Pack n Play and pets?

sheilatakesabow

Hey everybody, 

So I've only been pregnant for about 5 minutes but I'm already starting to plan (though holding off on buying yet!)  I was thinking about these Graco pack n plays that everyone seems to love.  We live in a large apartment that's all on one level, but the reason I was considering getting one (in addition to travel) is that we have a dog and I thought it might be helpful in keeping the baby and dog segregated.  (I know some people use it as a bassinet, but i'm currently thinking we'll be getting a stroller with bassinet and will use that.)  

Anyone with pets agree with that?  Or is the pack n play flimsy enough that that's not going to be helpful?  For reference, our dog is a 3 year old 15 pound cockapoo.

Thanks!    

littlehckyplar

We have 2 big dogs - one is 60 lbs. and the other is 70+ lbs.  We are planning on getting a pack and play for our family room, so that the baby has somewhere to sleep/nap (and we won't have to carry a bassinet from one room to the other).  I think most pack and plays are sturdy enough to keep a dog away.

By no means to I mean to sound like a snot or know it all, but I'm hoping that you will segregate the dog and baby only part of the time, right?  If the dog has been a part of your life and baby comes, keeping them totally apart may create more problems then you think.  For us, we are teaching the dogs that they have their toys and as we put things out (I'm 30 weeks), we show them and tell them, "it is for the baby".  Only one time has the dog tried to put something in his mouth to play with. 

My only fear about keeping them separate would be that you might create a little monster!  Our dogs are nosey and will leave things IF they are allowed to check them out first.  This may be something you are already thinking about or may want to consider. 

Good luck!

superned

I have two Labs and yes, I use the PNP for a while as a means to keep baby separate from the dogs.  I started using it when she got too big for the bouncer and stopped when she started to get really mobile and got frustrated being confined to the PNP.

I used it primarily when I could not be within an arm's reach of the baby when the dogs were around, like when I was working from home or if I needed to shower or make dinner.

As to the pp's comment about keeping the dog and baby separate - I'm not sure what you mean about creating a monster.  Keeping dogs and baby separate unless they are supervised is a very good idea.  Of course our dogs are 100% a part of our family life, but that doesn't mean they ever get free access to the baby, even just to "check her out."  Your dogs might understand the boundaries right now, but when the baby gets here, and especially when the baby gets older, there have to be physical boundaries, like gates, PNPs, doors, crates, and adult supervision.

ETA: Physical boundaries are meant to protect both the baby from the dog AND the dog from the baby.

Charlyne

I think unless the dog is big on jumping/hyper and might try to jump on/in the PnP you won't have an issue.

For PP, I think she was talking about NEVER letting the dog around the baby, even when LO is in your arms. While you shouldn't leave them unattended together, introducing the two while supervised is important.

themissizz

Yes, the PnP is a great thing for when your LO gets older. We didn't use it when he was a baby (he slept in the RNP or his infant car seat and then his crib). Now that he's older and mobile, it keeps him contained. I'm a big believer that you should always be between your pet and your child, and it's good when you need to make dinner, go to the bathroom, etc and you can't supervise the dog with the child.

superned

Charlyne:

For PP, I think she was talking about NEVER letting the dog around the baby, even when LO is in your arms. While you shouldn't leave them unattended together, introducing the two while supervised is important.

Of course, but the OP did not say anything about always keeping them apart, so I'm not sure why she jumped to that conclusion.  When it comes to dogs and babies, you can't over-emphasize supervision enough, at least until they get through the toddler years.

littlehckyplar

superned:

Charlyne:

For PP, I think she was talking about NEVER letting the dog around the baby, even when LO is in your arms. While you shouldn't leave them unattended together, introducing the two while supervised is important.

Of course, but the OP did not say anything about always keeping them apart, so I'm not sure why she jumped to that conclusion.  When it comes to dogs and babies, you can't over-emphasize supervision enough, at least until they get through the toddler years.

I did not mention it, but I did read it as NEVER letting the dog around the baby.  Again, I didn't mean to sound ___(fill in the blank) - I read it one way and responded to the way I read the original post. 

themissizz

littlehckyplar:

We have 2 big dogs - one is 60 lbs. and the other is 70+ lbs.  We are planning on getting a pack and play for our family room, so that the baby has somewhere to sleep/nap (and we won't have to carry a bassinet from one room to the other).  I think most pack and plays are sturdy enough to keep a dog away.

By no means to I mean to sound like a snot or know it all, but I'm hoping that you will segregate the dog and baby only part of the time, right?  If the dog has been a part of your life and baby comes, keeping them totally apart may create more problems then you think.  For us, we are teaching the dogs that they have their toys and as we put things out (I'm 30 weeks), we show them and tell them, "it is for the baby".  Only one time has the dog tried to put something in his mouth to play with. 

