Cats and Babies

Elmarie5

Ok, so I've heard loads of old wives tales about cats and babies....  Have any of you had first hand experience with cats lying on babies, suffocating them etc etc... because I just found my furbaby snoozing peacefully in my LO's crib. :S My only concern at this point is not wanting my cat to get into a bad habit of sleeping in there mostly because of the cat hair. Call me naive, but I guess I haven't had much experience with this as I'm a newbie mom. 

ArcadianDreams

Cover the crib mattress with aluminum foil, cats don't like to walk on it and it will help train her to stay out. Has worked with mine so far

Raffes484

Occasionally my cat will jump into DS' crib but he never lays in there. Our old cat would sometimes lay in DD's crib or pack and play, but never when she was in it. I've heard you can, before the baby gets here obviously, line the crib with tin foil and the sound will deter them from doing it again.

Elmarie5

I will be getting out the tinfoil shortly! Thanks ladies

mbgreenwalt

I have 3 cats and they were afraid of DD when she first came home and in general avoided her and her stuff.  We never left DD's room open to the cats so it was never an issue with them getting into the crib.  We also lock them in the lower level of the house at night so we can leave DD's door open overnight.

You can put tinfoil in the crib.  Most cats don't like it.  My sister's cat just pulls it aside and sleeps in her baby's crib.

They make Scat Mats that give the cat a little buzz when they walk on it.

My mom replaced my bedroom door with one of those cheap wood frame screen doors when I was a baby. Her cat would pee all over my crib.

smigz3432

My cats sleep in LO's crib all the time! Ive been trying to figure out how they will be when she is actually here. I have  afeeling with all of the crying, they will not want to be anywhere near her room, but I will definately be trying the tin foil!

jenni888

ArcadianDreams:

Cover the crib mattress with aluminum foil, cats don't like to walk on it and it will help train her to stay out. Has worked with mine so far

Brilliant! We haven't gotten our crib yet but I'll definitely be trying this out when we do. 

Twin.Peaks

I was SOOOO paranoid about this when I brought my first home and thank goodness I was. Before she was born I made sure that we started the no cats aloud rule in her nursery and when we brought her home, no cats in our room room. One 2 different occasion I found my cat trying to lay on the baby. Once in the bassinet, I must have left the door open after getting up, it was such a tight space that he was half on her face. Then once in the living room. I dont think he was trying to hurt her as much as cuddle with her but  either way it freaked me out.

JessiF41684

With DS I had more of an issue of the cat sleeping in the drawer under his crib where all of his blankets were. we neded up taking all the blankets out of the drawer it just wasnt worth the battle with the cat. We have a different cat now and I can see the same issue arrising. our old cat would jump in the crib even when DS was in there... he just liked to sniff him then he would get down. we did have a small low to the ground fisherprice type craddle thing that the cat claimed.... its ok DS diddnt really like it anyway.. lol

 

DH did bring home the hat they put on DS before we brought him home and let everyone "sniff him out" I think that helped. and we were never standoffish with the animals and DS. they were all allowed to sniff him out from day one. It will be the same for LO when she arrives.  

jenni888

Twin.Peaks:

I was SOOOO paranoid about this when I brought my first home and thank goodness I was. Before she was born I made sure that we started the no cats aloud rule in her nursery and when we brought her home, no cats in our room room. One 2 different occasion I found my cat trying to lay on the baby. Once in the bassinet, I must have left the door open after getting up, it was such a tight space that he was half on her face. Then once in the living room. I dont think he was trying to hurt her as much as cuddle with her but  either way it freaked me out.

I can vouch for this. Cats just love warm spots and they know people generate a lot of heat. The first night I brought my kitten home he wrapped himself around my neck and I woke up short of breath. That's the kind of thing that probably spawned old wives tales, and it's perfectly harmless from a cat's intention standpoint but obviously not safe when it's a sleeping baby that's probably the same size if not smaller than a snuggly cat! 

MrsC2009

ArcadianDreams:

Cover the crib mattress with aluminum foil, cats don't like to walk on it and it will help train her to stay out. Has worked with mine so far

I read something on the ASPCA's website about letting the cat get used to the furniture for a few months and then at least 1 month before the baby is scheduled to arrive to put aluminum foil or something sticky on the mattress and any other surface you don't want the cat on and that will train them to stay off whatever you don't want them on. 

Fortunately, our cat is too porky to jump that high into the crib without a step stool next to it.  His big thing with the furniture is that he wants to sit in the cabinets on the dresser. 

mrs. remy

I just always kept the door to DS's room closed. Problem solved.

Cats for some reason love to get in anything baby-sized. Probably because they assume its for them.

preggersin2011

both of my cats LOVED the crib when i first assembled it, simply because it was a new toy & smell. now that isn't been around for a few months they dont even go near it anymore. there are plenty of humane society web sites dedicated to debunking myths that cats suffocate newborns, lick milk off of their mouths etc. the cat might sleep in the crib as more of a protecting instinct. usually most people find their cat wants nothing to do with the little crier.

JnJ_9.22.07

We have two cats, one is scared of her own shadow, and I doubt she'll be interested in anything of the baby's. The other is VERY curious and VERY snuggly, so I worry about him "investigating" or trying to snuggle with LO. I do feel slightly better that he sleeps on our bed every night with DH, so I don't think I'll need to worry at night, but, then again, you never know.

I was thinking of getting one of those "crib tents" - I saw it on TLC's Quints By Surprise. It's supposed to keep babies from climbing out, but I think it might also keep cats from going in. 

boobearmama

My cats haven't gone near the crib and have generally avoided babies/small children when we have them as visitors. 

We keep our cats out of our bedroom, where baby will be sleeping for the first few months.

I really like the tent idea for once baby in the nursery crib unattended!

 

sara622

This has been a dilema for me too. We don't let our cats into the bedrooms as it is (we just keep the doors closed).  But when the baby arrives I'd like to be able to leave both doors open at night so we can hear him in there.  I think we'll just end up shutting the cats in the basement at night. 

The cats have already been snoozing in the crib when we forget to shut the door.  I'm def going to try the tin foil trick!  One of those little buggers scratched the wood jumping in and out too.  Grrr!

mbgreenwalt

Be wary of crib tents, they are going the way of drop side cribs = unsafe.  It isn't an issue for young babies, but older babies are strangulating themselves with them either by the ties/velcro straps or by ripping through the netting.

jnealet

I agree with the tinfoil and keeping the door closed.  Our first cat was afraid of small people, so I wasn't too worried about her getting in the crib and she steered clear of DD.

We got our current cat when DD was almost 1.5 years old.  I wasn't too worried about her sleeping on top of DD and as it turned out, she is very skiddish with snuggling.  I'm hoping this will remain when the new baby comes - the cat is getting braver, she even lets DD pet her sometimes.