The Graco 5-way Pack 'N Play is one of the items that I had placed on my baby registry before my (now 16 mth old) son was born. My mother had used a Graco Pack 'n Play with my little brother when he was a baby approximately 12 years ago and her Pack 'n Play is still going strong. So, when I was picking out the portable playard I knew that Graco meant sturdy and a brand that I could trust. Of course, it also didn't hurt that my stroller, high chair, and swing were also from this same company. Being the good little expecting mother that I was I picked out the portable playard in the same coordinating upholstery pattern - and that was the Graco 5-way Pack 'N Play in Princeton Plaid.

At the time, this particular Pack 'N Play was the also the top of the line playard from Graco with all the Bells 'n Whistles. However, since then they have come out with some additional features. My advice to you when choosing a playard is to evaluate which features you will actually use and which are useless to you. You may find that you don't need to have the most expensive one that does everything but change your child's diaper for you.


So What are the 5 Ways to Pack 'n Play ?

1. Use alone as a portable playard

This is the way that we use it the most. Truth be told the Graco 5-way Pack 'N Play currently sits, open and full of a couple of my son's favorite toys and cloth books. He spends a brief amount of time in the Graco 5-way Pack 'N Play on just about a daily basis. The Graco 5-way Pack 'N Play is a safe place to put my son when I run to do things that I "gotta do" (like go to the bathroom).

According to the manufacturer, the Graco 5 way Pack 'N Play is reccommended for use by a child who is unable to climb out, and is less than 34" tall and also weighs less than 30 pounds. The reasons are that if they are taller than 3 feet or so they will be able to climb out easily and if they weigh more than 30 pounds the cloth base may not be able support them.

2. Use with drop-in bassinette for an infant under 15 pounds

Basically the bassinette feature of the Graco 5 way Pack 'N Play is just a drop in raised floor (with a nylon bottom). The bassinette sits about 12 inches down from the top edge of the Pack 'N Play so that you don't need to bend and reach all the way to the floor level.

When my son was first born I was unable to climb stairs because of our cesarean delivery. We were able to keep him in the bassinette portion of the Graco 5 way Pack 'N Play for naps during the day in our living room so I didn't have to go up and down stairs with him to his Crib.

We also used the bassinette portion many times during traveling. Since my son was born during the holidays we did quite a bit of traveling in his first couple of months of life. Because he was used to napping in the bassinette portion of this pack 'n play he had no problem also sleeping in it during travel.

3. Use as a changing station
The Graco 5 way Pack 'N Play features a removable changing station with a wipeable vinyl pad. The changing station simply sits on top of the entire Pack 'N Play playard. It can support a child up to 25 pounds. We used this during the newborn/infant stages but found that the size of the changing table (only about 12X26) was too small and crowded once our son was more than a few months old. However, during those first few months we used this feature daily. It was nice to be able to change a diaper in the living room at waist level (I couldn't bend due to the surgery).

4. Use as a crib
This is essentially the same as using it as a playard except all the toys are removed during night-time use for safety reasons. My son has spent many a night in hotels, grandma's house etc in his Graco 5 way Pack 'N Play. He sleeps in this playard just fine because he is used to it.

As a mother I will say that I have concerns that it is not comfortable. Unlike his crib there is no posh mattress, but instead a thin nylon mattress with very little padding. Also a note that the Graco 5 way Pack 'N Play requires the use of a special smaller size playard sheet and not a standard crib sheet. For safety reasons, it is important to use a proper fitted playard sheet.

5. Pack 'n Go
For storage or transportation purposes the Graco 5 way Pack 'N Play folds up and stores in a nylon bag. Its hard to believe that the entire playard and all its amenities fits into a bag that small! The bag has a handle on it (a nylon strap) so you can carry it along. We've packed the Graco 5 way Pack 'N Play in our trunk as well as flown with it. If you fly with children you'll get used to spotting other parents in the airport also traveling with Pack 'n Plays! My only problem with the Graco 5 way Pack 'N Play in the folded up stage is that its kinda on the heavy side. My husband has no problem with it though so carrying it around is officially his job.

Other Amenities of the Graco 5 Way Pack 'N Play

The Graco 5 way Pack 'N Play comes standard with a Canopy with heat-guard . The canopy is a crib tent that snaps onto the top of the playard. This makes the Graco 5 way Pack 'N Play ideal for use outdoors or taking to places like the park or the beach. It keeps the sun and elements off of your baby and deflects out the heat so that the Graco 5 way Pack 'N Play doesn't become like a little oven.

Also, the Graco 5 way Pack 'N Play has 2 removable bags (one for each end of the playard). The bags simply snap on or off if you want to use them. One is intended to be a changing supply bag and the other is for toys. The toys bag has the same heat-guard material that the canopy does.

One great feature of the Graco 5 way Pack 'N Play is that it has mesh on all 4 sides. This means you can easily peek in and see what your child is doing if they are in the seated or lying down position. It also has a roll-down side flap with heat-guard on one side. I've found the roll-down side to be useful indoors as well as outdoors. It serves as a 'blinder' so that my son will take a longer nap and not be distracted by activities going on in the room outside of the playard.

Best of all, the Graco 5 way Pack 'N Play is Convenient. The entire unit is very easy to set up and take down. There are special buttons halfway down each side that need to be released or clicked into place and a single round circle base that clicks into place in the "floor" of the playard. The first couple times that I used it I had some difficulty but after doing it a few times now I am a pro! The Graco 5 way Pack 'N Play is also easy to clean, using any cleaning solution and a damp cloth.

Overall
We've gotten major amounts of use out of the Graco 5 way Pack 'N Play. I'm pleased that I went with the 5 way version of this playard though I am sure I could have gotten away with a more basic version.

The only feature that we haven't used frequently is the canopy. Initially I thought this would be a necessity because we have pet cats. So I thought the canopy would serve as a crib-tent. I learned quickly that the cat simply wasn't interested in the pack 'n play and so we don't use the canopy for that purpose. We have used the canopy during warmer weather and also when we spent a week at the lake last summer so it wasn't all wasted.

For us, the bassinette and changing table were lifesavers. But, if you already have a separate bassinette or changing station this will most likely be duplication of items. However, if you do not have a lot of space for a separate crib, bassinette, changing station, etc - consider a Graco 5 way Pack 'N Play as an option.

I truly love ours and have gotten an incredible amount of use from it. Despite being used almost daily for 16+ months and having traveled at least once a month or so, it still looks brand new. It comes as no surprise that my mother still has one from use over 10 years ago and the only noticeable wear and tear is fading and some stains on the nylon cover. I confess that my husband and I do refer to this product (affectionately) as the "baby jail" but thats mostly joking around.

Bottom line, I highly recommend this product for parents-to-be!

For more info
http://www.gracobaby.com






Recommended: Yes