InGenuity – Pembrook Smart & Simple Playard Product Review

When I was pregnant with my first child, my awesome brother and sister-in-law gave us their old Pack 'n Play, and I thought, "What in the world am I going to need this for?" (Feel free to laugh at my naivete.) My answer, almost three years later, is that I would need it for everything. Nap time, toy storage, traveling, general child containment so I can get stuff done around the house, and yes, it was even used for "time outs". Keep in mind this is a pretty old contraption at this point since every year new ones are released with more bells and whistles than the year before. When InGenuity asked that I review their Pembrook Smart & Simple Playard, of course I said, "Heck yes!"

The InGenuity Pembrook Smart & Simple Playard works as bassinet, a changing table, as well as a play pen. It easily transforms from one to the other with very little effort. It also includes an additional attachment to store other necessities in such as diapers, wipes, snacks, etc. The base insert is nicely padded making it a super soft place for baby to chillax. Unfortunately my youngest is too heavy to use the changing table, but as a parent who never used an actual changing table to save space in my very tiny house, this is a really nice all-in-one type feature to have.

When making a direct comparison to my old Pack 'n Play, and the InGenuity Smart & Simple Playard, I noticed that the Playard is a good two inches higher on the sides. Where my son's head is fully above our old one, he can barely get his mouth onto the edge on the Playard. This is a GREAT thing, because by the time my daughter was 18-24 months she would flip herself OUT of the one we were using. We had to pack it away sooner than expected just so we could keep her safe. The height of the InGenuity Smart & Simple Playard will allow for longer usage of the product, which means you really are getting your money's worth.

I really loved the attachment hardware for the additional pieces. The plastic buckles are sturdy, and are hidden by a pocket of fabric. This helps with the aesthetics of the Playard, but also keeps little fingers from getting pinched. The zipper is the easiest zipper ever. It took maybe 5 seconds to get it attached and zipped up. The base padding has little straps that fit through small slits in the bottom and Velcro to the underside. There are only two poles needed that easily slide into the zipper part of the bassinet. As long as your kiddo can't put themselves up, this bassinet will last a long time. It's considerably bigger than the co-sleeper we used in our bedroom. My kiddo is going on 11 months (he's a giant baby too), and he has plenty of space. But, he's almost walking so we won't be able to use that feature either. The Smart & Simple Playard is so easy to put together, we didn't even need to read the instructions. This may be because we're now a little more seasoned when it comes to the mechanics of setting one of these up, but it was super simple.

Personally I get a little frustrated when products like these only come in colors that scream "GIRL!" or "BOY!" However, the Pembrook design is a fabulous gender neutral option! It's a really beautiful light grey with blue and yellow accent colors. The actual pattern is just circles that were cleverly made into flowers - I think they look like flowers - and turtles.

The only thing we struggled with, was getting the changing table attachment to snap together (it comes folded), and then getting it apart. The fabric around it just seemed a little too tight on one side, and it did require some muscle on the part of my husband. At least we know neither of our munchkins will be able to mess with it.

You can view all of the specs of the InGenuity Pembrook Smart & Simple Playard on Kids II, and you can purchase it online at Target for only $99.99. I was really surprised to see how affordable the Playard really is. Just think. Instead of buying a changing table, a bassinet, and a Playard, you have all three in one well-made product.

InGenuity is also on Facebook and Twitter! I am BEYOND excited to tell you that one of DealPeddler's readers will WIN an InGenuity Pembrook Smart & Simple Playard!! Giveaway will run for approximately a week beginning 06/02. Entrants must be 18+ and live in the USA. You will be able to enter the giveaway [HERE] once it is live.

* I received a product for free in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are 100% mine. See Disclosure Policy.

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