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- Playpens provide a safe space for babies and toddlers to play, rest, or roll around without the need for the full attention of a caregiver.
- A good playpen sets up quickly just about anywhere and packs down small for transport and storage.
- The Regalo My Play Portable Playard is our top pick because its setup requires mere seconds and because it's lightweight and packs down small enough to come with you across town in your car or across the country checked on a flight.
When my daughter Scarlett was about six months old, she finally got herself on the move. She wasn't crawling exactly; it was more of a flailing, semi-serpentine motion that my wife and termed the "Zombie Crawl." She augmented this unique mode of transportation with a penchant for rolling repeatedly in a given direction until finding her way to a toy, a cat, or a family member.
While cute and often hilarious, her new locomotion abilities meant that now none of the rooms in our house were completely safe for her unless she had the undivided attention of a caregiver at all times. That is, no room was safe until we broke out the play yard.
Also known as playpens and not to be confused with pack and plays, which are really more like packable cribs than play areas, a play yard provides a child with a few square feet of space that can be guaranteed free of choking and falling hazards, electrical outlets, unstable furniture or decor items, and all the other 1,001 common household items with which a child could potentially hurt herself.
When choosing the best play yard for your family, consider first where you will use it the most. If the answer is your own home, then you don't have to worry as much about weight or how small it can pack down, so a play yard made with large panels might be a great choice. If you'll regularly bring the playpen to play dates, a day care center, or to a relative's house, a compact folding play yard not comprised of multiple pieces is a better pick. And if you want a playpen that can also be enjoyed outdoors, make sure the materials of any option you consider can handle exposure to the elements.
Also, make sure you consider the people who will be using the playpen, meaning both kids and adults. If you choose a play yard that's too small for the kids to enjoy, it won't serve its purpose. Or if you get one that's too heavy or cumbersome for the adult who has to move it around, set it up, and take it down, it will lead to more frustration than convenience.
Here are the best playpens you can buy:
- Best playpen overall: Regalo My Play Portable Playard
- Best playpen with gate: North States Superyard Ultimate
- Best compact playpen: Delta Children Portable Playard
- Best outdoor playpen: GOFORWILD Portable Playard Playpen
- Best expandable playpen: Evenflo Versatile Play Space
Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.
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Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Picks team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.