to a year ago....Never met a kid yet that "liked" the pen...like most things with little kids,it takes/took a few days to get used to.

Dontcha know Whidbey....if a person was to "insist" on playpen use these days,it would be considered abusive.

Put yourself and your breakables in the "pen," and let the kids run! Always sounded like a good idea....

I always used a playpen. Of course, the trick is to start when they're infants--letting them nap in it occasionally; AND to make it a fun place with their favorite toys. My dd was used to the playpen long before she was physically able to climb out--and she wasn't in there hours on end, just those times when it was vital for me to get something done, when it would have been unsafe for her to be underfoot.

Sadly, I think some parents today have misplaced priorities. They worry about giving their kids a totally sterile environment (just how are their children going to develop the antibodies it takes to survive in this world), but they are afraid to show their love by letting their children have some free space that's totally safe for them.

But look at how some of these same parents raise their 5 year olds, their 10 year olds, their teens--they're afraid to ever say 'no' to them on any issue. Too many parents these days are into doing what's 'popular' with the kids, rather than what's right for them, I'm sorry to say. Hopefully, you're not encountering that with your children/grandchildren.

Another thing that I never see are the little harnesses for kids. I bought one for my oldest GS, and it was a lifesaver in many ways. He was very active and when we had to walk anywhere, I put it on him, and he really liked it as it gave him much more freedom than my holding his hand. I don't think his mother ever used it, though....

thank you to the above posters,who obviously are "old-school" too...lol...I figured for sure by this a.m. that I would have had to have had that flame retardant suit on...

Not a grandmother, but my daughter had a play pen, which she was never in...we kept her toys in it. Like Azzalea said, probably didn't put her in it early enough, but she was an easy one to take care of, and not hard for me to keep an eye on.

I'm not old enough to be old school, but I used one for my kids and for the neighbor I babysat daily when he was age 7 mos to 18 mos. It has a new name, though, "pack and play." ;o) I used it for naps, for travel, for outside... and for those 20 minute spells when I had to get something done and needed my hands and mind free. Or when I just needed a freakin' 20 minutes downtime! I also had other forms of contained entertainment (bouncy chairs, etc) for that purpose, too.

But by the time they are about 20-24 mos, they just need to learn to sit still, play with a toy, and not touch while I get something done for 15 minutes. At that point, the pack and play is a time-out space. Sit still, you're free; get into things, you're in the cage.

I followed my wise mother's example. My son went into his playpen before he was a month old. That was the playground--all toys were in the playpen. He used it until he was old enough to easily climb in and out--and could close it, move it to another room, and reopen it!! Thankfully, it fell apart before it was time for him to go to school...or he probably would have taken it there with him! LOL

After he climbed out of his crib one night and visited a neighbor, my aunt gave me a cloth harness for him to sleep in. He could move all over the crib, but couldn't climb out. After 3 nights of crying, he decided he loved the harness! When we went out, he insisted on having his harness on! He loved it and wore it until he couldn't fit into it anymore. He was old enough that he could put it on and take it off by himself.

Keeping him safe was easy...until he started driving a car...

I used them with my kids. I dumped all their toys in it along with them. Now, for the DGK's I'd need the harness too. I can't catch up to them anymore. Better safe than sorry.
Leslie

My first daughter screamed when I put her in a playpen. I used it just for holding toys. I didn't even try to put my second daughter in it. They are happier being free to explore. I did use baby gates on the stairs.

Our house is pretty much baby proof and easy for kids to get around in, the same with my folks house, but after having 6 kids, my mom never had breakables and the house is still kid proof. But I know that my sis and her husband had breakables and wood floors with their first child and they started early having him in the pack and play to nap and play and then he was used to it later to play in.

Stacie

Never had a playpen for either of my two. I baby-proofed and let them explore under my watchful eye.

DD was 25 months old when DS was born and she became his self-appointed guardian from day one. LOL Baby brudder was in good hands as long as she was around. I was afraid he would never learn to talk since she anticipated his every move. "I tink he needs to nurse mommy, I tink him needs his diper changed." to "he wants a cookie,he wants to go to the playground, he wants to go swim".

Now they are still extremely protective of one another to this day. Only the roles are more balanced and he worries about her as much she does him.

I'm old school too, used one for all 3 of my kids. Like the others say, have to start them early. When I went to San Diego last April to take care of 15 month old GS while his mom was in hospital, i put him in his "pack & Play", even though my daughter never used it and I had to drag it out of the garage. I only put him in there when I wanted to take a quick shower or mop the floors etc. After she came home from the month in the hospital, and with the new baby brother, she did use it a few times while I stayed there two more months since her DH was deployed, to help her out. My daughter has very very different parenting ideas from me... so needless to say she does a lot of things that i would not have done with my kids and vice versa.
SHe told me on the phone the other day that they had purchased a backpack/harness for Wyatt, now 2. It is a monkey and the tail is the "leash". She said he liked it at first until he figured out the purpose and that it was restraining him from running around when they were out shopping.

