North States Superyard Play Yard, Classic XT
by North States Industries
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List Price: Our Price: $42.99 You Save: $27.00 (39%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Baby Product See more product details |
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Baby Products Reviews of North States Superyard Play Yard, Classic XT
Customer Review: Overall a Good Bargain
Summary: 4 Stars
We purchased this gate because the play room that we have for our three year old isn't "baby proof" and after looking at multiple gates and play yards decided that the reviews on this one were the best for the price of the play yard. Some of the reviews are correct in the fact that this play yard doesn't look expensive, but I didn't expect it to. If I wanted something that was more expensive I would have paid more and got the gates that permanently anchored into the walls and built another baby safe play room.
It is a heavy duty plastic construction, white and it has blue on part of the corners of the play yard. My 9 month old is no where near strong enough to move it, it's pretty heavy actually, but I could see how the type of floor you have it on might affect that, ours is on carpet in the corner of one room currently and works just fine. It has a small "handle" that is blue and has snaps to make it a little easier to transport. I will easily be able to put it in the back yard in the summer for my daughter to play in. If I were looking to make it more permanent in the yard I would use tent stakes or something similar and anchor if wherever I placed it only due to my yard configuration and I could put my 3 year old in it that way.
We are purchasing the foam mat to put under it and taking one users suggestion to add the rings to clip toys on the gate itself. All in all I am pleased with the product. I would mention it is six panels so if you want to use it in more of a square shape I would suggest buying either a second one or the 2 panel extension which is what we are doing. Otherwise the square is actually a rectangle and it's not as large as it is in the octagon shape.
PROS:
- Inexpensive (ours was $48 w/ free s&h)
- Gives me the freedom to do chores without worrying.
- Gives my daughter the freedom she craves in a environment I can easily move and baby proof.
- Heavy material but light enough to move easily.
- It's short enough I can reach over it without having to climb in (see CON below).
CONS:
- The color of the gate (if that bothers you, it is a "cheaper" looking heavy plastic)
- If I had known the shape configuration I would have bought a second or the extension immediately.
- No gate - So if you are short like I am if you needed to get in it would take a bit longer.
Personally the color didn't bother me and we are satisfied. Since today is our first day of ownership I will update after we own it for awhile if there are issues.
Customer Review: Works for a time
Summary: 3 Stars
This play yard is extreamly easy to set up, you can have it out of the box and ready to use in under 2 minutes and no tools of any kind are needed. The play yard is mostly plastic with some small screws at the joints. It comes with a small carrying handle that snaps on and can be removed once it is set up so the kids don't play with it. The sides snape into whatever shape you want, kind of like a rachet. However it should be noted that you can not put this gate into a square or rectangle shape (per the instructions). Technically you can, but the manufacturer says not to (probably because of the tip over issue discussed below). I was impressed with how big the floor area is that this has, much larger than I had pictured in my mind. I wanted something bigger than a pack and play, and this is certainly bigger.
It should be noted that this play yard does not have a gate. A few of the negative reviews here blast it for being too hard to open, but it's not intended to act like a door or gate. You can open up the play yard, but it's not designed for you to do that every single time you go in or out of it. To open it you have to push down on one panel while lifting up on the adjacent panel, so it requires two hands to do. Not hard to do, just requires two hands.
The biggest downside to this play yard is there is nothing to anchor it with. Your child if walking can easily push it around. Or if they can stand, they can push on the top edge and tip the play yard up off the floor and eventually tip it over. They could have added perpendicular feet to the walls to prevent the tipping over issue. If you have hardwood floors it is extreamly easy to push around. Carpet offers some resistance, but not enough.
A workaround is to tie it down to something. Either a piece of furnature or put a hook on the wall to tie it to (for example one of these 3M Command 17003 Large Hook with Adhesive Strips that can be removed when your child no longer uses this).
I gave this 3 stars because I consider this play yard to be 'average' and 3 stars is after all means average. Average does not mean bad, but there are other options out there that are better than this play yard, and others that are worse.
Overall, it is a decent item for the price, but still expensive.
Customer Review: Nice Gate For This Price
Summary: 4 Stars
I've been searching different stores and sites for a play yard. We bought this play yard and extension kit in August for our then 10 month old. I listed the pros and cons below.
PROS:
-Sturdy for our average sized 20lb. daughter, she frequently pulls her sell up on it.
-Quick shipment time, we received the item within 4 days including the weekend.
-The sides are tall, I don't need to worry about her climbing out. (for awhile anyway)
-The color is light enough that it isn't completely hideous.
-The plastic is easy to clean.
