Baby Penitentaries

So Slate has this amusing article this week about the whole baby play pen debate. If you don't have children, be assured that in these politically correct times, every single thing you do with your baby is up for debate, and somebody somewhere out there in the big ole world wide web will not like how you are doing things, or has posted their opinion of everything baby. The latest debate is the whole baby pen thing. Ok, we have a baby play pen- actually two now- an older one for the beach that we can just stick in the sand or in our backyard while we're grilling out (did this alot in Nashville when Nick was under 1 year old). He was safe, secure and always had some toys in it to play with so as not to let his growing brain cells lapse into mediocrity and status quo. The new one we just purchased has a built- in bassinet on top for babies under 30 lbs and will be great for when I need to get a few things done in the house and for when baby needs to be "confined" in a safe place for a while, a good alternative to always sticking him back in the crib. The playpens have that mesh so the children can see through them, and of course are not meant to be used as all day babysitters (just like television..not a good replacement for parent's floortime and attention).
The debate is simply over whether parents should use these at all. I understand that some parents can and enjoy letting their children go completely free all day on their floors. I just can't do it- with our bouncing gangly dog around, and my own selfish desire to have a few 20 minute increments of time during the day to bathe, brush my teeth, get dressed and make some dinners without having to worry wether my newborn has rolled himself under a couch or is eating my eyeliner in our bathroom, I use the playpen as an easy way to keep everyone from stressing out. The article in Slate is fun to read, because it gives the history of the old-school baby fences of past generations, and gives a few doctors' advice on the play pens for current use. Now, they are called cutesy names like Pack-N-Play, and as the name suggests, we always packed ours up and used it when visiting relatives who don't have toddler beds or cribs to use. (We never got into the habit of letting Nick sleep in our bed..so far so good! We love cuddling with him but he is way too restless and needs all his props for anyone to sleep well in our household).
Basically, the advice in the article was that whatever is best for your own family's lifestyle is what is best for you..Good advice! I also like how the name "free range" was used, like our children are all herbivores grazing on some peaceful pasture while us mothers are out picking daisies and smelling the roses...if only life where always that peaceful with young babes. So, don't feel bad if you need to stick little tot in the pen every now and then, she'll be fine. And if you just don't like the idea of baby confinement, kudos to you and I envy your energy. Have a happy Sunday!