Baby Einstein Pack n Play: Easy to Use for Travel and Home!

What exactly are we as parents looking for in a pack 'n play? Safety, ease of use, durability and portability all come to mind. And those are the exact attributes my Baby Einstein Pack 'n Play by Graco exhibits.

The first time you try to assemble and disassemble a pack 'n play you might find it frustrating. Bars/Sides aren't locking, you have to pull this before you can push that otherwise nothing happens. And just when you think you have it... the durn thing collapses. I know, because I have been there with the two other pack 'n plays that we used at my grandmother's house. But I never found the Baby Einstein Pack 'n Play to be too frustrating to use. But, of course, practicing opening and closing the contraption before you actually need to use it helps.

PARTS
Do not be overwhelmed when you first take the Baby Einstein Pack 'n Play out of its box. You will find:
1. The Playpen: It is approximately 40 x 29 inches. It has a height of around 33 inches. There are two wheels on one side for easy portability around the house/room. The playpen is mostly blue, with a blue netting. There are dashes of color, green and red, on the top portion. There are buttons on the top of each bar of the playpen. You depress them to unlock the sides to fold it.
2. The Pad: It's thin and made of a vinyl material that can be easily wiped clean when dirty. You can buy playard sheets for it if desired. It is not as soft as a crib mattress, but that probably would be undesirable for safety reasons. Both my children and my goddaughter have slept in this pack n plays and showed no discomfort with the pad.
3. Bassinet Netting: If you have a baby that is 15 pounds or less, you can attach the bassinet netting to the playard to hold the pad up higher. I used it this way with my first son when he was 1 - 2 months old. I never used this feature with my second son. But it does function as described.
4. Overhead toy bar/gym: You can attach it to the top of the pack n play so your baby has something interesting to look at - a duck, a rabbit, a removable caterpillar toy and a removable touch sensitive music toy. You can also attach this to the Pad and use it on the floor during playtime. You should not attach this to the Pad when the pad is INSIDE the pack n play.
5. A Stuffed Caterpillar: A familiar Baby Einstein character. You can attach him to the Overhead Toy Bar or simply give him to your child to play with separately.
6. Music Toy: A toy with four shapes that light up and each one plays a different classical music song when pressed. This toy takes 3 AA batteries. I have replaced the batteries 2x in 2 years. But it gets played with a lot, outside of the playard. You can attach this toy to the Overhead Gym or directly onto the playard side.
7. Metal Bars: Two short metal bars and two longer metal bars are included to help keep the Pad in place when used at the Bassinette height.
8. Carrying Bag: To put the playard in when not in use.

EASE OF USE
So you have all the parts - now what? To open the playard you just pull each top side bar up until you hear a click and it is locked in place. Then you push down on the center of the playard floor and it will lock into place. Then you either put the metal bars into the bassinette netting and attach the netting to the playard and put the pad into the netting, for babies 15 pounds or lighter. Or you simply place the Pad directly on the bottom of the playard, fasten two straps on the bottom of the pad to the bottom of the playard, and tuck the corners of the mattress into the corners of the playard.

Now, when it's time to put it away you lift the Pad (and Bassinette netting, if applicable) out. Then you pull up the center of the playard floor. Then lift the top rail, push in the button and then push down. It takes practice...but it's easy once you get the hang of it.

PORTABILITY
Once you have collapsed the playard, you fold the Overhead gym and stuff that along with the netting and metal rods into the center or the collapsed playard. You take the mattress pad and fold it around the playard. There is a handle on the outside of the mattress pad. You want that on top. Then you insert the whole thing with the carrying bag. And off you go! It is a bit hefty at 25 pounds, though.

SAFETY
Both my son's have slept in this safely. They say to always keep the child in view when using it. But that is to cover Graco's bottom, because when I am asleep and they are asleep I can't say that they are "in view". But I don't leave them unattended in it for long periods of time. The recommended age for use is birth to 5 months. My oldest slept in the pack n play until he was two, and so did my goddaughter. And remove the overhead gym once the child can stand. Don't add strings or straps to the playard.Don't place near blinds, cords or electrical cords and sockets. Use common sense.

OVERALL
This thing is fun. The colors and toys are bright and stimulating. It contains your baby/toddler when they are sleeping. The toys can be used separately. The pad can be used for playtime on the floor. There are so many uses you can get out of this playard. And it LASTS. The other two playards at my grandmother's house are bent out of shape. But this one has travelled to my mom's house, my friend's house, throughout my house and it is in great condition. I love it. A perfect Pack N Play.