It appears whilst Emily is in her quest of new adventure and discovery, she just can’t help swinging out of things, putting random bits in her mouth and charging full speed ahead crawling around the place. Which means I need eyes at the back of my head. Working from home is fine if Emily is entertained, usually by Hey Duggee, in her jumperoo or sleeping soundly in her cot, but when that’s not happening, I need eyes everywhere to keep an eye on her. She’s an explorer and whilst I’m totally fine with that, I’d rather she didn’t have to feel the need to swing out of her high chair in the corner for a little thrill on a Tuesday morning.
We’ve already got a baby gate for our ridiculously small staircase, that currently she loves swinging out of, but unless she’s sat in front of me, Emily sure can wander off. Usually the silence and then the rapid chewing slurpy motion, that’s when I know she’s putting something she shouldn’t in her mouth, and every parent knows our little learners won’t stop at anything to try it out and shove it in!
So at the weekend I finally decided to get a baby playpen gate from Amazon. Bought through Prime, it arrived in 48 hours and for £59.99 I was saving myself the extra £30 Tesco Direct was selling it for. Sam, mastermind of DIY put it together with his drill. Honestly, it’s a bit of a pain to assemble. The instructions and reviews online suggest that it’s simple as 1-2-3 to put together but you do need to drill it into a solid surface if you’re going to use it as a gate to corner off part of your room and we can’t use it as a playpen because if you’ve been to my house, we just don’t have the space. The Dreambaby Royal Converta 3-in-1 Play-Pen Gate can be used as a playpen, fireguard and a wide-barrier gate, which is what we’re doing with ours.
They say:
The Dreambaby® Royale Converta® 3 in 1 Play-Pen Gate is a fantastic, versatile play pen which can be used in so many ways at home. The six easy-to-adjust panels are fantastic as they can suit any type of home layout, and can be placed in any area or room around the home. The panels can be opened to create an extra-long gate, or as a protective guard around a room, a door, a fireplace or more. As a play-pen, it can be set up in a variety of shapes, remaining large enough for your little ones to enjoy free space to play around in. Constructed from durable, sturdy metal, the play-pen is safe and secure to use, and will last a long time. The panels have secure corner attachments to connect one another, and the compact design allows for them to be stored away easily.
- The measurements are 151″ wide by 29″ tall
- This kit includes 6 modular panels of which one has a door for convenient walk through
- Panels can be opened to create an extra-long gate or as a protective guard around a room or door
- Suitable for use as a guard to protect your children from the dangers of a fireplace
- Convenient Stay Open Feature is ideal for when you need quick access for “toy clean up” time
- Wall Mounts are included for use as a barrier or guard
- Two panel extensions are sold separately. You may use up to 2 extensions (four panels) per play yard
- Great for pets too!
We say:
So far, ok. We’ve only had it a day and it seems to be ok. It’s a bit of a faff though if you don’t have much space and we’re running dangerously low on that. Who knew baby proofing would require so much work! You can dismantle it, at any section that you like, it has a gate and is on a good height for Emily. As mentioned before unless you are a DIY mastermind and have super patience, the screws are a bit of a nightmare to put in. It’s a strong gate, but if you need to fold it on a regular basis, I can see it’s going to prove difficult. Folding the gate up requires loosening a few screws with an Allan key as Sam noticed last night. It’s fiddly, obviously the designers didn’t really think of the parents when putting this design together. Emily now has the front room to play and move around in and I don’t have to constantly watch her whilst I work, it’s early days but for the price and quality, I’m very pleased with it. Unless Emily figures out how to do this jumps in the next few weeks, this will be a great gate for the next few years.
Stockists:
- JoJo Maman Bébé | £69
- Amazon Prime | £59.99
Missy, Me & Him 