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Turn the Pack n’ Play into a shady hangout for baby

in: Organizing Time & Space, Travel & Outings

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Rachael's solution for combining yardwork + crawling baby:

I needed a shady, safe area to have my baby in the yard so I could get some weeding done. My husband suggested a beach umbrella, but I didn't like the idea of letting my little one crawl all over, so I was looking at baby tents. Then I was thinking, rather than spending money, if I could only rig a canopy up for my Graco Pack n Play, I'd be set. So, I found a blanket and took the clips off of the Pack n Play side basket and used the clips to attach a "canopy" out of the blanket. Works great! I check on her often to make sure the airflow is good and that she's happy and hydrated.

Another option many Parenthackers have recommended: the KidCo PeaPod travel bed (see the related hack). I mean just LOOK how happy and relaxed that couple looks while picnicking on their lovely lawn.

Related: For babies sleeping in tents, Peapod travel bed is more compact than a portacrib

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About Asha Dornfest

Asha Dornfest is a writer, parent, and insistent optimist living in Portland, Oregon. She is the author of PARENT HACKS, co-author of MINIMALIST PARENTING, and co-host of the Edit Your Life podcast.

Comments

  1. williamk says

    May 14, 2009 at 12:51 pm

    A spare backpacking tent also works well. Depending on the age you can put in a pack and play, a bouncer, or just some toys and a blanket. Some of them go up pretty fast once you get the hang of it.

  2. Beth says

    May 14, 2009 at 12:56 pm

    We’re fond of the Pea Pod tent for travel and for taking the baby outside while we do yard stuff. Both kids love the tent and it is so easy to put together and and easy for when the “big kid” goes to stay at Nana’s too.

  3. Chris Thompson says

    May 14, 2009 at 1:49 pm

    Nice work with the playpen rigging. We’ve just used the big umbrella from the patio set to block the sun from the playpen, but your solution is more elegant.

    Chris Thompson
    Toronto, Canada
    http://www.TalkingToToddlers.com

  4. Kendra says

    May 14, 2009 at 2:16 pm

    My pack-and-play didn’t come with a basket and clips, but I’ve used the toy clips (the kind I use to hang toys from toy bars) to clip blankets onto the pack-and-play. I’ve also used them to clip a blanket to the side of my daughter’s crib, while she’s sharing our bedroom. When she wakes up, she can’t immediately see us, so she doesn’t complain quite so quickly!

  5. Duane says

    May 15, 2009 at 8:10 am

    You know, when I saw the headline in my RSS reader I could have sworn you were going to say “Turn it upside down.” That game’s only really appropriate though for slightly older kids who appreciate it as a makeshift play fort.

  6. Marie {Make and Takes} says

    May 15, 2009 at 11:53 am

    What a great idea. Although I love that PeaPod too!

  7. IowaPride says

    May 15, 2009 at 2:37 pm

    We got a kids tent (Pacific Play Tents Under the Sea Cabana w/ Zippered Mesh Front) that zips up and is great for outdoors. It stands up to them being wild in it, zips tight to avoid bugs (for playing outside in the buggy season), and folds up small.

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00027175S/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=

  8. MidlifeMidwife says

    May 16, 2009 at 10:54 am

    Chris,

    Just one caution about using the patio umbrella: we almost had an accident doing that. We were grilling out and had the baby’s playpen protected by the patio umbrella, when a huge gust of wind came along and knocked the umbrella down (even though it was in a heavy, weighted stand). It hit the playpen, but fortunately, our son was in the opposite end of the playpen and wasn’t injured.

  9. Lisa| for the Kids says

    September 8, 2009 at 2:08 pm

    What a wonderful Idea, I will pass this link onto my friend sofia. She has a young baby.

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