Guidelines For Your Baby Playard

A playpen or play yard help both parent and baby. Parents feel better knowing their baby has a secure, interesting place to play. The baby develops his or her physical and mental abilities by exploring all the features of the playpen and the toys provided.

Safety is the first consideration, of course. Babies vary naturally in how vigorous they are. Some are quieter, others bounce all over the place at a very early age. A good playpen should stand up to the hardest punishment the baby can deliver, over the months or years they will use it.

Railings at the top should be able to support 100 pounds without bending. Ditto the floor. Your baby may only weigh 15-30 pounds when he or she starts applying pressure on it. But when they hold and bounce that apparent weight goes way up. You want something with a wide safety margin to prevent injury and to avoid breaking the playpen.

Metal tubing forms the majority of sturdy playards, though some are made from wood. Sturdy framing ensures that the basic safety criterion is met, but padding is also essential. The padding should be thick and securely attached by snaps, rivets or seams that won't break and fabric that won't tear. It's a nice added convenience if it can be changed or replaced easily.

The final basic element is indestructible mesh. Often nylon, sometimes a type of composite, the fabric that is stretched between the frame parts should be practically impossible for the baby to tear. The mesh size should be small enough that neither hands nor clothing can be pushed through.

Mesh should also offer considerable give, in order to prevent pressure injuries. But it still needs to provide strong resistance. That discourages babies from trying to 'escape', but also gives young muscles a chance to develop by working against the resistance.

Having wheels or rollers on the playard is a nice to have feature. But if they come equipped that way, they should have a lock-down feature to prevent the playpen from becoming a walker by accident. That's especially important when the playpen is on a slight grade, such as outside on the lawn.

A wide playard will provide not only plenty of room to move around and explore but adds a safety element. The wider they are, the less likely a larger baby can tip one over when standing on the edge and jerking back and forth.

A generous width also allows for using different parts of the playard for different purposes. One section could have a small pillow attached to the corner for when the baby is sleeping. That helps isolate the sleeping area from that more filled with toys. Babies, of course, will scatter things about but a wide playpen allows parents to straighten up when the young one finally winds down. That removes the possibility of kicking toys while sleeping.

It's always great to have a playard with sides that can be folded. That makes the pen more easily portable. It also provides parents with the ability to open one end to teach the baby to move in and out of an area. Take care, though, that the hinges are designed so they can't catch on blankets or skin.