It’s a great idea to have a pack and play for your baby! A pack and play will allow your child to have some freedom, and it will also help you to keep an eye on your baby as you are doing things around your home. It’s not always possible to hold your baby, especially if you are doing chores, or working out—and that’s okay! That’s what pack and plays are for.
Pack and plays are safe, secure play areas in which your child can relax and still be close to you. Buying one is a great investment for both you and your child.
Sometimes, putting together a pack and play can be a little bit difficult. They usually don’t come assembled. They come with instructions, but even those can be a little confusing at times. If you’re not sure how to put together your pack and play, we’ve outlined the key steps for you, so you can start enjoying your purchase today!
So, first thing’s first
The first step to putting together your pack and play is unhooking the straps on its sides. Most pack and plays come in a very compact box, and are secured together by short little straps its sides, which keep the whole thing together.
When you unhook the straps, the pack and play will start to unfold from its compact state. Now, depending on what kind of pack and play you have, the next step might differ for you. Either your pack and play will come partially assembled, with a rod in each of its four corners. Or, your pack and play will come with its rods separate for its main parts.
Begin assembling
If your pack and play doesn’t have its rods in place yet, take each one out of their plastic protectors and securely place each one in the holes in the corners of the pack and play. This should be really easy—they should snap in securely.
If your pack and play does have its rods in place already, then it’ll be even easier. Just begin to stretch the pack and play apart so it begins to form a square or rectangle—whatever shape it is. Next, push down in the center of the pack and play, so the floor of it is flat. The pack and play will begin to take shape, and you’ll be able to see just how big it is.
Lock everything in place.
You usually have to lock the rods into place before you do anything else. The rods are the most important safety aspect for your child. If you don’t lock them in place, the pack and play will be unstable and not sturdy for your child to play in.
To lock the rods in place, you just pull up on each one of them and secure their locks. You should hear a firm snapping sound, and it will be obvious that they’ve locked.
Push the floor down
Next, you should push down the floor of the pack and pay until it’s flat. It might take a couple of tries to do this, especially if the pack and play has been in a box for a long time. Just keep pushing it down until it takes its natural shape. The material of the floor will probably be a little wrinkly, so just smooth it out and over time the wrinkles will go away.
Once the floor is pushed down, it’ll be easy to finish assembling it. Also, make sure that the rods remain locked while you are pushing the floor down—sometimes the locks can snap open.
Put in the mattress pad
The floor of the pack and play is pretty firm, so the product should come with a soft pad to put down into the floor to make your baby comfortable. To securely put the pad in, just place it into the floor and attack it with the Velcro straps.
Depending on what kind of pack and play you have, there could be little buttons on the floor to secure the mattress pad. If so, just secure the fabric loops through the buttons, and the pad will fit nicely.
That’s it!
It’s as simple as that! Putting together a pack and play might seem a little intimidating, but it’s really not. It should only take you a few minutes, and then you can start using it!
Your child is sure to love the pack and play, and will be happy and content playing with toys in there while you get some things done. Most pack and pays usually have a mesh siding, so it’s easy to see your baby through the walls to make sure he or she is safe and happy.
Having a pack and play is sure to make your life easier and your baby happier!
