BTDT - preparing pets for baby?

Juicy71 · February 2013

We have 3 dogs and a cat. Two of our dogs are older and are pretty skittish little dogs. Our 3rd dog is an 8 month old lab and is HY-PER but decently trained for his age. Our cat can be friendly when he wants to be but he can also be a bit of a meanie-head

This is our first child and the animals haven't really been around kids at all. If you have already had a child, did you do anything special prepare your pets for the baby's arrival? How did your pets do with the baby?

TIA!

sarack · February 2013

following.

PrettyInPearls23 · February 2013

When I had DS, we had 4 animals: 2 dogs and 2 cats. In all honesty, we didn't do much other than make sure we had baby stuff out and set up a few months in advance. One suggestion I remember seeing a long time ago was to have dad carry the baby in while mom waits outside/in the car. This will allow the dogs to be introduced to the baby by dad and then they can be excited to see mom later. There was also another good logic behind doing it this way, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was. XH also brought a baby blanket home from the hospital while DS and I were still there, but I have no idea if he showed it to our dogs or not.

This time around, we have 1 dog and 2 cats. Only one of the cats haven't been around a baby before, but I'm not worried about it.

ETA: All of our animals did great. Our lab mix was very cautious anytime DS cried; he'd come running and put his nose on DS but I think it was just because he wanted to make sure he was ok.

Shanmarie1083 · February 2013

sarack:
following.

same here. We got our pup after we had DS so we have no experience in this.

We are slowly trying to wean our dog off of sleeping in bed with us. I plan to cosleep and I don't want the dog in bed with the baby.

PrettyInPearls23 · February 2013

Shanmarie1083:
sarack:
following.
same here. We got our pup after we had DS so we have no experience in this.
We are slowly trying to wean our dog off of sleeping in bed with us. I plan to cosleep and I don't want the dog in bed with the baby.

This reminded me of another suggestion I remember seeing. If you have to make any big changes (sleeping on the floor vs. the bed, changing where their "stuff" is (dishes, bed, etc.) it's better to do it LONG before baby is here so they don't associate their lives being rearranged with the baby arriving.

magdalina.h · February 2013

The only thing we did was MH brought home a blanket that smelled like Lucas every night.

ShoeFanatic614 · February 2013

We only had our chihuahua mix at the time and she's super old. Like 13 or 14 now so she was 10 or 11 then. The only thing we did was to bring her outside to sniff DD in her carrier and petted her, gave her a treat, etc. to give her a good association. Honestly, she didn't do well at all. She was never aggressive towards DD but would literally walk the perimeter of the living room to avoid even going near the baby. Then she started peeing on the couch in the spot where I would sit to breastfeed. And yes, she is house trained. It was really rough for a while but we just powered through and it did get better. Mostly whenever DD was old enough to toss food off the highchair, lol.

This time we have our little dog and a lab mix. The lab is definitely more high strung than the little one. I'm still not sure how we're going to handle that but I'm sure we'll figure it out. I do anticipate the lab being more laid back with a newborn. I'm pretty sure that bringing another baby into the house will just be the end of the world for our chihuahua.

ammiddleton3 · February 2013

I'm a little worried about this as well. We have 2 dogs, a 4 lb rat terrier who is 3 years old, and a Bassett Hound who is 5 months old! My rat terrier loves people and other animals, but she hasn't adjusted well to having a new dog actually in the house. Our Hound, is still very playful, and we are having the worst time getting her potty trained! At the same time, our hound doesn't let anything bother her, and is the most loveable dog ever! I see our Rat Terrier having more problems with the baby than the hound, as the hound is starting to calm down as she is getting older. Miley the Rat Terrier, just acts high strun and nervous all of the time, and will baby I can imagine will only make her worse. Sadie the hound my only concern is that she will still be really hyper, and try to jump on me while I'm holding the baby. Surely to God by then Sadie will be housebroken!

