Mummy's Reviews™ » baby gear

I Can’t Survive a Day without This Play Yard!

MieVee @ MummysReviews.com — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:13:35 +0000

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: 180com 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?

Fisher-Price Newborn-to-Toddler Portable Rocker

MieVee @ MummysReviews.com — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 05:30:00 +0000

Before giving birth to Baby V, our baby shopping list consisted of a bouncer. From my understanding, babies from a few weeks old like to lie at a slightly inclined angle to observe things around them and interact with their family. However, a bouncer would only serve its purpose until the baby starts to roll over at a few months old, so I was hesitant to get one. A few hours of surfing the Internet led me to the Fisher-Price Newborn-to-Toddler Portable Rocker, which could serve as a rocker (similar to a bouncer) and a chair. Bravo! When it was on sale, we grabbed one (cannot recall the price though) before it flew off the shelf.

For Play

When Baby V was about three weeks old, I placed him in the rocker for an hour of interactive play during the day. This helped to keep him awake for a while so that he can reserve more sleeping time for the night.

For Freeing Hands

In the early months, the rocker was a good place to keep Baby V entertained (with the toy bar) while being securely strapped up. This freed my hands to take a quick shower with him in sight, since the lightweight rocker could be placed just outside the bathroom. In such situations, I convert it into a chair so that it is more stable.

For Cosy Naps

Initially, Baby V slept in his cot — with natural light and household noise going on during the day. Then, he became as stubborn as a bull (suits his Chinese horoscope exactly) and INSISTED on being carried and rocked to sleep for every nap and at night.

From 10 weeks old, he became very alert and interested in EVERYTHING in the bedroom and started resisting naps (even though he was obviously tired) to the extent that I spent more than five hours coaxing him until he finally closed his peepers. It was extremely tiring carrying a fussy, screaming 5kg baby for that long since I was his sole caregiver. At times, I felt like going mad! After spending all those hours putting the Baby Bull to sleep, he woke up after about 45 minutes.

The No Cry-Nap Solution assured me that it was fine to rock as baby to sleep, as long as he (and I) rested. Therefore, I started rocking Baby V to sleep in the rocker (without the toy bar) for one nap a day. When he stirred during sleep cycle changes, I rocked him gently (using my feet while I read or surfed the Internet) or switched on the vibrator for a few minutes and he could nap for up to 2 hours! I finally had some freedom back.

Kept Away Until Baby Becomes A Toddler

After Baby V could roll over at five months old, he preferred freedom over being strapped up in the rocker. Thus, we kept it away; it is foldable for easy storage. When the boy grows older, he could still use it as a recliner chair for reading. No wonder this rocker is so popular among parents!

Pros:

Long usage span: up to 18kg (40lbs) toddler
Vibration function helps fussy newborn baby take long cosy naps
Easy to wash: fabric is machine-washable
Foldable for storage and portability

Cons:

Legs of the chair may fold inwards easily when pulling it
Cannot be used when babies start rolling over and prefer to sit upright over a reclined position (at about 5 months old)
Battery for one of the toys in the toy bar cannot be replaced (Duh!)

Bumbo Baby Seat with Play Tray

MieVee @ MummysReviews.com — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:30:00 +0000

The Bumbo Baby Seat seemed highly popular and we waited for a good deal before getting one at Chubby Chubby (original price: RM199, discounted price RM129). Since the play tray looked useful, we bought it as well (listed price: about RM49). This set was purchased before the highchair and portable booster seat reviewed yesterday.

Even though Baby V could sit well with support since about 4 months old, he enjoyed being on his tummy much more than sitting in the Bumbo Baby Seat. After he has been in the chair for a while, the strong boy would arch his back to try to get out of it. When he could sit independently at 6+ months old, there were even less opportunities to use the seat.

Nowadays, Baby V is in it for about ten minutes every morning when he watches me have breakfast in the bedroom. I have not bothered using the play tray because it is too tedious and heavy to lift the 10kg boy-with-Bumbo assembly, fix the tray, and after ten minutes, lift the 10kg boy-with-Bumbo assembly AGAIN to remove the tray before PULLING the boy out of the seat. ‘Pulling’ is not an understatement because the seat wraps his Buddha belly and thunder thighs very snugly, ever since months ago. It is also a mystery why yellowish stains have developed on the play tray when it is hardly used.

The Bumbo seat with the play tray attached is perhaps the most useful when I need to trim Baby V’s fingernails, as it prevents him from moving away from me.

Baby V took his first semi-solids meal in the Bumbo seat and that was it; he has been having his meals in the highchair at the dining table, which has more space for me to prepare his meals.

Without the play tray, the Bumbo seat does not restrain Baby V at all, so I cannot leave him in the seat unattended. You may wish to know that at least 28 children have suffered serious head injuries when they fell out their Bumbo Baby Seats, which had been placed on tables. The news released by U.S. CPSC on 25 Oct 2007 also mentioned the following:

The new warning label will state: “WARNING – Prevent Falls; Never use on any elevated surface.” Consumers should use the Bumbo seat at ground level, but should never leave a child unattended.

