Review: I can’t survive a day without this VeeBee Play Yard!
Baby-safe play zone in the room
Ok, the title is exaggerated. I can survive a weekend without this play yard, since hubby helps out. We have been using the Vee Bee Play Yard for 8 months and thought it is a good time to share this review with you.
Why Do We Need a Play Yard?
When Vee was younger, he loved playing at his Tiny Love Gymini. At 7 months old, Vee started crawling forward rapidly. One month later, he was pulling himself up to stand.
- He refused to be confined in the small baby cot or play pen. When I needed to do something without babywearing him, he screamed in the cot / play pen. Letting him roam dangerously around wasn’t an option either.
- He repeatedly did these: pulled himself to stand in the cot, let go of his hands and fell against the wooden rails. I was paranoid that he would get concussion soon!
- I like to give him some independent play time daily and needed a baby-safe zone for his free play sessions.
How Did We End Up with this Vee Bee Play Yard?
As usual, I shopped around and narrowed my options to the Haenim Play Yard and Vee Bee Play Yard. Key differences:
- Haenim 6-Panel Play Yard: about S$174 (USD126), made of PVC
- Vee Bee 6 Sided Play Yard: about RM999 (USD312), made of steel and fabric
I nearly bought the Haenim until I read that it is made of PVC (see note at the bottom). After viewing the Vee Bee Play Yard twice, we decided to invest in one.
About the Vee Bee 6 Sided Play Yard
These are the main features of the play yard:
- Dimensions: 180cm hexagon
- Country of origin: Made in Taiwan (by Valiant Enterprises Pty Lyd, an Australian company)
So far, we have only seen it sold at First Few Years (Paragon, Singapore or The Curve, KL, Malaysia).
First Impressions
My husband was responsible for setting up the play yard and it was up in a short while. I was sooooo excited to see it in the room as it spelt F-R-E-E-D-O-M for me… finally! It is huge and can comfortably fit all three of us in.
Although the play mat is thick, it cannot cushion a fall on the head well enough. Therefore, we place foam play mats below it.
Our Experience Using It
Best Time: The best time to place Vee in it is when he is freshly awake in the morning or from his nap. The boy would be happy to play with his toys inside while I rush to clean up, sort out the laundry and do stuff at lightning speed. He could be so engrossed with his toys until I need to coax him for his bath!
Safety: When Vee was learning to stand / walk and falling a lot, I threw 3 pillows into the play yard to cushion his falls. Sometimes, he would fall and hit the steel rods at the base but nothing serious.
Cleaning: Every 2 weeks, our domestic helper washes the play mat. It usually dries over the weekend. Vee loves to suck the horizontal rails (gross!) and I figured the only way to sanitise it is by using an electric steamer. Erm… I am guilty of not doing this. Good for building Vee’s immunity?
Irritating Velcro tabs: Inside the play yard, the fabrics are attached with strips of Velcro tabs, which Vee would curiously undo all the time, which irritates me to the core! Outside the play yard, the play mat is attached to the steel rods via 6 strips of fabric with Velcro tabs (AGAIN!!!). Vee would happily go round the play yard, pull off the 6 strips of connectors and leave them all over the place, like a treasure hunt trail for me. If cloth diaper makers can use snap buttons, why can’t Vee Bee?!?
Alternative Uses:
- Child Outside, Toys Inside: When Vee is roaming freely outside the play yard, I keep some toys away from him in the play yard to prevent a mega mess in the room.
- Everyone Inside: When I am exhausted, such as during the recent fever episode, I rested in the play yard while he played around me. Full confidence that he would be safe even if I fell asleep.
Some Mums have a tough time getting baby to play independently in a play yard, here are some tips I have learnt over time:
Tip #1: From the time baby is a newborn, allow her to have some independent play time daily (about 15-30 min). This gets her used to playing by herself occasionally.
Tip #2: Fill a new play yard with baby’s favourite toys to give her a sense of belonging.
Tip #3: Accompany baby into the play yard, get her interested in a toy. Excuse yourself by telling baby you need to do a small task such as switch on the fan or close the door. If baby is fine playing on her own, then let her do so for a short while.
Tip #4: Use the play yard for mainly for independent play. If you are in it with baby too often, baby may associate it with Mummy-time and may need you to be in it with her.
Tip #5: Do not leave baby crying badly in the play yard or use it as a “Naughty Corner”. If baby associates the place with negative experiences or emotions, she may dislike being in it.
Overall, we find the Vee Bee Play Yard a worthwhile purchase, which allows me to do chores with ease for short periods every day.
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What we like about it:
- Extra large size gives baby ample room to play without feeling too confined
- Easy to set up
- Only fabric is in contact with baby
- Play mat is easily washable
- Bright and cheerful colours (play mat) keep baby interested
- Light-weight frame — easy to shift play yard when cleaning the room
What can be improved:
- Use snaps instead of Velcro tabs (hook & loop closures)
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Read why PVC is known as “The Poison Plastic” here
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Question: Where do you leave baby when you need to do chores?
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LOL – of course can survive.
Survive… maybe without getting anything done, including brushing teeth!
O dear, just saw this . I already have the Haemin play yard and this one is too expensive for us..
Didn’t know about the issue with PVC earlier, isn’t a lot of toys made from PVC? that’s bad…
Yes, many toys and even bath books are still made of PVC. I always check the label before buying plastic toys. Even playmats and packaging could be made of PVC. It’s quite a pity that PVC isn’t banned in Singapore and Malaysia. My boy puts all sorts of stuff into his mouth and bites on them, so I am extra careful with this area.
i have twins… need to find thz thing for their own safety coz they are crawling everywhere. where can i find thz?
I’ve seen them at First Few Years (Singapore: Paragon, KL: The Curve). Do call to enquire on stocks as they may run out at times.
Hi. Very useful site you have. Do you know whether this is bigger than lindam safe & secure fabric playpen? Look bigger to me. Thanks.
Thank you, dina. This play yard is a 180cm hexagon; I’m not sure about Lindam Safe and Secure Playpen. I saw a picture of the Lindam playpen with 2 toddlers inside, and it seems smaller than this Vee Bee Play Yard, which is spacious enough for me to lie down with my boy, with more room for toys.
where actually i can get this thing..look useful for us…kindly text to my e-mail k or drop by to my blogspot
really wanna know…^.^
I ve a set would like to let go as preloved item, anybody interested pls contact:
oldtown@live.com.my
or sms: 0162800 684
Hi, am contemplating this play yard. it is pricey for if my baby would stay put inside I wouldn’t mind. he’s learning how to crawl now. Did Vee allows you to put him inside when he knows how to crawl? How old did Vee stopped using this yard?
Hi Mummy love, I bought the play yard when he started cruising at about 10 months old. He refused to stay long in the small play pen, and kept falling and banging his head on the cot bed. I used it until he was sensible enough to explore the room safely at about 18 months old.
Of course, it’s up to individual baby whether he likes it or not. One tip is to NOT make it a habit to stay in it with baby. When you’re free to entertain baby, play with him outside the play yard. When you need to do something, then put him inside with his favourite toys and books. Rotate the items to make it interesting. Let him see you and assure him that you’d be with him once you’re done. (If baby is used to having you inside the play yard together, he may not want to be in it alone.)