RedDDD · February 2013

We have one cat and one dog. My cat is a lover and I really didn't anticipate issues with him and we never really did other then he wanted everyone (including the baby's face) to pet him

but that doesn't bother me. Our dog is a cocker spaniel and she is sort of a princess. She can get bitchy. I did bring home a blanket every other day or so from the hospital (my son was in the NICU for 10 days) and just kept bringing stuff home that he had slept in or worn for her to smell. She got the picture. When he came home she was not ammused. He is now 10 months and this morning was the first time I saw her allow him to pet her and she licked his hand. This is a major break thru. I guess my point is...you know your animals and their different quirky personalities. Don't expect them to love the baby and dont push them. They will adjust in their own time. I think my situation is extreme just because a cocker's personality is sort of like that and I think in general they are not great with kids but she was my husbands and I inherited her

I love her dearly but she is not a huge fan of my lttle man. Not a big deal....I think with more time she will adjust, it just took her a very long time.

Shanmarie1083 · February 2013

PrettyInPearls23:
Shanmarie1083:
sarack:
following.
same here. We got our pup after we had DS so we have no experience in this.
We are slowly trying to wean our dog off of sleeping in bed with us. I plan to cosleep and I don't want the dog in bed with the baby.
This reminded me of another suggestion I remember seeing. If you have to make any big changes (sleeping on the floor vs. the bed, changing where their "stuff" is (dishes, bed, etc.) it's better to do it LONG before baby is here so they don't associate their lives being rearranged with the baby arriving.

We are trying to start now but it's not easy. We constantly have to kick him off because he's used to being allowed in the bed. Of course every morning I wake up with him in the bed, so he must sneak back on sometime in the middle of the night. It wouldn't be such a big deal if he slept at the foot of the bed, but he likes to be up by our heads when we sleep which is too close to where the baby will be and I just don't feel comfortable with that.

waterfall11 · February 2013

PrettyInPearls23:
Shanmarie1083:
sarack:
following.
same here. We got our pup after we had DS so we have no experience in this.
We are slowly trying to wean our dog off of sleeping in bed with us. I plan to cosleep and I don't want the dog in bed with the baby.
This reminded me of another suggestion I remember seeing. If you have to make any big changes (sleeping on the floor vs. the bed, changing where their "stuff" is (dishes, bed, etc.) it's better to do it LONG before baby is here so they don't associate their lives being rearranged with the baby arriving.

As soon as we found out I was pregnant the dogs were no longer allowed on the couch (we didn't want them jumping up on baby and wanted to prepare them early). I don't think we did much else to prep them. We did bring them inside to meet the baby the night we got home from the hospital. We kept her toys and things out of reach on a pack n play and then got some gates (I think it was actually called a pet yard but we used it for DD) once she was playing on the ground so the dogs couldn't get to her or her things. She and the dogs are good friends now but you do hit different stages (ie: when she became mobile one of the dogs jumped on her a couple times to play while she was crawling, same thing happened when she started walking).

waterfall11 · February 2013

I just remembered reading that your pet(s) will need a place to be able to escape from baby (more important once they are mobile). Our dogs have a crate they love and around 13 months DD started crawling in but I have always pulled her out immediately to protect their safe haven.

LnR70707 · February 2013

Well, DS came early, so we didn't have time to execute all our plans, but since he was in the NICU 6 days we had bigger baby stuff set up a few days ahead (ideally I'd have done this at least a week before). We'd kept the dog out of the nursery for about 6 months prior. I wasn't worried about the cats because I assumed they'd move into a closet for the first 3 months. Amazingly the cats weren't phased in the slightest and the dog basically ignored DS until he was about 1.

When bringing baby home it is recommended that someone go in alone and greet all the pets, then bring the baby in. Some books recommend bringing home a hospital swaddle to let the dogs smell first, but for our dog that would be permission to eat/shred/chew so we skipped that. Also, I tried to tell DH this but he didn't listen and it was probably our dog's biggest adjustment issue. You will spend A LOT of time on the floor that first year....if your dogs are used to that being an invitation to romp all over you, change that now.

