It is nice for your baby if his sleeping place is recognizable and there are not too many stimuli. This feels familiar and he will fall asleep more easily. Nevertheless, it can also be convenient for you as a parent to let your baby sleep in the playpen.
In this blog, we list the pros and cons of sleeping in the playpen for you.
Benefits of sleeping in the playpen
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Easy access and monitoring. The playpen is often located in the living room or another central area of the home. This makes it easier to keep an eye on your baby while you go about your daily tasks. You can respond quickly to your baby's needs without having to keep running upstairs
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Useful for short naps. If your little one wakes up often, it can be convenient to be nearby. You don't have to go to the bedroom each time to comfort your baby. For the short term this is a convenient solution, but for the long term it often backfires because it gets you into a vicious circle of short naps, overtiredness and more restless sleep.
- Useful if you are not yet mobile yourself. After childbirth you often have limitations, especially if you have had a cesarean section or suffer from pelvic instability. Then climbing the stairs is not pleasant for yourself.
Disadvantages of sleeping in the playpen
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Disturbed peace and regularity. A playpen is often in a room where there is more activity and noise, such as the living room. This can disrupt your baby's sleep and can make it more difficult to maintain a consistent sleep routine. Rest and regularity are crucial to developing a healthy sleep pattern.
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Difficulty falling asleep and sleeping through. If your baby sleeps in many different places, habits don't wear themselves out. His own bed is then not his familiar sleeping place. Letting go" and surrendering to sleep becomes more difficult and even if he wakes up briefly, it will be more difficult to go back to sleep.
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Possible long-term problems. Maybe the first few weeks it still seems to go well in the playpen, but the balance is shaky because there is no routine. Then when there is a jump or sleep regression, you can't fall back on a good foundation and sleeping becomes unsettled.
How the PIKO helps
So while it is sometimes convenient to let your baby sleep in the playpen, it is more difficult to build a good sleep foundation this way.
This is where the PIKO comes in: with the PIKO, your little one is close to you in the playpen and at the same time in his own familiar sleeping place. So you can enjoy your child even more and offer your little one exactly what he needs to build a healthy sleep foundation.
If you want more information about the PIKO, check out our - specially developed by sleep coaches - PIKO sleeper.
