Product Review: Graco Pack ‘n Play

I am a weakling. I spoke about this when I lamented my baby carrier and stroller woes. Partly because my baby is a big boy. Partly because I need to exercise. But that’s another post for another time. So why did my son have to grow out of his perfectly good bassinet and bouncer so early? I relied on these things to help me out. But of course, I had to come up with another solution.

That’s where a pack and play (or a playpen) comes in. I was traveling with my family and needed a place for Little Love to sleep. It was the day before our trip and we realized he’d grown out of the bassinet we use for traveling. Luckily we had gift cards and coupons and ran to Babies-R-Us to purchase one. We stumbled on this Graco Pack ‘n Play.

The display was fully set up in the store and I thought it was perfect so we purchased it and went about our merry way.

Setting it up was very easy. I had my brother help me the first time just to make sure we were doing it correctly. But once him and I got it down, I was able to do it myself moving forward. To be honest we just did the base part of it and not all the accessories. We would have, but Littles was already too big for everything.

The entire set comes with the travel-friendly pack and play. It collapses into itself and fits in the mat area that you fold up. The mat area is the base that goes on the bottom, or you can have it hang from the top to have your little one sleep. They label this as the bassinet. This is what I was most excited for, however Little Love was already over the 15-pound weight limit. I didn’t realize that in the store when we purchased it, but it wasn’t a big deal. We bought it when my son was just 4 months old, so if you’re thinking about buying this particular pack and play for this feature, you may need to reconsider. Even if your little one isn’t over the 15-pound limit, it wouldn’t be the best idea if they are rolling over or able to sit up.

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Other features include the swivel newborn napper and changing area. This part is so cool. I knew I wouldn’t be using it but with our next baby or a relative’s baby, this will come in handy. It features a 2-in-1 mat that forms a comfy looking napper. It then flips over to be a changing mat. Littles was obviously too big for this, as it is probably best for babies under 2 months. I couldn’t find any information for the maximum weight or milestone limit but I did find the napper was only recommended for daytime sleeping. A plush star themed mobile also came with the pack and play but we didn’t bother setting that up.

Overall, I never really thought about getting a pack and play until Little Love was too big for most of the features with this one. If you plan on using a pack and play early on, this one would be perfect. I now have it set up at my parents’ house for when we go over there. I really enjoy having a place to put the baby if he falls asleep or just wants to play but I have no where else to put him.

Do you have a pack and play that you really recommend or do you use something else you prefer when you travel? Let me know in the comments below or on my Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Happy days and see y’all soon!