I have a confession to make: I have been a mom for over 10 years but I had never heard of a “yes space” until my friends from The Learning Basket and The Parenting Emporium (TPE) mentioned it during one of our conversations a few weeks ago. We were looking at one of the latest items included in TPE’s ever-growing line of carefully curated products and Sanne mentioned that it would make for a great “yes space” for babies.

The item was, in fact, a JollyBaby playpen. Coupled with another TPE-curated item, the convertible playmat-cum-playsack (on which the playpen is located; pictured below), the two make for a comfortable “yes space” for little kids like our baby-now-turning-into-a-toddler.

If you don’t know what a “yes space” is, here is how occupational therapist Christie Kiley — who blogs at MamaOT.com — describes it: It is basically a safe space in your home where you can say “yes” to everything in it.

When that little one is in the “yes” space, she can freely explore and crawl and pull to stand and cruise and do whatever her little heart desires. — Christie Kiley

So, inspired by what I saw at TPE and what I learned about “yes spaces”, I spoke to my husband and he set about making a “playpen-of-sorts” for Titus’s “yes space”; one that would go well with the ultra useful and comfortable Comflor playmat we had received last month from Babycare Philippines for review. We especially saw the need for it after Titus’s surgery for his undescended testes and hernia, because he was starting to return to his usual active and playful self. We wanted to make sure that he could move around safely and comfortably.

This is what Anthony ended up making (out of PVC pipes 😉 ):

I love, love, love how Titus’s “sort-of-playpen” complements our Comflor mat! The mat has double-sided designs and both help provide learning opportunities for Titus. He especially loves it when we point to the different animals on the mat and make corresponding animal sounds!

Comflor mats are made of eco-friendly, non-toxic, BPA-free materials, and are waterproof and oh-so-easy to clean, too. Check out the video below for more info on Comflor (and Bebedom, another Babycare Philippines’ brand) mats, and visit the Babycare Philippines website for more info on their products:

Our other kids loved keeping Titus company in his “yes space”, even if it meant that there was not much space for anything else in our living area (you can’t really call it a “living room”).

However, after having company over a few times (namely my parents and other relatives), we realized that Titus’s initial “yes space” needed some “downsizing” — because it was so hard for other people to move around our little apartment! 🙁

So I prayed for a solution and, by God’s grace and generosity, He came up with one via the kindness of one of Titus’s ninangs (who gifted him with a playmat-cum-playsack), and the importer of here in the Philippines (who sent us an extendable playpen for review). God is SO amazing this way; He truly provides for our family’s needs!

Made out of solid pine wood for strength and security, with durable corner connectors for added stability, the JollyBaby playpen also has rounded edges and corners for added safety. It’s also quick and easy to assemble — Anthony was able to put it together within 15 minutes or so.

Below is a photo of how another JollyBaby playpen looks like, with more panels. (I’ve included the contact details of the importer as well.)

So what about our Comflor then? Well, it is still being maximized as Titus’s playmat whenever we visit my parents and other places. We will also “rotate” using it and the playmat-cum-playsack from TPE for Titus’s “yes space”, so we can wash the playmat-cum-playsack (it’s made out of cloth, compared to the Comflor, which is made out of unique elastic polymer that has passed strict European and Australian standards. There is no need to wash the Comflor — you can just wipe it with a cloth and a cleaner like  {which is also available at TPE}.)

How the “Yes Space” is blessing our family

Now that we have a dedicated “yes space” for Titus, it is easier for me to leave him for longer periods of time while I attend to other matters like chores, work-related tasks and homeschooling-related tasks.

Understandably though, he seems to be happier inside his “yes space” when one or more of his siblings are with him, or when I am with him. I noticed that he tends to be more clingy now, since his surgery. I am praying that this will pass, so let’s see how it goes!

Despite his clinginess, I still consider the “yes space” as a blessing because it gives him a safe place to practice being independent, plus engage in self-directed play. It’s also a place where he can bond with his siblings, and with us, his parents.

So, if you are interested in a “yes space” for your own kid/s, I would really recommend the products mentioned in this post — all of which are also available at The Parenting Emporium (the Comflor play mat, the JollyBaby extendable playpen, and the playmat-cum-playsack). If you want to see them in person, drop by TPE’s store at No. 29, 1st Street, New Manila, QC. You can also contact them via / / for inquiries and orders, or e-mail the .

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