Hi all

So i am putting together a list of all the things i want/need for my baby at the moment. I'm around 17weeks in but want to have all my research done and stuff very early on. Also my parents travel and will be visiting UK and USA before my boy is due and are very happy to cart stuff back for me if i need/like. I have already ordered a car seat from USA and travel system from UK.

My next order of business that i have been researching today (i do one item a day) is a cot. We have a new house being built as i type where baby will have his own room which my husband will be building a cot for. However for the moment (probably about the first 6months-1year) we have very limited space so he will be staying in our room. My parents live in Philippines so we also visit them quite often. Once it is safe i will also be taking baby to my shop where he will stay in my office area during the day with me.
For these reasons i thought it would be best to get a portable playpen/cot/bassinet/changing table set. However there are so many varieties and so many opinions that i have got myself all twisted around and confused (even with huge lists of brands, pros, cons and measurements).

To summarize my needs are:
Usable as a bed up to at least 1year old.
Easily portable and as light as possible.
Preferably with a bassinet attachment for the first few months (i read this is safer than using a regular infant bed/mattress until he can move more easily).
Preferably with a changing station to give us 1 extra thing we don't need (taking up extra space that for the moment we just don't have).

From the research i have done it seems that the Graco Contour Electra Pack n Play is more than enough for my needs (it has everything on my list and then some) but it is also RM700. Then there is the Graco Pack n Play on the run Playpen but i'm not sure how old 35" tall is (that is their size limit for that one, i haven't found anywhere that gives an age range), however that doesn't include a changing station.

There are a few other models that i have found (not necessarily Graco, i'm not so particular about that as long as it is a reputable brand that isn't likely to collapse in the middle of the night) that seem to cover everything however what i am really writing all this for is to see if anyone else has been using a portable playpen thing like this for their baby? If you have, I would really appreciate hearing your experience with it (pros and cons) as well as what you have and about how much it cost you.
Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

http://www.mummycare.com.my/shop/index.php...ee9d52214685e79

Check this.
I might getting one for my baby too

have u consider getting mutiple playpens for ur home and shop?

http://www.bumblebee.my/?page_id=409

it has a portable changing station where u can attach it to the cot. oh, and i think the best changing table is still my own king size bed... LOL.

ur parents going to US? ask them to get u a medela breastpump. i heard its soooo much cheaper there.

I have used a few but I like Graco which was my last purchase.. Folds in seconds and light

Thanks for all the advice. I was considering the Bumblebee one but my husband wasn't convinced and i didn't see any changing table attachment options.

@sbux - i like the idea of using the bed as a changing table and assumed i would do that before i thought of a portable playpen/cot thing. Figured if i was going to get one, might as well add on the changing table as it was an option so i have the choice .
I was also thinking of getting one for the shop as well, for that i will probably go with a local one as it won't be the main cot but purely for daytime naps and playing.
Breast pumps are my next order of business so thanks for the heads up, will probably take that advice as i haven't totally filled their suitcase from USA yet ...

@henryhing - thanks for the feedback. I was instantly impressed with the Graco's that i have seen so glad to hear someone a bit closer to home has a positive experience with them. It is my number 1 choice.

Don't worry..I think a lot of parents here uses bumblebee and it's equivalent like 　 babylove and sweet cherry. My girl also in bumblebee during the day and during the night, we bought a RM 199 cheap baby cot from Chinese furniture shop. In fact the RM 199 one are even better. U don't need to get up from ur bed and peek at ur baby. Can just turn ur head and can see baby already. Did I explain myself well ar?

Re changing table.. Got la.. It's a blue colour thingy u can clip to the cot and be turn down to the sides when u are done. It comes with a safety belt. Cheap too.. Around RM 35 if I am not mistaken. But I rarely use it cuz scare baby fall down. Still prefer my king size bed.

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Added on April 10, 2011, 2:55 amBtw.. Bumble bee is quite an affordable brand. It have wide range of baby products.


This post has been edited by sbux: Apr 10 2011, 02:55 AM