The 9 Best Playpens for Your Baby

Our top choice for a baby playpen and the one we recommend buying if you have the room is the Hadwin 14 Panel Activity Centre.

It comes with a door lock for easy access for the parents and is made out of HDPE material which is BPA free, so you don’t have to worry about your baby licking or biting it.

You can set this unit up in a square or circular pattern, making it great for all room shapes. As a circle, the circumference of the playpen will be around 195cm and as a square, 159x152cm.

You can also remove individual panels and create any type of shape you desire. This is easy to do and shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes to assemble and pack away this playpen.

The height is 62cm so gauge the suitability of your child’s height. A weight of only 15kg in total makes it not very difficult to move. 

The panels clip together with a hinge connector which means that children’s fingers won’t get caught in the panels.

The bottom of the panels came with a non-slip cap AND a suction, so they are great for carpet and hard floor settings.

You can team this with soft play mats and ball pit balls for a great few hours of play.

The main central panel has a storage pouch on one side and built-in toys on the other side that includes a colorful abacus, track slider, sound button, rotating balls, and a cog turning game.

This playpen is recommended for babies from 6 months plus.

Our premium pick for today is the Venture All Stars DUO which also offers great value as it comes with play mats and ball pit balls. 

This unit is a Mother & Baby Gold Winner 2021.

With a total weight of 16kg, this unit is easy to move and lift and gets set up in a square shape totalling two panels on each wall.

The set-up size is 155cm x 155cm and 65cm high. It is recommended that the maximum height of a baby in this pen is 95cm.

Included with this unit is 6 wall panels, 1 door panel, 1 activity panel, 8 EVA mats and 1 bag of balls.

The activity panels include a fun clock for learning to tell the time and also ABC blocks that can be moved around the panel.

There are a cog turning section and two noise buttons.

Our best value playpen is the HI Suyi Portable playpen which doubles up as a ball pit, tent, and even a basketball game. 

Available in blue and red, this playpen is a great way to keep the kiddies entertained at a low price.

The metal frame made of stainless steel teamed with the breathable mesh makes for a super lightweight playpen weighing in at only 3.9kg. 

Its full assembled size is 127cm x 127cm so doesn’t take up the largest amount of room and makes it perfect for a bedroom or kitchen area.

The main body of the unit is 66cm high and the tallest part with the basketball net is 107cm. The unit can be set up with or without the basketball section.

The door zips shut so can be difficult to stop an older baby from escaping and would better suit as a ball pit area.

The frame breaks down into poles and connectors, similar to a marquee and then the fabric frame, it doesn’t include a bag or box to store these though.

This unit is suitable for 6-36 months but not as a pen that stops children from escaping.

The Arkmiido Playpen is next on the list and comes in at a size of 150 x 150cm. The sides are 62cm high. 

You can fill this play pen with toys and ball pit balls but neither of these comes included with the pen.

The great thing about this playpen is that even though it has two entry doors they have external zips which mean that your baby can’t escape. 

The steel poles of the frame are coated in foam for added protection and the connectors are covered with safety pads that Velcro down. Also, each of the four corners has a powerful suction cup to stop it from moving around (only works on a hard floor). 

Due to the meshed fabric of the frame, you can see your baby from every angle, and it gives your baby 360° vision so they can see you at all times too.

The pen can be assembled in a few minutes and packed away and stored easily.

Next on our list is another option from Hadwin. The Hadwin 8 panel portable playpen is available in 8 panels and also the 6 panels. 

The unit comes this a carry bag for when its folded up, and the unit folds up similar to a camping chair. 

The frame is made from steel so it’s very strong, the corners are protected with a thickened anti-collision cotton and a small storage bag for toys is connected to one of the walls.

You can use this playpen inside and outside, and large enough to hold two children and an adult quite comfortably.

The unit is very large so great for larger families and measures at 190cm x 170cm approximately.

The Millhouse Activity playpen is next up and comes inclusive of EVA play mats which are cut to the size required for the unit. 

The unit can only be set up in a square and measures at 157 x 157cm and is 63cm high making it large enough for 2-3 children.

The grey and white design with the matching mats will suit any home if you have the room to put it up.

The suction caps on the corners are paramount in increasing the strength of the pen so using on carpet or outdoors is not advised.

There are some inclusive toys that are built-in on the play panel, but it would be better, due to the size, to have your baby’s favorite toys in the pen.

This playpen is suitable for 6 months – 24 months.

A great option for a games room or play room is the Hadwin 14 panel pastel play pen. 

This playpen comes with two built-in telescopes and built-in cog toys, and a couple of rolling balls but no other toys.

The BPA-free plastic is easy to wipe clean and can be put up indoors or outdoors. It doesn’t come with a bottom on it so if used outside or on a hard floor, it would be advised to invest in some EVA mats.

The door panel has an external, upgrade door lock which of course is child-proof.

The panels all have a non-slip pad on the bottom and also come with suction pads you can install for added security on hard floors.

With this unit being 14 panels, you can set this up in a range of different shapes and styles to suite your needs.

This hexagon-shaped playpen by Dreambaby is called the Royale Converta and weighs 10kg so on the heavier side of today’s playpens. 

This pen measures 62cm wide so it’s not huge but its 74cm high making it great for taller children. We would recommend only allowing 1 child at a time for this unit.

This pen is configurable so you can set this up to create a barrier and use the corner of a room and the included wall mounts to increase the size of this pen as they measure 3.8m in length in total.

You can buy this playpen in black, charcoal, and white making it suitable for almost any home. 

The playpen can be used as a fireplace barrier, room divider, and a playpen.

Last but by no means least on today’s list is the Hawdin 6 panel portable playpen.

This slightly smaller compact playpen measures 148cm x 70cm and stands 66.5cm tall. It’s perfect for two children aged between 6-36 months.

The floor mat included in the unit is strong and waterproof making it great for indoor and outdoor use.

The frame is made from PVC and a breathable mesh cloth that is washable. It takes less than 5 minutes to set up and pack away this unit so it is quick and easy to get out and put away.