Infant Sleeping in Pack N' Play Bassinet Vs. Crib

My child never would sleep in his bassinet, so we put him in the bassinet of our packn'play for naps and night sleep. Personally, I could not sleep well if I was too close to my baby. I tried and tried, but I just couldn't get to sleep. I ended up sleeping in the livingroom with the pack n play so my husband could get solid sleep for work. The pack n'play saved us and it worked just fine. At about 10 weeks, I started putting my baby to sleep in his crib and it was the best thing I ever did. Once my son started becoming more aware of his surroundings, I was even more happy with my choice as I wanted him to like his crib. He loves his crib and sometimes wants to play in it after naps.....and he is 15 months old.

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I live in the country of Mali in in West Africa where I adopted my boys. Both of them slept in a pack and play bassinet until they grew out of it. I had no problems whatsoever. My oldest started sleeping in the bassinet at 4.5 months of age when I got him (only weighed 10 lbs then) and the younger was 6 months (and sadly at the time only weighed 10 lbs as well. The issue for me was their size; being physically too big or physically able to move enough to fall out. I found the bassinet to be a lifesaver on my back. When they got too big for the bassinet I used the pack and play as their principal crib, and was able to take it with me whenever we traveled so thy always had their own bed too. It was a handy solution. I think pack and plays are one of the greatest inventions ever for babies! Hope you find this helpful.

T.,

Its fine to put your daughter to sleep in the pack and play. My son didn't like the crib-he preferred the pack and play so he slept in it the first year!

M.

That's exactly the course of action we took with out little one and it worked out perfectly until we got her a crib to upgrade to. And for the first little while we had her laying in it cross wise of what they're supposed to and then once she was too long we turned her lengthwise. Again, it worked perfectly. Now if she had been a little older, heavier and more mobile it wouldn't have worked, but for the first handful of months it should work just great for you. Good Luck!

I would move her to the crib in her room now. It would be very tough to use the pak n'play for anything else once it is used as her nighttime bed. Also, she doesn't have to sleep through the night to be moved to her room. The sooner, the better.

God bless -

+B+

I guess I would have to ask why you don't have her in her crib? If she is not co-sleeping, then she won't know the difference between the crib and a pack-n-play. But, if you put her in her crib, that will be one less transition for her to make later on down the road. All 3 of my kids went from co-sleeping to crib and have all been successful sleepers because they didn't know any difference. That being said, my 3rd is in a pack-n-play because she escaped from the crib and fell on her head. She is 2 and isn't yet ready for a big girl bed.

Absolutely! Both my children sleep well in our pack n play bassinet when we go on trips. In fact, when my first child was born that is what she slept in all the time (until my uncle gave us this beautiful cradle he had made for us). Just follow the same rules: no extra blankets or toys, etc. The cool thing is, you don't need a bumper either!

T.,
I just wanted to say if you are waiting for her to sleep through the night it most likely won't happen in a month or so. Unless you are planning on just making her with cry it out. Both my boys did not sleep through the night until about 2 and have talked to other moms that it was the same thing. So I would either move the crib in your room or move her into her crib in her own room.

Yes! A Pack N Play is basically a portable bassinet when they are small and crib when they are older. They are safe for traveling- why wouldn't they be safe at home? Whatever your child gets used to is what they will want when they go to sleep, whether it is crib or a Pack N Play. You could even skip the crib altogether and just move the Pack N Play into her own room when it's time if you want to. If the bassinet is too small it will be more uncomfortable for her to sleep and increase the chance of sleeplessness and dangerous accidents, so whatever you do please move her to a larger sleeping area.

Hey there,
I have a 7 1/2 month old daughter. We have used the pack and play bassinet her whole life! And, we are still using it, although she is getting WAY too big for it, but it has been great! I love it and Alexis loves it too, much more than her crib! Good luck!

Yes, whatever is comfortable for your family. Our newest addition slept in the pack n play until he was 6 months! We had to figure out where to put our middle child so he could have the crib. He stayed in our room during that time, they need to be close anyways so I think it is a good idea.

My daughter hated small spaces / swaddling, and was perfectly happy to be in a crib at 2 weeks old. Unless you really want to, you don't have to use anything but a crib. In reality, though, as long as it's safe, what ever you and your baby are comfortable with is what you should do.

We used the Pack N' Play for a bassinet for the first three months. Toward the end of that time, we started putting our son to sleep in his crib for naptime but in the Pack N' Play for bedtime. Then he started using the crib all the time. Worked great for us and the upside is that he's used to sleeping in the Pack N' Play, so we can take it with us when we travel and he's comfortable with it.

Hi T.,

Both my boys (almost 3yrs and 1yr) slept in the bassinet part of our pack and play for the first couple of months after they were born. Our first son had trouble sleeping comfortably in there for a couple of days until we figured out that it was a rather hard surface to sleep on. So, we decided to place a folded quilt under him and after that he slept very well, only waking up to eat. When our second son was born, we put a folded quilt under him immediately. This worked great until we were ready to put them in a crib in their own room. Good luck.

N.

My daughter (now 15 months old) slept in the pack-n-play bassinet for the first 3 months. We moved her to her crib at 3 months old, which I felt was the perfect time.

