As with all my baby equipment reviews I start with this basic question: do you need this product? If you do, I strongly recommend you consider one of the Graco Pack N Play yards. For the most part the features of the one I'm reviewing are shared by all the Pack N Plays (I'll note the differences I'm aware of).

Below I discuss the various uses a play yard has and how the Graco one I'm reviewing accommodates these, and then I elaborate on some of the key features of this product.

PLAY YARD USES
Indoor play: if you have a baby you probably could use a play yard. The most obvious reason is, of course, for baby to play in: you can always use another safe enclosed place that you can set the baby into. The way I've described it to friends after taking a class on baby care at my local hospital is that up to the age of 3 months infants are on a sort of "suicide watch" where anything can hurt them, and they seem to be drawn to the things that can hurt them most. So any place you can rest the baby in safety is helpful. The idea of a play yard, obviously, is that it is padded and enclosed for maximum security. I believe that from this perspective any play yard will do (that is, all play yards will have a padded mattress and some kind of enclosure; that's what makes them play yards).

Outdoor play: besides this obvious use, some people like to use play yards outside to have a safe place for babies to play in (for example on a beach or in the back yard). There are certainly play yards made specifically for this purpose, but if you don't want to buy more than one such product you should look for a yard that comes with accessories for the outdoors. I won't leave you in suspense: the Pack-N-Plays come with plenty of such accessories (for the outdoors this mainly includes canopies and insect netting).

Secondary nursery: if your place is bigger than mine and you have more than one floor in your house you may want to have a napping and changing place for your baby downstairs (assuming his/her regular nursery room is upstairs; otherwise the other way around). This way you don't have to run to a different floor each time the baby needs changing, which is an especially nice break right after giving birth. This use does not apply to me since I live in a tiny cardboard house, but I know lots of people buy play yards with bassinets and changing tables specifically for this purpose. So, obviously, if this is one of your intended uses you should get a play yard that comes with a bassinet attachment for napping and changing table attachment for the diaper station.

Travel: the final use I can think of for this product is to travel with. For this purpose it is also necessary to have a bassinet and a changing table, and if you're going to use your play yard for travel you want it to be easily folded, have some sort of carrying case, and be easy to set up. For ease of portability you'd want as compact a package as possible and also a light one, but that's just not going to happen with something as intricate as a play yard, and especially not without trading some of the sturdiness for bulk.

I have seen smaller versions of play yards, and I think Graco makes some too, where it's just a bassinet and a changing table which makes such a product ideal for traveling (where you need a sleeping and changing area more than you do a playing area). So if you are considering a play pen just for traveling you should certainly look at these smaller products. However, if you want a product that can accommodate ALL the functions I list here you should certainly look at Graco's Pack-N-Play series.

FEATURES OF THE NURSERY TIME PACK N PLAY
I like my play pen that I’m reviewing here, but I actually recommend the entire Pack-N-Play series. The differences between the specific items in the series are not that great and I'll try to note the ones I'm aware of. So here are the features, in no particular order:

1. Bassinet attachment: the one I'm reviewing comes with a 3/4 size bassinet, but some other Pack-N-Plays have a full size one. You use the quilted mattress from the bottom of the play yard in this attachment (in the case of the 3/4 size ones you fold part of it over and secure with Velcro). The attachment hangs off the sides in a very secure manner and also includes quilted bumpers. The main difference between letting the baby sleep at the bottom of the pen and inside this type of attachment is that it adds quilted bumpers and also raises the baby higher in the pen so he/she is easier to get to, and makes it more cozy too.

I've used our bassinet attachment during an extended trip and I found it very convenient. The baby slept in it about as much as he would have in his regular crib, and it was nice to have him raised from the bottom of the pen so he was easy to get to and to put down. Also, the sheets that come with this play yard fit nicely and are a great accessory if you're going to let your baby sleep in there. This is especially important if you plan to stay in hotels because hotel sheets are often washed in harsh detergents and bleach which are bad for a newborn's skin.

2. The mattress: not only is it quilted and waterproof (I'm sure this is a feature most play pens of any brand share) but it's also removable so you can lay it on the floor for a more open play space if you'd like.

3. Changing table: easy to put together and attach to the top of the play pen. I've used it during trips and found it very convenient. It doesn't come with a pad so I had to use our travel changing pad inside it. It does, however, come with straps and it is contoured so the baby is pretty safe in there.

4. Ventilation: some play yards I've seen have solid sides or mesh on only two sides; all the Pack-N-Plays however have mesh on all four sides so that the baby gets the full air circulation inside. Plus, he can look out and be seen in any direction.

5. Set up and wheels: it folds with a push of a button and is almost as easy to set up. It also comes with wheels that can be locked if necessary so it is easy to move around the house and just as easy to keep in place.

6. Transport: this includes the fact that everything that comes with the play yard can be folded down and stored in a duffle bag, also included. The resulting package, to be clear, is heavy and large; it is too large for air travel, for example. But it is nice to be able to store this play pen in a very compact state and to be able to easily transport it in a car. While traveling (by car) we had to set it up and break it down every day for 5 days and it really wasn't a big hassle. In fact, I can easily report that the convenience of having the Pack-N-Play play yard to use everywhere we stopped made packing and setting it up each day well worth the effort!

7. Accessories: besides the accessories for outdoor use listed above and the sheets the Pack-N-Plays come with loads of other options. There's all sorts of organizers (for diapering needs, for example), toys/mobiles, electronic modules with lights and sounds and even ones that will vibrate for extra soothing when putting baby down for a nap. Most of the Pack-N-Play units come packaged with certain accessories, and that is the main difference between the various models in this series. And I think you can buy most of these "extras" directly from Graco (www.gracobaby.com). We own a mobile and electronic module, and we bought sheets separately (I've seen them in loads of stores including Target, Toys-R-us, and Walmart). I'll also buy the insect netting if I decide to use this play pen outdoors come summer.

LIMITATIONS
Besides being a tad cumbersome (although I don't expect something this sturdy to be light as a feather!) I find the baby's weight limits on various uses of this play pen a little restricting. They are: up to 15 lbs for the bassinet, 25 lbs for the changing table, and 30 lbs. (and up to 35" in height) for the play pen.

SUMMARY
In my view once you've decided you are in the market for a play yard the decision is rather straightforward: Graco is the name to consider. My searches online and in stores did not produce any contenders that came even close to the numerous features offered by the Graco Pack-N-Play line. And the one I own has surpassed most of my expectations as far as my own intended uses for this product go: it's a great place to safely leave the kid to play and it's wonderful for car trips.

Recommended: Yes