• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Home DIY, Design, and Organization for Families | Sengerson
  • Tour My House
  • Home DIY
  • Outdoor Living
  • Organization
  • Craft Decor
  • Gift Guides
  • Shop Home Decor
  • FREE Resource Library
  • Meet Seng
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Tour My House
  • Home DIY
  • Outdoor Living
  • Organization
  • Craft Decor
  • Gift Guides
  • Shop Home Decor
  • FREE Resource Library
  • Meet Seng
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Motherhood » How to Choose Between a Playard and Bassinet (from a Mom of Four)

    How to Choose Between a Playard and Bassinet (from a Mom of Four)

    Updated on Oct 30, 2021 by Seng Nickerson. This post may contain affiliate links, please see our policy for details.

    • Facebook
    • X
    • Email

    I'm going to share with you as a mom of four what the difference is between a playard, bassinet, and Pack 'N Play. As a new mom, you are probably bombarded with so many baby things, so I'm going to share with you what the differences are and also how to pick what you REALLY need!

    differences between bassinet and playard

    Now as a mom of four, I'm reminiscing about my first year as a mom. Looking back on my first year, I think about all the things that were marketed to me as a completely new mom. It's really ridiculous. Sure, some of the things that were marketed to me fit different needs for the different mom styles there are.

    Today, I'm going to talk specifically about what items there are in terms of portable sleeping cribs for your little one!

    In This Post

    • What is the difference between a bassinet and a Pack 'N Play?
    • What is a playard versus a Pack 'N Play?
    • What's the difference between a bassinet and a crib?
    • What's the difference between a playpen and a bassinet?
    • How do you choose between a playard, a bassinet, or a crib?
    • Here are my favorite picks for a playard with a bassinet
    • Top Real Mom Picks for Bassinets for Babies
    • Top Real Mom Playard Picks for Babies and Toddlers

    What is the difference between a bassinet and a Pack 'N Play?

    A bassinet is a very small crib that is for your newborn baby. Traditionally, it has a hood and most often is movable. Some of them can be placed on the floor while other bassinets have structures that the bassinet sits on top of. Bassinets are typically smaller as compared to the Pack 'N Play, and your baby will typically outgrow this when the three month milestone is met.

    The Pack 'N Play is actually branded by Graco, a company that makes American baby products. Their branded "Pack 'N Play" is used synonymously with a sleeping and playing space that is portable for your child. This portable play space can typically be packed up into a smaller folded space so that you can travel with it or store it somewhere conveniently. 

    What is a playard versus a Pack 'N Play?

    A playard is another term for the Graco branded Pack 'N Play. They essentially mean the same thing. It is a portable, multifunctional piece of furniture that is a crib, travel crip, and napper. Some of these playards have bassinets attached to them as an additional piece of equipment as well as musical mobiles. 

    bassinet-versus-a-playard

    What's the difference between a bassinet and a crib?

    A bassinet is typically a smaller piece of furniture that is also portable. You would have a bassinet for when the baby is newborn to three months, basically the time when the new baby is being adjusted in the home. A bassinet is smaller and allows the baby to nap.

    A crib is a larger piece of furniture that is situated in the baby's room and will stay there until the baby is potentially 2-3 years old.

    What's the difference between a playpen and a bassinet?

     A playpen is a more basic version of a playard that just allows your little to have a secure play space and sleep. A playard will typically have more bells and whistles, such as a removable bassinet, changing station, toys, lights, etc tied to the playpen.

    A bassinet will rock and allow your kiddo to just sleep. No playing, just sleep. Typically, a bassinet will cost half the price of a playard.

    How do you choose between a playard, a bassinet, or a crib?

    Here are the three things you have to ask yourself when choosing between each of these types of baby furniture. I've also added my personal experience below each one.

    Imagine yourself inside the house with the newborn and trying to multi-task. Will you be around the same area inside the house?

    The reason why I call this out is for homes that have rooms in close proximity to each other, a playard would be the best bet - as it will remain in the same area and it's easy enough to change it from a changing station, play area, and a bassinet. However, if you feel as though you'll need to maneuver between rooms, a bassinet is smaller to break down (if it needs to be broken down at all) to transport to the room.

