Baby Trend Nursery Center Review: Best Value for Money

I must admit that I’ve first seen the Baby Trend Nursery Center I was not impressed. However, once I started actually using it, my opinion has changed drastically. It’s true still that this playard model is overly simplistic. It doesn’t have any bells and whistles, but it does have everything to be perfectly functional. And while it’s not light and compact enough to travel with it far, it’s a great pack and play for short trips and family visits.

baby trend nursery center

I’m rather fond of Baby Trend nursery centers in general because they are both functional and stylish. I also love how versatile their pack n play models are.

Just check out the video review of the Nursery Center playard. It’s very detailed and I believe it shows off the playpen much better than any staged pictures can.

Video Review of the Baby Trend Pack’n Play


Baby Trend Nursery Center is manufactured in two different models: Trend E Nursery Center and Trend Nursery Center. Both of them are completely equal in major characteristics.

Difference Between Trend E Nursery Center and Trend Nursery Center

The main difference lies in the type of the storage organizer. Please note that Trend E Nursery Center has got a removable parent organizer, while Trend Nursery Center has got a removable diaper stacker for baby’s essentials.

baby trend deluxe nursery center

And have I mentioned that the mobile with 3 plush toys is not presented in all nursery center colour variations? You’ll need to read the exact manufacturer specifications if you want to be sure that the model is accompanied by the mobile.

Baby Trend Pack And Play: Pros and Cons

I love my Baby Trend Nursery Center playard but I want to make it clear that I do not consider it to be the best playpen on the market. It offers good value for money and it’s very affordable for a product of this class. That said, however, you also need to understand that this affordability is achieved by removing some important features.

Pros:

Stylish design
Affordability
High-quality materials
Full-size bassinet
Easy to fold
One-hand locking mechanism
Large wheels with brakes
Mobile with three toys
Storage organizer

Cons:

No changing table
No music center or vibration
Mobile is stationary
Bulky when folded

That’s my general opinion about the Baby Trend Deluxe Nursery Center. If you want to learn more about this playpen and how it worked for my family, I’ll go into details below.

Why I love my Baby Trend Nursery Center

It offers great value for money

This is the most important benefit of this model, as far as I’m concerned. It’s affordable but it doesn’t “feel” cheap in the least. I know that I can trust the Baby Trend brand and despite its low price, this model has the same quality.

I know you are wondering how exactly Baby Trend managed to create a high-quality cheap playard without sacrificing the said quality. Well, the answer is that the company cut out all the handy features that turn a pack and play into a portable nursery. It still has the essentials, though, and that’s why I like this model so much.

For the relatively low price you get a sturdy frame, easy-to-clean and durable materials, as well as a full-sized bassinet and storage organizer. Mobile also offers some entertainment for the baby, so overall, you get a great deal.

The bassinet is full-size

I don’t know about you, but I love full-sized bassinets in pack’n plays. I just don’t feel that my baby can be comfortable when limited to only half its size, as they are in the models with removable bassinets.

The infant bassinet of the Baby Trend Nursery Center is safe to use for about the first four months of your baby’s life. It can hold babies up to 25’’ or 15 lbs.

But never forget that an infant bassinet stops being safe when your baby learns how to pull up or turn over. This part of the playard is simply too shallow for a mobile child, so once your little one develops these skills, be sure to move them to the playpen proper. They can sleep just as comfortably there because the size is the same. However, you will need to stoop quite a bit to get the baby in and out of the pack and play.

Small but handy storage organizer

Storage is a pet peeve of mine for pack n plays. It’s always either too big and bulky or too small to fit everything necessary. In this regard, the storage organizer on the Baby Trend Nursery Center is my favorite. It’s definitely not big but it does fit everything necessary including a few diapers.

I also love how it doesn’t have a bulky plastic frame that so often makes a playard hard to move through doorways. Also, you can easily remove it if you don’t need to use the storage. Personally, I only use it when we are traveling.