My only fear about keeping them separate would be that you might create a little monster!  Our dogs are nosey and will leave things IF they are allowed to check them out first.  This may be something you are already thinking about or may want to consider. 

Good luck!

I didn't read it as the OP always keeping the baby and dog separate. That would be impossible.

I sincerely hope that you realize that your dogs and child should always be closely monitored, PP. There have been several instances of dogs biting children on some of the boards. Dogs that had been owned for years, were well behaved/trained, and who would "never" do something like that. You should absolutely never leave your child unattended with your dog and should always have a safe place to put them down that separates them from the dog. You are not going to want to carry your child around when you're doing quick chores or running to the bathroom. You can train your dog all you want, but when it comes down to it, it's still an animal and you have to take all the precautions that you possibly can.

ETA - I know this is coming off as preachy, and I'm sorry, it's not completely directed toward you as much as it is a PSA. Way too many people trust their dogs 100% with their child.

sheilatakesabow

littlehckyplar:

superned:

Charlyne:

For PP, I think she was talking about NEVER letting the dog around the baby, even when LO is in your arms. While you shouldn't leave them unattended together, introducing the two while supervised is important.

Of course, but the OP did not say anything about always keeping them apart, so I'm not sure why she jumped to that conclusion.  When it comes to dogs and babies, you can't over-emphasize supervision enough, at least until they get through the toddler years.

I did not mention it, but I did read it as NEVER letting the dog around the baby.  Again, I didn't mean to sound ___(fill in the blank) - I read it one way and responded to the way I read the original post. 

Eh?  I have no intention of keeping them strangers.  As I mentioned, we're just in an apartment, so as a practical matter I don't know how I could do that even if I wanted to! 

 Thanks for the help ladies!  

kmm2150

Just wanted to suggest setting up the pack n play, and other baby gear like a bouncer, before baby arrives, so your dog can get used to it and you can teach your dog to 'leave it', not jump on it, etc.  With a smaller dog it's probably not as big a deal, but I know as soon as we get some baby stuff I'm goign to start putting it around the house just to get our lab used to it and teach him to leave it alone.

sheilatakesabow

littlehckyplar:

We have 2 big dogs - one is 60 lbs. and the other is 70+ lbs.  We are planning on getting a pack and play for our family room, so that the baby has somewhere to sleep/nap (and we won't have to carry a bassinet from one room to the other).  I think most pack and plays are sturdy enough to keep a dog away.

By no means to I mean to sound like a snot or know it all, but I'm hoping that you will segregate the dog and baby only part of the time, right?  If the dog has been a part of your life and baby comes, keeping them totally apart may create more problems then you think.  For us, we are teaching the dogs that they have their toys and as we put things out (I'm 30 weeks), we show them and tell them, "it is for the baby".  Only one time has the dog tried to put something in his mouth to play with. 

My only fear about keeping them separate would be that you might create a little monster!  Our dogs are nosey and will leave things IF they are allowed to check them out first.  This may be something you are already thinking about or may want to consider. 

Good luck!

And I hope I'm not about to come off as a fill in the blank myself , but you do know that no amount of advance training is going to insure that your dogs can be unsupervised with an infant, right?  A small baby that moves erratically, swats at a dog's nose and squeals like an injured rabbit might can trigger the prey drive in even the best trained dogs. 

You're probably already fully aware of this so apologies in advance, but these posts made me wonder.  Guess I'm just confused about why you thought that my original post meant that the dog and baby would never be together even when supervised.  Too many misunderstandings in this thread already!

sheilatakesabow

kmm2150:

Just wanted to suggest setting up the pack n play, and other baby gear like a bouncer, before baby arrives, so your dog can get used to it and you can teach your dog to 'leave it', not jump on it, etc.  With a smaller dog it's probably not as big a deal, but I know as soon as we get some baby stuff I'm goign to start putting it around the house just to get our lab used to it and teach him to leave it alone.

THanks for the tip!

littlehckyplar

sheilatakesabow:

littlehckyplar:

We have 2 big dogs - one is 60 lbs. and the other is 70+ lbs.  We are planning on getting a pack and play for our family room, so that the baby has somewhere to sleep/nap (and we won't have to carry a bassinet from one room to the other).  I think most pack and plays are sturdy enough to keep a dog away.

By no means to I mean to sound like a snot or know it all, but I'm hoping that you will segregate the dog and baby only part of the time, right?  If the dog has been a part of your life and baby comes, keeping them totally apart may create more problems then you think.  For us, we are teaching the dogs that they have their toys and as we put things out (I'm 30 weeks), we show them and tell them, "it is for the baby".  Only one time has the dog tried to put something in his mouth to play with. 