SweetPeaK26 · February 2013

The only thing that we read about that we actually did, was to take the dog out to the car to show them the baby, then all walk into the house together. Kind of like letting the dog be part of bringing the baby in.

I can't say that it did or didn't work. We have the most stuck up chihuahua ever. She actually would sit on dh's legs while he held dd1 and turn her nose up an away from the baby! Now, she's fine with both the girls, and while she isn't overly cuddly with them, she's never growled or snapped at them.

kimberlymacrae · February 2013

We have 2 Alaskan Siberians Huskies and one thing I have respected with or without a child is their intelligence. Dogs are extremely smart and if they are in tune with you they should catch on quickly. But remember, even small brothers and sisters make mistakes like accidentally throwing toys at babies. So will dog's, but have patience, be firm, confirm your love for them and don't over react. Think of introducing a dog like introducing a big brother/sister. If you treat both situations the same you''ll do fine! Oh... and buy a Dyson, replace your air filter and get a couple meaty cow shoulders for the pups. Problem solved.

Alisyncarliene · February 2013

I'm scared too. I have 7 pets. 2 dogs. 4 cats and a bunny. My dogs jump on everyone a habit I have been unable to train them on

another issue is keeping the place sanitary.

mmdd20 · February 2013

I have no experience with dogs, but we have two rescue cats. With DS, we had to stopped letting them sleep with us at night since DS was in the room. They are sweet cats but I knew they would want to snuggle with a warm baby, so we just shut them out of the room. We didn't start until we came home from the hospital, but they only scratched at the door for a coupled days. They do have each other though, so I think that makes a difference (they slept together instead). We also kept the door to the nursery shut at all times, even before DS moved in there. And even now that he is older, I just don't want the cats sleeping with him. They wake me up at night, I don't want them waking up the toddler (they are back in bed with us now that he is out of our room).

TBH, they have been great with a LO. When he was little, they would sniff he feet and run away if he cried. They never bothered him or got in his face. Our biggest issue was them wanting to sleep in his soft baby stuff (so everything is covered). Now that he is older, they let him pet and pick them up and are super sweet. They often sleep on his lap when we are watching a movie, which is awesome because he will stay still when they are on his lap because he won't want them to move.

OpheliaChem · February 2013

Good question. We didn't. I mean, what can you really do? You can try and get them ready but whether or not it will work is anyone's guess. That being said, our dog is 5 now (so 3 when DD was born) and he has severe allergies and anxiety. A hot mess to say the least! My advice is to be prepared to separate your dogs from your baby. We didn't at first and it made Samson (dog) very nervous. The crying, screaming, etc really got to him. Now he is on prozac and its amazing the difference it make for him. He is much calmer and less nervous. As for separating him, we gate him in another part of the house where he has two rooms to himself and he is so much happier for it! It broke my heart at first but I just didn't trust DD walking around him, shoving toys in his face, pulling on his tail. No child under the age of 7 should be left alone with a dog, even for a moment. And it only takes a second. DD tripped and fell on Samson when he was sleeping and he snapped at her. He was simply scared and although she didn't get hurt, that was all it took for us to separate him. Just be prepared for behavior changes. Even the sweetest dog can get spooked!

katiebenes · February 2013

I'm not worried at all but my Mom is FREAKING OUT.

My cat hates baby cries. not in a violent way- in a get that thing away from me/I'm getting the heck outta here way.

My DHs cat was fine with my niece. We had to hold him to get pet...

My Mom's main concern is that the cats will try to cuddle the babies though. My cat loves to touch me when I'm asleep- but only with a small part of her like her paw or tail.

MoofyKitten · February 2013

You should be cautious with your animals around the baby but not too overprotective. The more nervous you are when your animals are around, the more nervous they are as well. Many animals do understand that it is a baby.

I know that when my SIL had her daughter, they had recently gotten a doberman puppy. He did great with her. He mostly just liked to watch her in her crib. He's pretty protective of her now and is more gentle with her than anyone else.

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