Homemade Baby Playpen Guide for Beginners

Playpens provide a safe environment for babies or toddlers to play without being supervised. When your baby starts to crawl or take his first steps, it is best to put him inside the playpen to help you doing house chores or other work without any tension and worries. You can buy this product from Primo, Dream on me, or Delta to make your kids’ playtime more enjoyable.

Playpens are available in different shapes, sizes, and styles. It is up to you to select any style or type.

But if you think it is better to build one for your kid at home, then this article is for you.

Building a playpen will save money and allow you to customize it as per your needs. If you are a beginner, it will not be easy for you to build one, but with our instructions and guidance, you will be able to make a customized playpen or play yard for your baby.

Things to Consider

Before going to make a baby playpen, there are various things you have to consider.

1. First of all, check the size of the room and the space vacant. This will help you know what playpen size would be ideal for you.
2. For what purpose you are going to use a playpen. Some playpens are made for traveling and outdoor usage, whereas some are only designed for indoor use.
3. What type of playpen you want to make for your little kid. Means what material you will use for making a playpen.
4. What extra features you want to add to your baby’s playpen.
5. Also, your baby’s weight is important to consider when planning to build a playpen with legs.

You can either make a standard playpen, wooden or plastic playpen without legs, or a travel playpen for your baby. It all depends on your room setting and the purpose of usage.

How to Build a PVC Playpen at Home

Building a playpen using PVC pipes is simple and easy. As a beginner, you will find the building process very straightforward. Also, it is one of the safest playpen types.

To make a PVC playpen, you need to get the right materials.

1. ¾ or 1-inch PVC pipes – the number of pipes depends on the size of the playpen
2. PVC elbows and tees
3. PVC pipe cement to glue PVC joints
4. A rubber mat to make the base
5. A polyester mesh or mosquito net
6. A piece of cloth and brush for PVC cement
7. A hacksaw or backsaw for cutting PVC pipes
8. Nylon cable ties
9. A measuring tape and a scissor

Step-by-Step Guide to Make a PVC playpen

We are going to make a rectangular-shaped playpen to give more space for the baby to roam freely. You can also make a square-shaped play yard for your little one.

1. First of all, outline a rectangular-shaped playpen. This will help you during the building process.

Next, measure and mark the PVC pipes. As you are going to make a rectangular-shaped playpen, so you need 4 longer pipes measuring 8 feet, 4 mid-size pipes of 6 feet, and 8 or 10 small size pipes of 4 feet.

The length of the rectangle is usually greater than the width, so longer PVC pipes are for the length, whereas the mid-size pipes will be used for the width. And the smaller pipes are for the height of the playpen.

2. Use a hacksaw to cut the PVC pipes after taking the correct measurements. Make sure you are following the marks. While cutting the pipes, keep them as straight as possible and on a leveled surface.
3. After cutting all the pipes, make the rough edges smooth. You can use sandpaper to do this but make sure not to sand much. Take little breaks in between sanding so that the PVC pipes can’t heat up due to friction.
4. Next, with the help of elbows and tees, connect the pipes with each other. Keep in mind the shape of the rectangle and connect the pipes accordingly. First, start with the base and make sure the pipes are connected properly before fixing them with PVC cement. Also, the correct orientation of tees and elbows must be followed.

2. PVC cement must be applied properly. When connecting the two pipes together, apply cement on the outer part of one pipe and the inner part of the second pipe. Use a small paintbrush to apply PVC cement.

After applying cement, connect the pipes properly and hold them for 10 to 15 seconds.

6. Make the frame of the playpen by connecting all the long, mid-size, and small pipes together with the help of elbows and tees and PVC cement.

Allow the cement to dry fully so that it can firmly attach all the pipes.

7. Now, it is time to cover the fence with polyester mesh. You can also use a mosquito net made with polyester.

Use a scissor to cut the net into pieces. There is no need to cut small pieces of the mesh to cover each section. Keep the pieces large to easily cover multiple sections at once.

8. Use nylon cable ties to attach the mesh to the pipes. Make sure the mesh is securely attached to both the top and bottom pipes. This will cover the complete fence with the mesh.
9. Your baby playpen is now ready. Next, all you need is to place the rubber mat inside the playpen to make the base. You can also add a mattress if needed.

Safety

Although PVC playpen is quite safe, you still have to ensure that your handmade playpen is safe for your kid.

1. Make sure the mesh you have selected has tiny holes. Also, the quality of the mesh must be considered. Your baby can insert fingers inside the holes if they are large. Also, ensure that the mesh is without wear and tear and tied securely with the pipes.

Make your habit of checking the mesh daily to avoid any accident.

2. If you are keeping a mattress inside the playpen, make sure the width and length of the mattress are equal to the length and width of the playpen. There must be no space between the sides of the playpen and mattress. Your baby can get stuck in between those gaps that may lead to suffocation.
3. It is better to cover the top pipes, especially the corners and sides, with pads. The extra padding will avoid any hand injury to your baby.
4. Cut the extra part of the cable ties so that your baby can’t touch them and injure his fingers.
5. Never put soft pillows and cushions inside the playpen to avoid child suffocation.
6. Never keep your baby for long inside the playpen without any supervision.