Pros:

Easy to clean surfaces
Allows baby to sit with support at a young age, facilitating feeding, playing and trimming of nails

Cons:

Can be used only at ground level
Child is not securely restrained, so caregiver must watch him/her closely at all times
Insufficient space to accommodate big bellies and chunky thighs
Difficult to fix and remove play tray with child in the seat

I hope to find more uses out of the chair to justify its cost. Do you have a Bumbo Baby Seat? If so, when do you find it useful?

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Update on 8 June 2010:

Finally, we found two good uses for our Bumbo Baby Seat!

Great place for Vee to have his hair cut at home. The seat is very easy to clean after each haircutting session.
Every morning, Vee has his Shichida Method™ home practice session in the seat. The height is just right and he can use the play tray for simple activities such as matching small puzzles and drawing.

We actually love the seat more when Vee is a toddler.

Fisher-Price Healthy Care™ Deluxe Booster Seat

MieVee @ MummysReviews.com — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:35:00 +0000

Before plopping Baby V into a highchair when we dine out of home, I would wipe (more like scrub) the seat thoroughly with a wet wipe. However, there are occasions when being armed with wet wipes is not enough:

One Japanese restaurant had ONLY 2 highchairs when there are 3 children in our dining group
One eatery had many highchairs, which were full of RUST (I didn’t even want to touch them!)
One restaurant had highchairs without straps (Baby V was constantly turning his entire body around and I was paranoid that he’d fall out of it any moment.)

To prepare ourselves for the many dining out occasions ahead, we shopped around for a portable booster seat and decided on the Fisher-Price Healthy Care™ Deluxe Booster Seat (bought at Chubby Chubby, listed price RM199). It was easy to assemble out of the box and the simple rounded edges mean easy cleaning. I like that the tray comes with a cover to keep the surface clean, and it is adjustable to accommodate bigger tummies as the child grows. The height of the seat is adjustable as well.

We keep the portable seat in the car and have used it twice at neighbourhood eateries. One of the straps dual-functions as a shoulder strap to carry the seat around. It took only a short while to secure the seat onto an adult chair. Once Baby V is in the booster seat and secured with a three-point harness, I can enjoy my meal in peace knowing that he is in a safe and clean chair.

An improvement that the seat needs is the way the tray is clipped onto it when it is to be carried via the shoulder strap. The tray clips on rather loosely and may fall out easily. Otherwise, we are rather satisfied users of this booster seat.

Pros:

Adjustable options allow the chair to ‘grow’ with the child
Easy to use outdoors
Easy to clean
Shoulder strap makes it convenient to carry about

Cons:

When carrying the seat, be careful as the tray may fall out (Tip: Fasten strap over tray to keep it in place)

Chicco Polly 2 in 1 Highchair

MieVee @ MummysReviews.com — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:30:37 +0000

After I re-joined the family for meals post-confinement, someone in the family had to carry Baby V while I gobbled down my food. The exception was when he was sleeping in a sling.

A few months of carrying-baby-during-meals passed by before we decided to outsource the task to a highchair. I scoured through reviews and upon balancing functionality, style and price, we bought the Chicco Polly 2 in 1 Highchair at about RM540. (Opting for a past-season fabric design saved us 10% off the original price.)

Although the highchair was meant for babies above 6 months old, we placed Baby V in it when he was about 4 months old as his head was stable and the seat could be reclined. At that early age, we only allowed him in the chair for a short while, just to free everyone’s hands for meals.

The real test for the Chicco highchair came in when Baby V started to have lunch at 6.5 months old. He (and perhaps most babies/toddlers) has the ability to create a HUGE MESS during meals — amusing himself by blowing broccoli purée AT MY FACE; sneezing with a mouth full of food; pouring water all over himself; and maybe something new tomorrow.

The five-point harness keeps him safely seated, and the tray cover is easily removed for washing. The seat padding, though comfortable, is difficult to remove for washing and as difficult to fit onto the chair. I have been deterred from washing it such that I only wipe the visible mess off. Fortunately, Baby V has targeted most of his mess at the tray instead of the seat padding.

The highchair is rather heavy to wheel around the dining area and it cannot be moved easily with one hand as there are only two wheels. The straps are also very difficult to adjust to fit baby who has grown taller.

If not for needing the highchair when Baby V was very young, I would prefer a booster seat that takes up little space.

Pros:

Adjustable height, back rest and leg rest makes the chair very versatile
Tray cover is easily removed for washing
Two wheels allow mobility
Two seat padding allows rotation in wash
Five-point harness keeps the child safely seated

Cons:

Safety straps are VERY difficult to adjust
Seat padding is difficult to be removed for cleaning and to fit onto the highchair