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Best Playards for Babies and Toddlers help give your little one a secure play to rest and play in. Formerly, they are known as “playpens” providing a safe surrounding for your baby or even a toddler to play while you have things lined up or to cook dinner, dress up for work, or taking a shower break.
These Playards are generally shaped rectangular made from a mesh where the babies directly sit on, typically designed for easy transport.
How Do You Know You Need a Playard?
They are for sure not the only way of creating safe play zones for your baby but are one among the others like playmats used for babies that haven’t crawled yet, jumpers, activity centers, and baby gates used to keep the baby contained for some time in a specific area.
Speaking of them all, Playards have their distinct advantages. While the other might restrict the movement or are used to strap into a seat, these Playards allow the babies to have room to move around while doing a double duty like:
- Having Diaper-changing stations
- Bassinets
- Portable cribs
Playards can be of great use on days when you take a trip to grandma’s, to safeguard from the uncovered electrical outlets, and the knick-knacks within your child’s reach while providing a secure place to play and sleep when traveling.
At What Age Can a Playard Be Used?
Playards can be used for newborns to babies of age three. As the baby reaches 35 inches tall or learns to climb out consider the Playard’s tour of duty useful and done with.
Parents just need to make sure of the safety and that the Playards are solid while purchasing a hand-me-down or purchase a playpen.
To help you choose from the numerous options available in the market, listed below are a few Playards for your reference to choose from:
1. Graco Pack n' Play Reversible Napper Playard
This is a multi-tasking Playard that has a “napper” attached for newborns. It can be flipped over and then used as a diaper-changing station as well. As the baby outgrows the Playard age, it can be transitioned into the main playpen area. The Graco Playard is an elevated cushy mat that keeps babies higher for their naps and for the parents to keep an eye on and swat at the toy bar overhead too.
As the baby becomes active you could simply lower the mat down and let the Playards transit into a safe play area and a sleep spot through toddlerhood.
Due to the many functional accessories in the Playard, it is a little heavier and becomes not difficult to set up and break down compared to the other Playards.
Amazon Reviews
I dont know if this is the best in the market. Because as a parent generally no one buys more than one pack n play of different types. But here is what I feel about it –
1) Its strong, feels like long lasting product.
2) Got wheels at one side, easy to move around.
3) Changer is very useful. I may not prefer to use napper though – you may not want your baby to sleep on a hammock kind of bed. Its not good for their backbone.
4) You can use this product for a long time. There are two tiers where your baby can sleep depending on how old he/she is.
5) Easy to pack & unpack the base. Now – I feel its time taking & not that easy to assemble or detach the changer / napper. Graco designers, attention please.
6) Love that arch. You can hang toys, also its helpful to use mosquito net over it. Baby gets some extra space.
Problem –
1) I live in an apartment and I feel the doors are of standard size. I was not able to move the pack n play from our living room to bedroom through the door. There was about a quarter to half an inch of length overlap. So I had to unpack it, move it to bedroom & pack it again.
For more product reviews visit Amazon
2. 4moms Breeze Go Playard
Setting up and breaking down the 4moms Breeze Go Playard is quite simple. With just a little one hand, the Playard pushes down at the center causing the legs to spread. To quickly pack it up, all you need to do is pull a ring at the center and the whole Playard collapses. Works great as a trip companion and is ready on the go.
However, it doesn’t have a bassinet or a diaper-changing area. But the upgraded Breeze Plus does have it all.
Amazon Reviews
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3. Halo DreamNest open-air Sleep Playard
This Halo DreamNest Playard helps parents transition their kids from their playtime to their naptime using soothing motion. The Playard itself and the mattress are made up of mesh that helps create an airy environment preventing overheating. The best part is that it is 3-in-1, which means, it turns into a rocking bassinet by just flipping the rockers on, to a playpen, and lastly as an open cot for toddlers. Keep in mind that the Playard isn’t as easy to set up or pack as compared to others.
4. Nuna SENA aire Travel Crib
This sleek Playard fits great in a modern house. The Travel Nuna crib can be set up easily using its one-hand folding system and it’s all constructed in a mesh that maximizes the airflow to avoid getting the baby all sweaty. Its mat could be placed at two levels, that is, using it as a bassinet from halfway up the playpen, and for playing from the bottom or even for napping by toddlers and older babies. It is accompanied by an organic cotton sheet too. However, it is heavier as compared to the other playards by being at 25 lbs.
Amazon Reviews
Best i love it
Pros:
Very well built
The mattress is made of many layers of mesh so it’s super breathable
Already comes with one sheet to get you started
The bassinet insert folds with the playard
Super easy to assemble/disassemble it
No chemical smells
Made of baby-safe materials
Comes with a travel bag
Con: a little bit tall when folded so it won’t fit in a large suitcase for air travel
I absolutely LOVE Nuna products!
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5. Babybjörn Travel Crib Light
It helps avoid suffering from muscle fatigue by carting around this practical Playard. This can be opened in a sweeping motion and can be easily kept clean too. The mats and crib fabric, both are washable by just unzipping the top of the Playard by removing the frame fabric.
It rests directly on the floor with a built-in base plate keeping it lightweight and firmly planted. However, the Babybjörn does not come with a bassinet option and despite the exclusive dark green color, it comes in various other colors too.
Amazon Reviews
Out of all of the travel cribs and pack and plays this is by far our favorite! It is easy to set up and take down, the mattress is soft yet supportive, and the whole unit is sturdy. Definitely worth the money!
For more product reviews visit Amazon
6. Guava Family Lotus Travel Crib
It is an ultralight Playard that folds up into a backpack case keeping the arms free to hold the baby and the diaper bag while traveling from one place to the other. It also has a zippered side door for you to lie down along with your baby to nurse or cuddle them as they sleep. It can also be used by the baby or the toddler to move in and out of the Playard when you want them to.
This makes the Playard resemble a play fort. Once you know how the Crib takes only 15 seconds to set while the extra-long mattress lays flat on the floor. It can be converted into a bassinet but it requires an additional kit for the same.
Amazon Reviews
I have twins about to go on first plane trip. Was split between silver cross, guava and bjorn cribs. Ended up ordering both bjorn and guava and returned the bjorn got a second guava. Guava way more reasonable for portability and infant sleeping. Quality of materials more lux and cheaper. Bjorn was huge though same weight. Materials felt cheaper. The matress was softer on the bjorn but very compressible where I could feel the plastic beneath easily. The guava is slightly thinner but more dense harder to feel plastic. The guava matress was not as bad as people made it and the bjorn mattress did not live up to expectations. Bjorn easier to break down but guava breaks more compact. I feel safer with the guava matress for infants and like side entrance. Either is good but guava all the way wasn’t even close for us
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To Conclude:
There are no right or wrong picks for a Playard. All you need to have is a portable play space for the baby or the toddler to know where they are keeping them safe in one place. It depends on the parents, whether they’d like one with a diaper changing station or a bassinet. It will help to make the lives of the parents easier for sure!
FAQs: Best Playards for Babies and Toddlers
1. Are Playards good for babies ?
2. At what age do babies use playpens ?
3. At what age do you stop using a crib ?
Reviewed By:
Nimrat Sidhu - Pediatration
"Dr. Nimrat S Sidhu is a practicing pediatrician for about 5 years now and holds an MD pediatrics degree. She was the topper of her batch, has always had a keen interest in her core medical field, and is specially trained for neonatal resuscitation.
She has published multiple research papers on pediatrics and is interested in topics like Neonatal care, skincare, baby growth, vaccination, growth, and development."
