You want to make sure your crawling baby spends as much time outdoors as possible. But you also don’t want to watch her EVERY SINGLE SECOND. A portable playpen makes this possible.
Compared to the playpens of the past, there are now a lot of good ones which fold down quickly with one hand, don’t take up tons of space and are easy to clean. But, before you spend money on more baby gear, here’s what you need to know about baby playpens for outdoors – including whether you even need one.
Do you even really need a playpen?
A playpen can be a lifesaving piece of gear which keeps your baby safe while still allowing play. But, if the playpen is too big and annoying to pack up, you probably won’t use it. It will become one more piece of baby gear that you used once and now just sits taking up space in your home.
When does a portable playpen actually make sense?
You will be alone with your baby. So you won’t have anyone to watch her if you need to do something like go to the bathroom.
You have lots of outdoor tasks to do. Like minding a BBQ, pitching a tent or helping an older child go to the bathroom. Then you can plop the baby in the playpen while you get these things done.
You’ll be outdoors for extended periods of time. So packing and setting up the playpen is worth the effort.
You’ve got multiple small children. Then, god yes, give yourself a break by putting them in the playpen!
Kudos to the parent who made this for their kid! I’ll stick to modern parental luxuries though 😀
Note: Portable Playpens and Cold Ground
Most portable playpens or play yards only have a thin piece of fabric underneath them. The thin fabric provides zero insulation from the cold ground. This is fine if it is summertime, but sitting on the cold ground will suck the heat out of your baby.
You’ll need to:
Get a playpen which raises your baby off the ground. Unfortunately, these are much heavier, bulkier and take more effort to set up.
OR
Line the playpen floor with foam pads. A bunch of brands sell pads designed to fit in these hexagon playards, but that’s another thing to buy. And one more thing to pack up. You could also use thick blankets, but they get gross quickly when outdoors.
A Pack N Play type of playpen is the only way to keep your baby off the cold ground!
This play yard comes in two sizes. The larger 8-panel size is big enough for an adult to lay down inside too. The reason it gets the #1 pick is because of the canopy design.
Unlike some other canopies, it actually offers full coverage. Insects won't be able to get into the play area because the fabric extends all the way down. Half of the canopy is mesh and the other half is a UV fabric. This design means your child still gets decent ventilation even with the canopy on.
The only real annoying thing is that the zipper door on the canopy is small and hard to unzip. The zipper jams because the fabric is so taut. You'll probably need to completely remove the canopy to get your child in/out.
Baby Delight makes a lot of cool outdoor gear for babies (I also like their baby chairs). Compared to the Regalo play yard above, theirs is slightly bigger but folds down a bit more compact.
You'll either love or hate the canopy design. It doesn't have a door. Instead, one section is completely open. This does make it easier to get your baby in/out and improves ventilation, but also means there isn't bug protection from the canopy. You'd have to throw a separate mosquito net over the entire play yard if mosquitoes are a concern.
Note that this play yard is available in several colors. Avoid the dark colors! The dark canopy will cause the play yard to get hot inside.
At first glance, the Summer Infant play yard seems almost identical to the Regalo. There are a couple key differences though. The main one is that the Summer Infant play yard is much sturdier. The seams are better sewn and the bottom sits flat on the floor, so there is less stress on the seams there (and thus less likely for them to tear).
The downside is that it takes more effort to set up the Summer Infant play yard. Each of the 6 corners has a strap which you need to tighten individually. This only takes a total of 3 minutes to do, but it's still more effort than the push-your-foot-lock that the Regalo and Baby Delight play yards have.
As for the canopy, there is a zipper which goes down the middle so you can open the door. The door flaps can be held back for better ventilation with straps. The bottom of the play yard is slightly padded, though the padding really isn't enough to provide insulation against cold ground. This extra padding means the play yard is bulkier when packed.
This playpen has a different construction than the others. It's made like a pop-up tent and has the canopy attached. The benefit of this is that there are absolutely no gaps so bugs can't get inside. However, even mesh blocks ventilation so the playpen can get hot inside. When you put the UV cover on top of the playpen, it gets even hotter. Note that the orange version does not have mesh on the canopy!
Another downside of the attached canopy is that it's tricky for short people to set up. You might not be able to reach the top, so will have to crawl inside to lock the poles in place.
There are two doors on the playpen. One is on the canopy and actually big enough to get your child in/out easily. There is also a side entry door so your child can crawl inside or out on their own.
While it's great that the playpen is so lightweight for its massive sign, it's also a sign that it's not the strongest construction.
Compared to a play yard, a Pack 'N Play doesn't give your child much room to play inside. It's also massive and heavy when folded. But it's almost the only option when it comes to keeping your child off the cold ground. Just be warned that, if you want to use this in a tent, you'll need to put something underneath the legs. Otherwise the legs will tear a hole in the tent floor.
Diane Vukovic grew up camping and backpacking in upstate New York. Now, she takes her own daughters on wilderness adventures so they can connect with nature and learn resiliency. With dozens of trips under her belt, Diane is an expert in minimalist camping, going lightweight, planning, and keeping her kids entertained without screens.
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