Monday, July 23, 2012

Ingenuity Washable Playard: Review and GIVEAWAY!


A play yard has been an essential item in our household for Peanut. When he was born, he slept in a play yard in our room in the bassinet for the first 3 or 4 months. Since then, we use it as a travel crib when we stay overnight with friends or family, or when we go camping. And we use it as a baby containment unit (i.e. a playpen) when we need Peanut to have a safe place to play. Our previous play yard was alright. Nothing to really rave about.  The change table on it was so flimsy we couldn't use it from the very beginning when Peanut was only 10 lbs, as he would roll off the end if we didn't hold him up (and really, how practical is that? Changing a baby with 1 hand? No thanks!). The other thing that really bothered me about it was that I could only surface wipe it to clean up the inevitable baby poops, pees and pukes that ended up all over it. That always sort of grossed me out, really. Sure, you can buy the sheets for them, but really we all know that a mere cotton sheet cannot contain the mess of a leaky diaper, let alone a pooplosion. 

So, when I heard about the InGenuity Washable Playard, I had to admit, I was incredibly intrigued. Could it really be washable? Because if it was, it would be a HUGE improvement on the brand we have been using for the past year.

Mine is from the Sumner Collection. I love how gender-neutral it is!


I took it out of the box, and I didn't even have to look at the instructions to set it up. It is very simple and takes about 30 seconds. Score! The change table is so incredibly sturdy and snaps on all easy-peasy like. I can even change my squirmy 1 year old on it and it holds up wonderfully. This was enough to sell me on it! It also has a handy storage tray for diapers and wipes, etc. 


The tray folds over the bar so you don't have to remove it to use the play yard! 

But the thing that really flabbergasts me, and has me floating in clean-mommy heaven is that it IS totally washable. And it's completely easy. Everything just unzips and unvelcros (is that a word?!) from the frame and you toss it in the washer. 
See?! You can wash the whole thing!

You can learn from my mistakes and heed this tip: when you are putting the fabric back on the frame, make sure you line up the zipper in the correct corner! Duh! Of course I didn't realize until I had proudly reassembled the velcro on all the corners...sigh. 

For the mattress, you just have to slip out the 4 boards and toss the padding in there too. I have made a little video to show you how easy it is to use this play yard. I hate watching myself on video, so please be forgiving! I definitely say definitely too much...and you can see Kitty and Peanut making guest appearances. Peanut is obsessed with the play yard, so he's giving you a running commentary while investigating it. 

 
I haven't been able to really test out the bassinet because Peanut is much too heavy for it, but it came already assembled with the bassinet in it, so it is easy to see how it sets up, and it looks a bit sturdier than my other one, actually, as it has straps supporting the bottom of the bassinet to the play yard. AND, you can fold it up without taking out the bassinet, which is also awesome. That was always a huge pain with our other play yard. 


Here's the bassinet all set up
And this is the magic that allows you to fold up the play yard WITHOUT removing the bassinet. Sooooo handy, trust me!

 The only thing missing from this model is a newborn napper-type device. We used that attachment extensively with Peanut in the first month or so, so if we have another little kiddo that would be a feature I would love to see on the InGenuity Playard! 


The folks at InGenuity are generously giving Up Mommy Creek readers a chance to win their very own Washable Playard!!! How awesome is that?! A play yard is a must-have for the little ones, in my opinion, and here's your chance to get one for free! Please note that this giveaway is only open to my fellow Canadians, as this snazzy line has not yet launched in the US. Just enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. And GOOD LUCK! :) 

Reminder: Giveaway open to Canada only! Sorry my international readers!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

**Disclosure: I received a playard so that I could write an accurate review of using this product. All opinions are entirely my own, as always! I truly did love this product.

~Amy

11 comments:

  1. This looks so cool! I have a niece/nephew on the way that will need a cozy place like this to sleep :D Or maybe I can convince Hubby to go for #2?

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  2. Love your blog!! If you are looking for a safe item for baby's nursery buy some Scentsy!! They are safe and flameless candles! I sell them and love my job!! visit www.safeandflamelesscandles.com for more info :)

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  3. Love your blog!! If you are looking for a safe item for baby's nursery buy some Scentsy!! They are safe and flameless candles! I sell them and love my job!! visit www.safeandflamelesscandles.com for more info :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is a very good blog and I like it a lot. This post is very well written. Thanks a lot for writing good quality posts.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for the information. I’m really glad that you share your ideas about this. I must relay these ideas to my friends.

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  6. Hi! I'm looking to buy a pack n play and I came across with the Ingenuity one. Looks amazing, but I have a main question before I buy it: Do I need to buy a mattress for it? Everyone says the one that comes with it is too hard and all of my friends that have a pack n play placed a mattress.... If so, how do I know the exact size to buy it online?
    Many thaaaanks!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Anonymous! I was not comfortable adding an additional mattress to my playard (I found the mattress pad included was a good compromise between firmness and still having some cushioning on it). However, I know that they do sell them. I just used fitted flannel sheets to add some softness against baby's skin. I am pretty sure the new version of this playard has the newborn sleeper attachment (like a bassinet) included which is cushioned and looks super comfy for baby. Maybe check that out? I am not positive on dimensions, as ours is currently in storage until the new baby arrives. Good luck! :)

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  7. Hi Amy-- you mentioned that you got some flannel sheets for this. Were they just "standard"-sized pack 'n play sheets (i.e., Graco)? Thanks!

    -RS

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    Replies
    1. Yes those are the ones! Just from Babies R Us.

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  8. Could you tell me if it has a descent weight capacity. I had a very large baby and want to make sure that the money i invest in one of these is well spent. Thank you :)

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  9. Hi Amy!! Love the review - we just purchased an Ingenuity playard for our first baby, I love that it's washable. Your video makes set up look super easy :)

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Thank you so much for taking the time to comment! They make my day!

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