I used a playpen and did get the babies used to it early. They seemed to enjoy their playpen time, but were good babies inside and outside of their little enclosure.

I never used a playpen or a harness. I didn't/don't like either of them.

No playpens, no harnesses here. Six kids, six (so far) little grandkids. Unless the kids are in the pen all day long, you have to baby-proof and be hands-on with them anyway, so take your shower while they sleep and teach them the value of "No."

One of my dils uses "redirection" instead of "No." That drives me crazy. When her kids are at my house, they understand that they cannot touch the buttons on my electronics (among other things); it took approximately two minutes to teach that to her son when he was 13 months old. She has to reset all her electronics every time she wants to use them. He also does not climb on my tables or trash my house the way he does at home, and he doesn't throw the food he doesn't want to eat on the floor here, either. He's a smart little boy they think is a handful, but he has no parameters. They think he's a "changed boy" when he's with me.

I think this post makes me sound mean or stern, but I'm not. I'm very hands-on and gentle. We raised our kids without ever spanking a single one of them and seldom needed harsh words or yelling. Kids are much more reasonable than we give them credit for, and they understand when you mean business.

I used one for each one of my children and also for Makayla and Kaden.
I cannot understand why no one would not want to one, it is like their private
area for naps, playtime and for the parent/grandparent to have their space.
When my children were younger 30 years ago, I used them to help them
sit up and many other features.
I could never have/watch a child without one.
Deb

Even though play pen time worked for me and my kids, I never went around removing all my pretties either. I found it easier to teach do not touch, etc. which always made it pleasant to go visit other homes/places. And I would never ask anyone to childproof their home so I could bring my kids with me. lolol

It's never a good idea to use a play pen or tv as a 'sitter' for long periods of time, if you know what I mean.

Without the fredom to explore in the safety of ones home boundaries are harder to teach. I do wonder if too much playpen time may be what results in run-about kids when in public.

My kids always held my hand when we were out. It just wasn't an option. What I see a lot today is that mom and dad are so proud when baby first walks they thing it's cute to let him walk by himself. Suddenly he gains speed and becomes a fast roaming toddler. Not so cute anymore. So they have to resort to harnesses and such. Hands are for holding from the very first step. They were taught early on that places like stores and restaurants (with the exception of the Rat House and McD's) were not playgrounds and we would leave if they didn't behave.

Like another poster said, children aren't given enough credit for having little brains that learn and can be taught to listen.

I should have been clearer, it was a immediate family crisis and I ended up being the bail out.

So the stress was really getting to me, the little one is non stop into everything. Trying to pull the curtains off the wall, tvs' electronics, under over and into everything.

There is no way to help the 3 year old unless you have the 1 year old on your hip! I couldn't fix a lunch for them,it just didn't seem like a safe idea. So I ended up strapping the baby into the high chair and rushing as fast as I could.

I raised 5 kids, and the playpen was a life saver. I knew the baby would be safe if I had to get a load of laundry, or even just to go to the bathroom. Amazingly enough, none of them ended up damaged by 15 minutes in a playpen.

While I agree kids need to explore, I can't understand how anyone could think a 1 year need can make wise safe choices if left alone for a even minute.

I questioned them about why no playpen, and never got a answer. So I was just curious what the reasoning was.

It's the same thing as when I hear parents asking their kids in the store, "do you want me to count to 5?" Or "do you want a time out." Of course they don't! LOL! Just a generation difference I guess, in the dark ages we didn't give them that choice. Kathy

I used a playpen for my last 2 kids. If I didn't have a difficult 4th pregnancy, I would never have had one in the first place. My daughter was six months old and I wasn't supposed to lift her very often. She was also starting to crawl so it made it hard to cook meals, clean house and look after my five year old. Once the baby was born, I rarely used the playpen. I usually only set it up when one of the two smaller ones got sick. It would go in the livingroom and I could watch them sleep in there a lot easier than in their bedroom.

I raised 2 sons 18 months apart and the playpen was a life
saver for me. Fast foward I have a grandson who is 3 yrs
old and I couldn't find a playpen for him when he was a baby.
My DIL had one of the corrals also but I was looking for
a good old fashion playpen. I had no luck.

