Do you really need a playpen? Let's be honest, it's not a necessary purchase, like a car seat, stroller or crib, but a playpen can provide a safe environment for your baby to play in. A lot may depend on your circumstances.

Is baby playpen necessary?

Playpens can provide a safe place to put your baby once he or she becomes mobile while you go to the bathroom, or cook dinner, or just get 5 minutes of much-needed mommy time. Many playpens nowadays are multi-purpose. They can be converted to a baby gate, or serve as a secondary changing station.

Do parents use playpens anymore?

Now, a simple visit to a site like Babies 'R' Us will confirm that, yes, playpens do still exist. But they seem to have been rebranded, for these devices are no longer called playpens. ... Rather tellingly, a Google search for playpen seems to yield as many entries for contraptions to corral pets as children.