My only fear about keeping them separate would be that you might create a little monster!  Our dogs are nosey and will leave things IF they are allowed to check them out first.  This may be something you are already thinking about or may want to consider. 

Good luck!

And I hope I'm not about to come off as a fill in the blank myself , but you do know that no amount of advance training is going to insure that your dogs can be unsupervised with an infant, right?  A small baby that moves erratically, swats at a dog's nose and squeals like an injured rabbit might can trigger the prey drive in even the best trained dogs. 

You're probably already fully aware of this so apologies in advance, but these posts made me wonder.  Guess I'm just confused about why you thought that my original post meant that the dog and baby would never be together even when supervised.  Too many misunderstandings in this thread already!

No apologies needed.  I do understand the need to supervise pets and babies.  Maybe it was too early in the morning for me?    I just read it the one way.  No worries.  The ladies have made very good points.  

Take care,  

MTAtlanta

kmm2150:

Just wanted to suggest setting up the pack n play, and other baby gear like a bouncer, before baby arrives, so your dog can get used to it and you can teach your dog to 'leave it', not jump on it, etc.  With a smaller dog it's probably not as big a deal, but I know as soon as we get some baby stuff I'm goign to start putting it around the house just to get our lab used to it and teach him to leave it alone.

Good idea! Hadn't really thought about that.

skio

It's not really good for play. I found our Graco super-dee-duper-comes-with-tons-of-crap-you'll-never-use PnP to be rather flimsy, and when the mattress is at the low level, it's all crooked and lumpy.

If you want a separated play area for your baby, get one of these. It'll get used much more.

theladyjess

kmm2150:

Just wanted to suggest setting up the pack n play, and other baby gear like a bouncer, before baby arrives, so your dog can get used to it and you can teach your dog to 'leave it', not jump on it, etc.  With a smaller dog it's probably not as big a deal, but I know as soon as we get some baby stuff I'm goign to start putting it around the house just to get our lab used to it and teach him to leave it alone.

Another great tip is bring a blanket or onesie to the hospital for the baby to be wrapped up in or wear for awhile.  After the baby has used the item for a few hours or overnight have a friend or family member take it home for the dog to sniff.  It's a great way for the dog to get familiar with the scent of the baby before baby is brought home.  We did this when my friend had her baby and her dog and my dog adapted really easily.  When the baby came home the dogs came over, sniffed her son and then walked away.

sheilatakesabow

theladyjess:

kmm2150:

Just wanted to suggest setting up the pack n play, and other baby gear like a bouncer, before baby arrives, so your dog can get used to it and you can teach your dog to 'leave it', not jump on it, etc.  With a smaller dog it's probably not as big a deal, but I know as soon as we get some baby stuff I'm goign to start putting it around the house just to get our lab used to it and teach him to leave it alone.

Another great tip is bring a blanket or onesie to the hospital for the baby to be wrapped up in or wear for awhile.  After the baby has used the item for a few hours or overnight have a friend or family member take it home for the dog to sniff.  It's a great way for the dog to get familiar with the scent of the baby before baby is brought home.  We did this when my friend had her baby and her dog and my dog adapted really easily.  When the baby came home the dogs came over, sniffed her son and then walked away.

Great idea!  Thank you!   

themissizz

skio:

It's not really good for play. I found our Graco super-dee-duper-comes-with-tons-of-crap-you'll-never-use PnP to be rather flimsy, and when the mattress is at the low level, it's all crooked and lumpy.

If you want a separated play area for your baby, get one of these. It'll get used much more.

We bought a basic PnP with only the bassinet (not newborn napper) and I have no problem with using it for play or with the mattress being crooked or lumpy. It lays totally flat. We don't use it for long periods of time, just for 5 minutes here and there, but it's served us well.

superned

themissizz:

skio:

It's not really good for play. I found our Graco super-dee-duper-comes-with-tons-of-crap-you'll-never-use PnP to be rather flimsy, and when the mattress is at the low level, it's all crooked and lumpy.

If you want a separated play area for your baby, get one of these. It'll get used much more.

We bought a basic PnP with only the bassinet (not newborn napper) and I have no problem with using it for play or with the mattress being crooked or lumpy. It lays totally flat. We don't use it for long periods of time, just for 5 minutes here and there, but it's served us well.

I agree - our basic Graco PNP was fine when set up on the lowest level.

Those play yards would be nice if you have the space, but I think OP said she lives in an apartment (as do I), so that kind might not be practical.  Not to mention that my dogs would have been knocking it down constantly.