    With my first two kids, we lived in a tiny little apartment. I was basically confined to a 900 sq ft space, so the playard was perfect for us! But in total honesty, in terms of a changing station, I remember changing diapers everywhere - on our bed, on our floor, on the nearest couch (obviously, using a diaper mat). So the playard was used mainly as a bassinet and then later as a playard.

    How often will you be doing overnights or travelling between the time your kid is born to 9 months?

    You'll need to think about how often you plan on traveling as well as how much room you have for it. There are some bassinets that can be portable, but more often times they are not.

    For us, the one visit that we made to Saint Louis for a wedding made the portability of our playard worth it! The hotel provided a playard that looked antiquated and dangerous, so we were so glad we packed our Chicco Playardbassinet vs playard up with us.

    How much are you willing to spend for convenience?

    A bassinet by itself is typically half the price of a playard (unless you went with some fashionable, trendy, fancy bassinet that I've seen as of late in celebrity gossip magazines). However, it will only last you until the baby is about 3 months old (if that).

    With my second child, we moved from the small apartment to our current home when she was about 3 months old. With our newfound larger space, I had the need to put the playard in our living room and have a separate bassinet in our bedroom. We got both only because our living space situation changed. The bassinet was super easy to maneuver in our bedroom and was smaller, so didn't take a lot of room. The playard had its own wall space in the living room.

    There you have it - three questions to ask yourself when deciding between a playard, bassinet, or even getting both.

    What We Chose for Our Family

    I'm not going to lie, but I got the Chicco Baby Playard because I copied one of my friend's baby registries.

    Here are some pictures of the Chicco Baby Playard that we got with our first kiddo.

    This is how nicely it folds up:

    playard versus bassinet_0003

    And how easily it folds out:playard versus bassinet_0004

    Here's what it looks like all folded out (without the diaper changing station and bassinet installed). I will say it took a little bit to get the handles to straighten, so before you buy, you might want to figure out how easy it is to get the playard to snap back up and down!
    playard versus bassinet_0005

    Here are my favorite picks for a playard with a bassinet

    Sometimes, you'll be able to find one piece of furniture that pretty much solves the need of everything. You could potentially remove pieces of furniture to convert it into the sleeping or playing space you need. Here are some of the best picks on items act like a playard and a bassinet. These are some of the best playard with bassinet options available for new moms.

    Top Real Mom Picks for Bassinets for Babies

    Here are some of my favorite picks for bassinets for new moms!

    Top Real Mom Playard Picks for Babies and Toddlers

    If you are looking for a playard or Pack 'N Play (basically any time of travelling and portable sleeping space for your baby), here are some of the favorite ones on the market today!

    For new parents out there, what are you planning to get? Current parents, what do you think - what did I miss?

    Check out my other curated posts on baby 0-3 months essentials, 3 to 6 months baby must haves, and baby essentials 6 to 9 month for every new parent!

    playard versus bassinet choosing between
    « No Sew Fleece Baby Blanket Tutorial: 6 Easy Steps (with Photos)
    Does FabKids Have Toddler Sizes? (Their Measurement Charts Explained) »

    Subscribe for Access to Resource Library

    Get access to the FREE resource library with affordable home decor, printables, and family vacation hacks! You'll also receive my monthly newsletter with exclusive tips and tricks.

    Disclosure

    Many of the links on this blog are affiliate links. Sengerson.com receives a small comission when certain items are purchased, but the price is the same for you. Sengerson.com is a participant in the Amazon LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

    Primary Sidebar

    Nice to meet you!

    Seng is a life and style blogger for the modern mom. She is a mom of four that works outside of the home balancing the delicate balance of her career and being present for her family.
    Hi I'm Seng - a working mom, loving wife, lifestyle blogger, family photographer, and the ultimate purveyor of the "honey do list". More »

    Looking for Something

    Footer

    ↑ BACK TO TOP

    Meet Seng

    • About
    • Shop
    • DIY Web Stories
    • Home Tour
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

    Ideas by Room

    • Bathroom
    • Bedroom
    • Living Room
    • Dining & Kitchen
    • Outdoor Living
    • Paint Colors
    • Organization
    • Shopping Guide

    Motherhood

    • Parenting
    • Baby Registry
    • Productivity Tips
    • Easy & Fast Recipes
    • Mom Fashion
    • Kids Fashion
    • Gift Guides

    ©2021 SENGERSON LLC, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    • Email
    • Print
    • Save