Playpens started out as a combination of portable cribs and small play yards. Today, parents still use them as places for their babies to play and sleep while not at home. While a playpen may seem relatively simple, there are a few serious concerns that you need to be aware of if you are selecting a playpen for your child, the most important of which is the type of bedding used.

Playpen Hazards

The single greatest hazard to babies in their playpens is added padding. Soft bedding, foam pads, or extra mattresses can become molded around a sleeping infant's head, resulting in a lack of oxygen which can lead to brain damage or death. In fact, as many as one-third of cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) may in fact be a result of suffocation of this type. It is best to avoid adding any kind of soft bedding, including quilts, comforters, or pillows in your baby's playpen.

Other practices that will help keep your baby safe in her playpen include making sure the baby is laid down to sleep on her back. Also, use only the specific mattress provided by the manufacturer in order to ensure a proper fit to the playpen. Ill-fitting mattresses can create gaps around the edges of the playpen that can create more hazards. Make sure that any mesh around the sides of the playpen is small and securely fastened to avoid risk of strangulation.

The last thing to keep an eye out for is poorly designed or poorly maintained hardware. Top bars should lock easily and automatically into place to ensure that the playpen does not collapse onto the baby. There should be no places where sharp, pointy, or jagged hardware sticks out from the frame. These pieces can be dangerous if the baby falls on them, and can also be unsafe to adult users when folding and transporting the playpens. Also, make sue that there aren't gaps between vertical or horizontal bars in which your baby's arms, legs, or head could get stuck.