-The gate comes assembled and the extension is easy to attach.
-Even without the extension kit our daughter has enough space to crawl around.
-Without the extension kit 2 kids could play without issues of space. Our 8 yr. old played with her in it before we added the extension. Although, I do recommend buying the extension kit, especially if you have more then 1 child using it.
-The price is good.
-It folds up compact enough to slide behind a couch, transport in the car, or store in a closet.
CONS:
-Doesn't work well on wood or tile floors do to sliding. Great on carpet though.
-The gate didn't come with the skid pads but the extension kit did. The pads in my opinion are kind of expensive for just rubber and adhesive. I glued pieces of the rubbery slip resistant cabinet liner on the bottom.
-The play yard is not the most attractive but I'd say it is comparable to others.
-The gate can be tricking to open and close until you get the hang of it. I personally just step over it if I need to get in.
-It is a slight hassle to move if you need to vacuum or clean the floors.
-Folding, unfolding, and positioning can be hard as well because the panels seem to stick a little bit. It may be how the gate is made though, so it is sturdy.
Overall, I would recommend this play yard. If you are looking for a gate that matches your home or furniture this may not be it. I personally, wouldn't expect a play yard to match anyway. It serves it's purpose and is well made. This item has worked out great for our family.
Customer Review: This has been wonderful
Summary: 5 Stars
When our 2nd kiddo started getting mobile, I knew it was time to kid-proof the great room. Problem is, our great room is just that - great, as in large. The doorways are wide, the floor space is large, and our very curious 9-month-old was eager to explore every nook and cranny. Our older daughter wasn't quite as curious at this stage, plus we were living in a different house at that time, so we were faced with a new challenge of creating a safe play area for the baby.
One day I had the idea of getting a play yard for the great room, instead of covering/blocking every single potential "hazard" (the entertainment cabinet, the CD tower, etc.). I ventured to Babies R Us and found this play yard and the extension kit (2 extra panels) and bought it. I set it up at home and have been happy with it ever since.
For awhile, I used it in its totally enclosed state, but the baby didn't like being separated from the rest of us. I tinkered with it and came up with a way to keep her out of trouble, while still allowing her access to us - right now, it's in a large arc shape with one end butting up against the couch, the other end butting up against a chair. She has plenty of room to play (I keep her toys in there with her) but she can't get out or get to any "dangerous" stuff in the great room.
As for looks, yeah, our great room isn't company-ready right now. But we have a 4 year old and a 10-month-old in the house, so the house isn't pristine anyway (my house is CLEAN, just not always NEAT...ha ha). I figure it's temporary, until she's old enough to know to not touch certain things. Besides, we don't have company, except for family, so the unattractive-ness of the play yard isn't an issue here. Even so, I'd gladly overlook the ugliness of it just for the convenience and benefits it provides.
When the time comes that we no longer have to use this for the kiddo, I'll probably hang onto it, either to offer up to friends/relatives someday, or to keep as a puppy play yard for the future.
Customer Review: Excellent dog barrier
Summary: 5 Stars
16' fully extended.
We use this to keep the 75lb. 13yr old labrador dog out of the kitchen, particularly when we're cooking. Aside from the annoyance of tripping over her as she's hounding us for food, she's also old and can easily injure herself slipping and falling on the tiles.
Each section from middle of hinge to middle of hinge on other side is ~32.5", thus all 6 total 16' fully extended. A healthy rambunctious midsize dog could jump over it, but that's not something I have to worry about anymore.
It came fully assembled, but each section is removable...we only need 5 sections crimped to block off the kitchen/dining area. While the sections can swivel, teeth in the hinges keeps the sections in the position you set it to, and a spring-loaded mechanism is used to release the tension on the hinges in order to change position or disassemble. That makes it a bit awkward to swing open and closed for us to get in and out of the kitchen frequently because it requires a fair amount of tension to compress the spring. As a result, I used a box knife to cut down the teeth (small tabs) in one section of the hinges so that it can be rotated open and closed more easily.
Naturally if you stretch it out 16', you'll need creative mounting of both sides (or propping both sides up somehow) because otherwise it would simply tip over, so slightly elbowing/crimping the of most connections is plenty to keep it upright and stable. You can literally fold the entire unit into almost any position that you want to, including completely folding it up to store away when not using (the way it arrived in the box.)
You won't find a better product at a friendly price to use as a pet barrier than this. It's made of typical china-quality plastic, but is thick and engineered in a way that it is well reinforced and not flimsy. Ordering this was a risk, but having gotten it, I'm very impressed and my expectations were all surpassed.