Am I a "Bad Mom" if I use a Pack N Play instead of a crib?

[MrsPinecone]

Oh, and FWIW, my new baby hates the PNP. She hates the bassinette part, and the lower part.

She sleeps with me, because here at my mom's we only have one crib, and DS is in it.

[queenofthehivemomof5]

Children in 3rd world countires do not have cribs or pack n plays....these are things we all consider "needs" but you could just as well co-sleep with your baby or put the baby in a pack n play. As far as comfort, a baby does not care if he or she is sleeping on a matress. I think what is most important is that the baby is safe and happy. I think the pack n play would be perfectly. If you find that its not safe anymore because he/she can climb out or the pack n play is starting to show wear and tear then you can always re-acess the situation and decide to get a crib later. I say do what works for you and your family. When my twins were little they slept in thier car seats alot for the first few months because that worked for us. They shared a bassinet sometimes too, then moved onto a crib which they shared, and then eventually into seperate cribs. I bought these as I needed.

You can get a crib and matress at Walmart or Kmart for around $150-$200 if you look for sales. But I think you are fine with the pack n play and then as your needs change you access them and if you need to buy a crib, you buy a crib.

All a baby NEEDS is food, clothing, diapers, healthcare, a carseat (if you plan on traveling in a car) and love. All the rest of the things (swings, highchairs, strollers, bottles, pacifers, etc) are more for convienince and not really needed.

[aeflower]

Can't you get the pack n play (which you are going to need anyway when travelling) and then take your time on deciding about the crib? Once baby gets here and time passes you'll be able to better judge your need for a crib and also give hubby a chance to decide if there's a need. REALLY the decision is yours and you'll know what will work best for your child.

[SyLph211]

My DD slept in a pack n play for the first 7 months of her life. We have different reasons as to why we used it. We finally purchased a portable crib for her from Babies R Us and a mattress for it also. The mattress is the same size for the pack n play also. I am not saying you s hould let him/her sleep in a pack n play for the 1st year of life but for a while it wouldn't hurt. The thin matress type pads that come with the pack n play are just not enough support for little ones and thier growing bodies.

[regbyandjulie]

Originally Posted by aimeemarie I don't think you are a bad Mommy! However I do think baby needs a nice mattress to sleep on. Would you want to sleep in a Pack N Play type surface every night until you are old enough to have your own bed? If you can find a used crib, the cheapest mattress at Walmart is $38. We are using my own crib from 1984 so it is 25 years old but works fine.

For a minute, I thought you were my sister! Her name is Aimee Marie, as well! I thought I'd been found out! But then I realized my sister is completely clueless about computers, nevermind couponing, so she wouldn't be on here, LOL.

Thanks for all the input everyone. I think we will start off with a Pack N Play, and then wait for a really good sale to buy a crib. Also, the baby shower is in June, so if I get a bunch of gift cards, that can go towards buying a nice crib as well.

[JoesWife]

It's your decision & you will do what's best for your child. My SIL had a beautiful crib for her son but he didn't seem to like it much. He NEVER slept threw the night & when he was 18 months old I suggested trying the PNP. He has slept through the night ever since in the PNP. Now she is giving the crib to me :) Ha!

[anne503]

Your sister need to stop being so condescending.
In an ideal situation, it'd be great to have both a PNP and a crib.
We never bought a crib since DD co-slept w/ us half the time and really only used the PNP for naps. Later on, we bought a baby mattress and laid it on the floor for her "bed"....not the prettiest solution, but since we don't have any pets or other kids, it worked for us.

[sbp]

I'm sorry that your sister is giving you a hard time!

I just want to remind you that if you do go the route of buying a used crib down the road, do some research to make sure it's not a model that's been recalled!!!

My ds#2 was a horrible sleeper. We had a PnP with the bassinet part that he slept in when he was first born and then when we tried to switch him to the crib when he got a little bigger and it was a nightmare. If we put him in the crib while he was still awake, he'd scream bloody murder. If we tried to put him in the crib asleep, as soon as his body hit the mattress he'd wake up instantaneously and start screaming bloody murder. Since he shared a room with his brother (2 years older) the last thing we needed was 2 awake little boys so, like Heidi's twins, he was a car seat sleeper, and some nights even getting him to sleep in that was a process that literally took hours!!!

[CoffeeMom]

Do what works for you! If you want to start out with a PnP for the first few months and then decide you'd rather have her in a crib, you can usually find a used one pretty cheap. The only thing is that I doubt a PnP that is slept in every night and traveled with would stand up to being handed down through 4+ kids.

We have a crib in DS's room and 2 PnPs (one downstairs, one upstairs in our room.) The only reason we have one in our room is because he has asthma and if he has a cold or anything we like to have him closer so we can hear him better. We're not buying a crib for DS2 right away, since he'll be fine in his bassinett for the first few months.

Anyhow...do what you want to do. It's tough to know what will work for you before the baby comes, but I'm absolutely sure that if you choose the PnP route she'll be just fine!

[TheWoman]

I wouldn't buy a crib just yet unless you find a great deal on one. You might just find that the baby won't sleep alone in a crib anyway so it sits in the corner unoccupied until you realize that it is a good place to keep clean laundry before you fold it. Some babies just will not sleep in a crib.

If your baby sleeps in the pack and play with no issues THEN look into getting a crib.

And no, you are not a bad mom. Your sister is going to make you feel guilty no matter what you do.