It's hard for me to understand why childrearing has changed so much, from a couple of generations ago.
My 3 children all were in a playpen for the time it took me to have a bathroom break, or cook dinner. The playpen was put in my sight so they could talk, and see me. It was for their safety.
When my DD had a small baby shower, for the second child I got her one of those backpack-harnesses. Told her she'd need it for the older one, if she ever dared to go out. She looked at it like it was some sort of torture device! I saw that it's in the toybox now. Again, it's for the child's SAFETY. Not because you're unable to control her. That's why accidents are called accidents. They happen. If there are things made to keep a child safe, why not use it? Kind of makes me think, why use a car seat, "I'll just throw my arm over them if I have to stop fast".
(as a matter of fact, that's what parents used to do, when I was growing up-- LOL)

I guess I didn't start my kids out in the playpen right so at my house it ended up as a toy holder also...but the harness was a life saver I used it on all 3 of them....they are just sooo much easier then you having to stoop and hold their hand and their poor little arm hanging up in the air for ever......Stacy

I don't even know if they make playpens like the ones we used to use. My daughter recently wanted one for her baby, but the ones she found were much smaller than the old ones, so she didn't get any.

I loved my playpen. The kids didn't seem to mind it either. They had plenty of chances to play all over the house but if I needed a bathroom break, a time to make dinner and not run over them, or just a place to nap safely while I worked, they could be in the play pen. It seems to be a wise piece of furniture at the time. No one suffered from it...lol, I can't even imagine it being more than helpful for me.

i loved and used our when the kids were small. but nowdays they just don't make them big enough anymore just those pac and plays...yuck!

so i'd say the reason is they don't make them like they used to...

oh, do you moms from the 70's rememeber when the playpens went from slatted wood to the mesh and then had recalls cause the kids caught fingers in it? wondr if that has a bearing??

I used a playpen for my kids - aged 25 & 19 now. More for the 25 year old - especially outside - if I was hanging laundry or whatever - I wanted to know where she was. I also used it as a toybox, & remember that my brother & SIL brought their kids over & we used to put 2 at a time in the playpen - it worked out great!

I think the "thing" is - don't plop the kids in a playpen & go out of the room - as you know, it is not a substitute for communicating & playing with the kids but if you need to change a diaper on one & try & keep an eye on another, or make lunch, or whatever - it works!

I think that as a Grandma you should be able to use a playpen - my house is not kid proofed & a playpen would help a great deal. If there is resistance from the Mom & dad just let them knowe it is an assistant not a replacement.

I know I will be having this conversation with my daughters in the future....

I bought a Play Yard for my grandson. It has 8 sections that join together and can be shaped many different ways. It has an entry gate as well. I was babysitting him full time starting when he was about 9 months old. When he was about a year old I placed some of Joe's favorite toys in there and we'd play together for quite awhile. Well, Joe is 26 months old now and when he comes over he loves to open the gate and play inside. When he's tired of being in there he opens the gate and walks out. My friends and his parents can't believe that he goes in to play of his own accord.

We have an open floor plan and no way to shut off the rooms. With this play yard he was safe inside this enclosure and didn't feel he was being punished and restrained. I had it in the family room so he was part of the action and I could be in the kitchen where he could still see me and I knew he was safe.

{{gwi:1589019}}

I never used one but I know my daycare provider did. Mine was the only one she babsy until she was a year when she had a baby of her own. Then she really needed it for both her daughter and my daughter. She said they played fairly well together when she needed to get lunch on and such. Personally, I see nothing wrong with using them from time to time. But I don't believe you can buy these anymore. Maybe that's why they are not used anymore?

I only used the pack-n-play for sleeping when we traveled. I am one of those that has breakables out all over the house. When my two started getting mobile, I trained them what was theirs and what was mine, what to touch and what not to touch. My friends thought I was crazy for being strict (in their opinion), but all their homes looked like toy stores, ROTFL! : D My kids could go into a home and not touch a thing at toddler stage.

Now Bella and Luca are 7 and 4 and we just had some friends over who have a 5 and 2 year old, (who were left at home). The dad said to me, "I envy you that you can have things out! Our kids would tear them down." I'm thinking, you don't expect my kids aged 4 and 7 to behave properly in our own home? Eek!

Of course, when you have someone else's kids, it's a WHOLE other ballgame! When I watched my niece and nephew, I don't think I ever sat down b/c they just weren't taught not to touch. My SIL was "miffed" to see how many things they destroyed while they were here. My screen door, carpet, frames, basket, kids' toys... I was ever so glad when she found professional childcare. :)

And I definitely don't mean to say mine are perfect angels, LOL! Holy cow, they AREN'T! : D This was just something I felt was important.

Blessings,
Haley