Baby Play Pen

While many people manage without a baby play pen these days, there are others who would never want to be without one. If you are getting one of these for the first time, here are a few handy tips to keep your baby safe at play in the playpen.

It really is not the only game in town for the poor little mite, so don't leave him or her to fend for themselves in that baby play pen for any length of time. It's not supposed to be a place to dump the child for hours on end while you sip cocktails on the terrace. Every minute you leave the baby unattended is a minute in which he or she can get up to all kinds of mischief, however safe your play pen appears. By all means, go to the loo, answer the door, shove in yet another load of dirty washing – but any longer task and you will need to take your little bundle of joy along for the ride!

Oh yes, we are, in the UK, truly a country of DIY fanatics. Just yesterday I received a catalogue through the door that must have contained 10,000 DIY tools. But if you are for a moment tempted to construct that baby play pen of your dreams – perhaps the burnished wooden play pen of yesteryear that you remember from your own childhood – then think again. We live in the age of compliance and regulation, and in no area have the safety police been more active than in the area of baby products. All of the playpens on sale have gone through rigorous safety checks. Will your home-made contraption come up to the same standards? How would you feel if the baby trapped a finger, got stuck, suffered a cut on some rough piece of wood, knocked his head on a too-sharp corner? Think very carefully before making the baby play pen a DIY project, you maniac. Besides, there's not a house in the country that couldn't do with a few more shelves.

Yes, whether cats, dogs, lions, penguins or any stuffed animal or other toy, as long as they are suited to the age of the baby, you can leave them in the baby play pen. The only exceptions are those toys that can be climbed upon when the baby starts to stand. These cold be used as a handy escape route to pastures new, interesting – and potentially dangerous! Bedding is another matter. In general, bedding should not be placed in any play pen because of the risk of suffocation.

The authorities are quite keen to make sure we're not driving around in old bangers that are no longer safe, and the MOT test is designed to ensure this. There are no baby play pen MOT tests though, so you'll need to do one yourself. Don't wait until the play pen is three years old either. Make sure the fabric is clean and free from tears. Check that there are no cracks on any part of the frame. Make sure nothing is bent out of shape. Never use a dodgy play pen.

There is nothing wrong with using a baby playpen. All you need to do is take safety seriously and keep your child safe