A baby playpen gives your baby a safe place to play, while always under your watchful eye. The self-contained units are usually made from wood, plastic, or metal. Most baby playpens are lightweight, so they can be easily carried around the house and stored. Baby playpens certainly divide opinion. Some parents rate them as being a safe place for babies to play for short bursts of time once they are rolling or crawling. Others think they are unnecessary and restrictive. Lovingly known by the brand as a ‘Park-A-Kid,’ the BabyDan Deluxe Playpen is a versatile and practical metal playpen suitable for babies from birth to 24 months.

Sold separately. Additional compatibility details can be found at aka.ms/SurfaceSlimPenCompatibility

Our parent tester, Anna, says, "[This playpen] is sturdy and there are no sharp edges so it feels safe for my baby, even if he’s bouncing around in it. There are no gaps in the fabric where his small fingers could get trapped." Dimensions: H63 cm x W72 cm x L103 cm | Age: Birth to 15kg (approx 3 years) | Material: Sustainably sourced beech wood | Foldable: Yes | Assembly required: Yes (tools required) What we like The activity panel is varied enough to remain interesting even after six months of use and the play mat is comfortable for babies to play on. I find it most helpful to put my baby in it first thing in the morning when I’m preparing breakfast or need to clean the house or do some laundry. But she’s only a fan of the playpen for short amounts of time. I don’t like to keep her in it for too long either (I restrict use to half an hour maximum each day), so it’s ended up functioning as a toy storage box as well as an indoor play space. Unless otherwise stated, data read and write speeds are based on theoretical performance. Actual performance may vary in real-world situations.

Portrait mode with adjustable depth control. Portrait mode supported for wide and tele camera. Machine learning used for portrait mode Pop-up models tend to be less durable and hardwearing, but for temporary short-term use on holiday or when visiting friends and family, they are a relatively stress-free way to create a safe space for your baby, whatever the environment. What age do you stop using playpens? Dimensions: 121.9 x 2.5 x 66 cm | Age suitability: 6 months to 24 months | Material: Alloy Steel | Foldable: Yes | Assembly required: No What we like Roseanne: It's quite a large product but if a relatively large play pen that is good quality is what you are looking for then I would recommend it. A good feature is that you do not have to use all of it and can have a smaller play pen if you like. The mats and balls are soft and overall the product provides good stimulation. You could also fit plenty of other toys in there if you wanted to set up different sections for your baby.

Important safety points for baby playpens

Dimensions: 190cm x 150cm x 70cm | Age: Unspecified | Material: 210D Oxford Cloth + Iron + PE | Foldable: No | Assembly required: Yes (no tools required) What we like Nevertheless, it’s been thoroughly put through its paces by an active baby, who is now using it for crawling, pulling up to stand and cruising. For babies, the Venture All Stars Duo is very appealing. My daughter loves the activity panel and can regularly be found spinning the shaker balls while practising standing up. The most traditional style of playpen is wood framed and spacious, with plenty of space for your baby to crawl and explore. They normally require assembly and tend to be best for more long-term use, becoming a somewhat permanent feature in your room. Plastic playpens Sophie: Yes I would choose this playpen over others as it is adaptable to the size you want and the colours are better for our decor. We have lots of brightly coloured toys so nice to have something that blends in more especially as it is huge! All playpens are large and so if you choose to have one this is a good compromise. I think from a safety aspect it is very good as I know he’s safe in there especially when the older kids have their lego out! No safety concerns yet but my little one isn’t actually crawling yet so time will tell!