Traditional Crib vs Pack and Play

Let me tell you why my family chose a pack and play instead of a traditional crib and bassinet. After tons of reading, researching, and reading some more, our reasons boiled down to: money, functionality, and space.

First, let’s start with money. Pack and plays are significantly cheaper. The below breakdown shows on average you will save $200 by using a pack and play instead of a traditional crib.

A traditional crib/ bassinet:

• Crib - $200
• Mattress- $90
• Crib sheets -$10
• Bassinet- $100
• Bassinet sheets- $20

Total: $320

Pack and play with a bassinet attachment:

• Pack and play- $80
• Mattress -$30
• Sheets - $10

Total: $120

Any purchases you make through our links supports our parents!

Second, I looked at functionality. A bassinet can only be used until your child rolls over (3-6 month milestone) or reaches a specific weight, typically 15+ pounds. The American Association of Pediatrics recommends sharing a room with your child until they reach 6 months. So, you will likely need to transition your child from the bassinet to the crib before the six month mark. This means you will need to make room for a crib in your room or make room for a bed in your child’s nursery. A pack and play is designed to be folded up and moved with ease. So, you can move it once your child is 6 months, and it will only take a few minutes with no tools other than your hands.

Finally, having extra space is always a plus. My family lives in a one bedroom apartment. So, having one item for all sleep stages is perfect for us. We also plan to have additional kids so we won’t need to store bulky baby items between each child.

Important notes:

We were able to source a pack and play with a bassinet attachment from Nextdoor for free. This is when we discovered we didn’t need a crib! But, if we purchased one, we would have bought the full size pack and play with bassinet attachments $80 on Amazon

Quick and easy purchase guide:

• Pack and play
• mattress
• sheets

Any purchases you make through our links supports our parents!