Tips about Your Baby’s Playpen

A playpen can be a big help. You can have your baby in the same
room where you are working so that he will not be alone while you do what
you need to do.

You can also take the playpen outdoors with you. Make sure it is in a shady
and safe spot. Stay with your baby. Outside he can watch all kinds of things
that are going on, safely. You can talk to him about what he is seeing.

Babies should only be in playpens for very short periods of time. They
need to spend time on the floor. They need time to explore while a
parent watches.

If you leave your baby in the playpen too long, he will let you know. When
he first gets tired of it, you can give him something new to play with. He
may be content to remain there for a while longer.

Here are some playpen safety tips:

• Make sure the mesh on the sides of the playpen has openings that are
  smaller than 1/4 inch.
• Make sure there are no tears, holes or loose threads in the mesh.
• Make sure the top rail cover has no tears or holes.
• Playpens made of wood should have slats that are no more than 2 3/8
  inches apart, or even closer.
• Make sure screws and staples are firmly installed and that none are
  missing or loose.
• When you set up your baby’s playpen, make sure the sides of the
  playpen are locked in place. A partially set-up playpen can collapse on
  and harm your baby.

This content has been provided freely by CMC. Click Healthy Start, Grow Smart—Your Five-Month-Old for your free download. Click GreatDad Free Ebook to download the entire Health Start, Grow Smart series.

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