Good sturdy wheels

One common issue with smaller and affordable playards is that they often have flimsy wheels that are a risk for your baby’s safety. I’m glad to say that the Baby Trend Nursery Center isn’t like this. It has rather sturdy wheels that are bigger than average. This makes the whole thing a bit bulky when it’s folded, but it’s a small price to pay for being sure that your baby is safe.

Such wheels make it easy to maneuver the playpen. But most importantly, the brakes are also of high quality. Therefore, you can be sure that the play yard is secure in its position.

Why Baby Trend Nursery Center isn’t the best pack and play I’ve seen

As mentioned before, I love this Baby Trend model, but it does have some issues. The complete absence of any fancy features isn’t a problem for me as I purchased this playpen to use during trips. However, there are some things that are below average, in my opinion. And while I wouldn’t call them “problems”, they are definitely “weaknesses” that you should consider before buying this playard.

It’s bigger than it seems

The Baby Trend Nursery Center dimensions are 40’’ width X 28’’ length X 31.5’’ height. That’s pretty much the standard for a pack n play and makes the item very convenient to use as it easily fits almost anywhere you might need it to.

However, when the playard is folded, it’s just not compact enough to make for easy travel. So, if you plan to take it aboard the plane, I recommend buying something lighter and with foldable or detachable wheels.

In the meantime, the playpen isn’t very big, just not small enough to travel via plane with. It can fit into a standard trunk quite easily, so if you plan to go camping or on a road trip, this play yard will be a great choice. That’s how I myself use it and so far I’ve been satisfied.

The mobile is rather useless

The purpose of a mobile is to keep your baby entertained as well as help them develop their hand-to-eye coordination as they try to grab the moving toys. Sadly, the Baby Trend Nursery Center isn’t very good with this particular detail.

First of all, the mobile here isn’t really “mobile” as the thing is fixed and will only move when you move it manually. This means that the baby will lose interest fast, so it’s rather useless as entertainment.

Granted, my little one enjoyed simply pulling at the toys for some time. But that’s also an issue as babies can be vicious and determined. And the mobile is that one part of the pack and play where the company skimped off for the sake of making the whole thing cheaper. Therefore, a determined enough baby can topple the thing and hurt themselves.

There are some Baby Trend Nursery Center models that don’t have a mobile, so you can simply choose those. The plushies, however, are of a nice quality, so you can buy one with the mobile and let your baby play with them while they are supervised. In any case, the age limit for using the mobile is 5 months.

It’s not every easy to fold, or set up for that matter

One of the biggest issues that I’ve encountered when dealing with any pack and play is the setup. First of all, the majority of manufacturer’s instructions are so convoluted that setting the thing up the first time is a nightmare. The Baby Trend Nursery Center isn’t an exception, so I recommend watching a video instead of trying to understand the manual that comes with the product.

However, even if you understand the instructions clearly, you’ll have to work to set the thing up because you need to lock the sides in place while elevating the bottom a little. There’s no way to set the thing up with one hand, so better not to try it. But you’ll get better with practice.

Another issue is that the frame takes a bit of force to take down. Granted, you’ll have the strength in your arms from handling a baby, but it can still be uncomfortable for some mothers, especially right after birth.

The Baby Trend Pack’n play mattress (as it usually is with ack and plays)

The Baby Trend Nursery Center is very similar to the majority of cheaper playards in that the mattress it comes with is definitely not the best. In fact, I recommend buying a replacement or a think mattress to go on top of the standard one. If you plan to use this playpen for a while, this is the best way to go.

However, if you only want your baby to nap there for a short time on day trips, the standard mattress would do. You could buy a pad to make it comfier and easier to clean.

Baby Trend Nursery Center Playard: Conclusion

My thoughts on the Baby Trend Nursery Center are pretty clear. I like this thing because it’s cheap but not “cheap”. It’s a high-quality product, but you need to understand that it has some limitations. In essence, it’s a good, if basic, play yard for traveling or visiting family.

I believe it’s a smart purchase for all parents who don’t need any “bells and whistles” and only want to have a sturdy and reliable playpen.