Tips about Your Baby's Playpen

Parenting Tips

A playpen can be a big help. You can have your baby in the same room where you are working so that he will not be alone while you do what you need to do.

You can also take the playpen outdoors with you. Make sure it is in a shady and safe spot. Stay with your baby. Outside he can watch all kinds of things that are going on, safely. You can talk to him about what he is seeing.

Babies should only be in playpens for very short periods of time. They need to spend time on the floor. They need time to explore while a parent watches.

If you leave your baby in the playpen too long, he will let you know. When he first gets tired of it, you can give him something new to play with. He may be content to remain there for a while longer.

Here are some playpen safety tips:

• Make sure the mesh on the sides of the playpen has openings that are smaller than 1/4 inch.
• Make sure there are no tears, holes or loose threads in the mesh.
• Make sure the top rail cover has no tears or holes.
• Playpens made of wood should have slats that are no more than 2 3/8 inches apart, or even closer.
• Make sure screws and staples are firmly installed and that none are missing or loose.
• When you set up your baby's playpen, make sure the sides of the playpen are locked in place. A partially set-up playpen can collapse on and harm your baby.

These tips were adapted from the U.S. Department of Education.

View more Infant Parenting Tips.