It is certainly ok but I would go ahead and put her in her crib. If you have a baby monitor you will hear her when she wakes up. I used my pak n play when we went out of town for sleeping.

I have a 2 year old and a 7 month old. I have them sleeping in their pack-n-play playpens since they were born simply because we didn't have the space for any crib furniture. The playpens work great. I justlayer the bottom with several blankets for comfort. It keeps them safe as the playpens are softer than the wood cribs. We are currently remodeling our home and building my girls their own room so the playpens work great because you can move them from bedroom to living room easily. I wouldn't worry if that is your only choice as it is very convenient and works. I hope this helps. Please feel free to contact me anytime for more information. Not everyone can afford nice infant furniture either. I hope you have a great day and don't worry, your child won't know the difference. K., mother of two girls. ###-###-####

I have used it for that when travelling but I moved my son into his crib at 6 weeks and he started sleep through the night.

T.,
If she is getting too big for the bassinet then now would be the best time to transition her into her crib.If you have to sorta teach a new space(bed) why not it be her crib. Just use a monitor. They are great. You can see and hear everything.

I had all 4 of my children in their own beds by 3 months. They have never crawled into our bed because they know which is their bed. This way they are young enough not to get too comfortable. All will sleep much better when everyone is in there own beds. She hears you and your husband sleep and so this may interrupt her sleep, but if she is in her own bed she may sleep more sound. I would only use the Pack 'n' Play when you go away and need a bed away from home. You will appreciate moving her now instead of later. Otherwise your bound to have 4 or 5 yo in your room still. Take the advice from someone who knows. My sister kept her children in her room, 1st in the cradle and when they out grew that, she moved them into the Pack n Play. Now they are 6 and 3 and still in her room.

Good luck, Trish

T.,
Both of my girls slept in the pack n' play basinett until they were 6 months old. They both transistioned to the crib just fine. Wishing you luck in whatever you decide!
J.

Since our house is small, my son's bedroom is right next door to our bedroom so he's always slept in his crib. Well, actually, he'd sleep in his moses basket and then that was put into the crib. That way, he'd feel comfortable and used to his surroundings. Also when he grew out of the moses basket, he was fine making the adjustment to the crib. I'm not sure about your daughter, but my cousin could never sleep in the Pack N' Play because it could move easily (I hope that makes sense) verses a crib. Better to have her in the crib now then later if you ask me.

My son is now almost 28 months old and we had him sleeping our room, in the bassinet part of his pack n' play until he was 4 months old. I was nursing him for about 4 months so it was easier for all of us if I had him close to me during those time. After I started him on the bottle and stopped nursing completely, he started sleeping in his crib in his own room. I personally don't think there is a problem in doing that, we have 2 older boys (14 and 13) and wish we had done the same thing to them when they were younger instead of letting them sleep in the bed with us after they were born, the transition would have been a lot easier. I think the manufacturers of the pack n' plays make sure that they are safe because that is what they were intended for instead of having to buy separate pieces of furnitures.

Hi, my 5 1/2 month old daughter has been sleeping in her pack n play in our room from the start. She will go to bed there, and then when she wakes up she eats and comes to bed with us. I don't see any reason for not having her in there. I did add a small down blanket under the sheet since it is not very cozy.
Good luck.

I have read that you should try and move your baby to the crib by 3 months old so they can associate the crib as their place to sleep and get into a routine.

I think it's fine. We did the same thing. We used a bassinet and then moved our son to the Pak'n Play bassinet at the end of our bed until he got to heavy for that (around 6 months) and then transitioned him to his crib. As I recall we were putting him down for naps in his crib so he was used to his crib by the time we put him in there for the night. Hope all works at well with whatever you decide.

I don't see any problems with having her sleep in the PNP. I am self employed and I toted my daughter to work with me and had one in another room for her to sleep in. I did this until she was about a year and a half. She would sleep comfortably in it, because after we moved her from the bassinet part, the playyard part of it was large enough for her to move around in. At home, she would sleep in her crib. This was a plus, because it got her used to sleeping in differant environments.
Good luck!

I have 2 children- one who is now 2 and a 4 month old. My daughter slept in our room in the bassinet part of the pack and play until she was 5 months old (she was a preemie and hard for me to think about putting her in her own room!) and my 4 month old slept in the pack and play bassinet for 1 month in our room, then we moved him into his crib ( he was a very noisy sleeper- needless to say the few hours he did sleep, Mom and Dad weren't :) There isn't any reason that they can't sleep in it as long as they don't go over the weight limit for the bassinet part.

It's totally fine until they can pull themselves up (and over!)

Hello T.,

I have to say that yes, it is fine for her to sleep in the pack n play bassinet. My son is 18 months and has always slept in the pack n play. Until this day he is still sleeping in it versus the crib. He is just so much more comfortable in it, and falls to sleep in it with no problems at all. I love it.

S.

Hi T.,

We did the same thing for about a month. My understanding when I was researching it, was that sleeping in the pack and play for a month was okay, but longer would be problematic because the mattress is not as supportive.

My guy did fine.

Best of luck!