Glossary
Play yard
A portable, mesh-sided enclosure that doubles as a travel crib, playpen, and sometimes a bassinet attachment.
A play yard is a portable enclosure with mesh sides and a folding metal frame, used as a travel crib, a safe place to set a baby down during the day, or both. Many include a bassinet attachment or changing station that clips onto the top rail for the newborn stage, then gets removed as the baby grows.
Because a play yard often doubles as overnight sleep space while traveling, the same safe sleep considerations apply to it as to a crib: use only the pad it shipped with, keep it free of loose bedding and toys once the baby is sleeping, and remove the bassinet or changing attachment once the baby outgrows its weight or mobility limit rather than continuing to use it as a matter of habit.
A common mistake is buying a soft-sided or non-standard playpen for sleep because it looks similar to a play yard, when only products built and rated for infant sleep should be used overnight. Another is skipping the fold-and-lock check when setting it up in a new location, a play yard that is not fully locked into place can collapse under weight it was designed to support when set up correctly.