Community› The Bump Month Clubs› July 2015 Moms
July 2015 Moms
New Discussion

How did your fur babies react to the new baby?

HandreeHandree member
in July 2015 Moms
just curious how your fur babies reacted to the new baby?
Report Reply to Post

Re: How did your fur babies react to the new baby?

  • JHaworth84JHaworth84 member
    I have two daughters age 5 and 22 months. When DD2 was born we had a few issues with DD1 as she adjusted for the first couple of weeks- waking in night/bed wetting, misbehaving for attention etc (she was 3 and 4 months). This time we were nervous how DD2 would cope with not being the baby and didn't give DD1 much thought as she is so mature now and understood fully what was happening and has been excited etc. Our son is two and a half weeks old now and things are starting to feel more normal. Both girls love their brother and want to hold him/shower with kisses/help with caring for him. DD2 has been absolutely fine, telling everyone in nursery about 'her baby Ben'. She comes and tells me straight away if she hears fussing or crying from his Moses basket even if I'm right there. I'm so relieved but equally watching like a hawk to prevent over enthusiastic mothering!! My DD1 however has been misbehaving a little again. No bed wetting thankfully (!!) but just pushing the boundaries ever so slightly all the time. I have sat her down and explained it is tough sharing her attention with a new sibling but mummy will play with her as often as she can. I also explained that naughty behaviour will just get her sent to her room and ignored. We've brought back reward stickers and giving positive praise wherever we can... Fingers crossed it seems to be settling xX
    Report Reply
  • Loading the player...
  • BettyCottonBettyCotton member
    @Handree what fur babies do you have? We have three cats and they are all indoor cats...
    Not sure how they will respond to a baby! Hopefully well!
    Have you had difficulty?
    Report Reply
  • gmk1784gmk1784 member
    We have 1 indoor cat and she only seems to mind DS when he's screaming. She'll usually run into another room or hide under the bed when that happens. Otherwise she just goes about her normal life.

    The one change I did notice is that she used to cuddle with me on the couch all the time, but now I have DS with me a lot so she doesn't get her usual spot. I'm hoping once he gets a little bigger we'll be able to cuddle like that again
    Report Reply
  • audi681audi681 member
    edited August 2015
    I have 2 cats. One is old and grumpy, and the other is 2 and a ball of mush. The 2 year old always laid on my stomach when I was pregnant. When the baby came home, at first, they were both apprehensive. Now, the older cat could care less, and the young cat is a total protective brother. He lays at the bottom of the boppy when the baby is in it and just stares at the baby. He won't let the older cat near the baby either... He swats at him if he gets close. It's 530 am right now, and I am in the nursery rocker feeding. Our kitty came out of bed and is laying on the back of the rocker purring. He is so sweet!
    Report Reply
  • HandreeHandree member
    @BettyCotton I have a cat who is 8. He is really human like and super cuddly and affectionate. He has been the center of our attention for his entire life and I'm not sure how he will react when baby comes home in 8 days.
    Report Reply
  • hankhunterhankhunter member
    Our dogs and cat seem scared of baby, and aren't interested at all.
    Report Reply
  • BettyCottonBettyCotton member
    I hope our cats are protective over our baby! That would be so beautiful...
    Report Reply
  • rottieloverottielove member
    I have two Rottweilers, we had been preparing them for baby by playing baby sounds, holding a baby doll around the house, and setting boundaries. Once we brought LO home they immediately became best friends. They lay next to him constantly and try to comfort him when he's crying. One of our has had puppies before, we laid LO on her and she tried to nurse him-so funny!! I can tell they are a little sad they don't get all the attention anymore but we make sure to have play time and daily walks still!
    Report Reply
  • zmombiezmombie member
    My cat was a little mad at me for about a week. She would avoid me. And run from me. Now she's back to herself. She don't seem to want anything to do with the baby tho. She don't sit in her stuff. She don't run from her.. But she's not curious either. It's weird.
    I live with family.. And there cats all lay in her stuff (ticks me off!) or sniff her or run from her. There dogs all love her. Sneak in kisses whenever they can. It's kind of funny.
    Report Reply
  • samantha726samantha726 member
    We have two dogs, one doesn't seem to care one way or the other. The other is very protective and checks on baby often and wants to kiss all over him and check him after we get home from going out. She does not like when baby leaves the house. It's really sweet.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
    Report Reply
  • babydoll1008babydoll1008 member
    We have a corgidor (corgi/lab mix) who in the first week, he saw baby as a new puppy so he had to establish himself as the alpha male. Not that he tried to hurt baby but he would attempt to be agreesively curious. But we had to be strict with him and show him that when it comes to hierarchy, baby has more importance. He has since calmed down and is now used to our new life with baby. Sniffs him every so often but is never aggressive towards him.
    Report Reply
  • brielee333brielee333 member
    @babydoll1008 I'm a little concerned that out dog will feel she needs to establish herself as alpha as well. How did you show yours that his place is below the baby? Any specific things I can do? Thanks :)
    Report Reply
  • LBland09LBland09 member
    My cat and dog have both been acting out. They used to get A LOT of attention and they're feeling it
    Report Reply
  • babydoll1008babydoll1008 member
    @brielee333, I just read my dog's body language on how he would approach baby. Slowly, timidly walk up to baby with a light sniff, good! Fast approach with nudging, BAD!!!

    You want dog to sniff baby to get used to him/her. Any time that he would approach baby in a way I considered too aggressive, Mama Bear instinct kicked in and I would shove him away. He would then persist and want to nudge baby (especially when I was changing diapers or when baby was crying), and I would shove harder. You want to get your point across that you have the final say and you will do what you can to protect your "puppy."

    My dogs feelings were a little hurt because he felt replaced but the newness of baby has died down. He's back to his normal self and doesn't approach baby in a way that makes me nervous anymore.
    Report Reply
  • mrsjones1012mrsjones1012 member
    Our Jack Russell stayed with my in laws while we were in the hospital, and they brought him home a few hours after we got home. We greeted him with her first hat with her smell to get used to it, then showed her to him letting him sniff her too. Had to just keep him from licking. Now he just acts normal, will come close and curiously sniff her. When she's crying he'll sometimes stare at her curiously. We've made sure to snuggle him and give
    him attention too- he's been the "baby" since we got him as a puppy a year ago. No aggression thankfully. Just curiosity.
    Report Reply
  • JHaworth84JHaworth84 member
    Lol just re-read this post and was like what?! I was clearly more sleep deprived than I realised this morning ha ha xx
    Report Reply
  • JHaworth84JHaworth84 member
    The only fur baby we have is an ancient rabbit who reacted the same way as ever- with complete indifference x
    Report Reply
  • brielee333brielee333 member
    @babydoll1008 Thank you so much for the tips! I feel better already! :)
    Report Reply
  • qtjo5qtjo5 member
    My 5 year old Shih Tzu is doing well with the baby. There have been no issues to report, thankfully!
    Report Reply
  • wheresilenceismusicwheresilenceismusic member
    We have two cats, a 7-year old female and a 10-month old male.  Both are scared of the baby when she cries.  The older cat is much smarter than the kitten; she is immensely curious about baby and watches us every chance she can.  The kitten loves to play with baby's toys (preventing him from destroying the mobile has been a challenge).  Both miss the attention we lavish them with.

    The hardest part has been keeping my breastmilk-soaked reusable nursing pads away from the cats… eww!
    Report Reply
  • zmombiezmombie member
    babydoll1008 said:

    @brielee333, I just read my dog's body language on how he would approach baby. Slowly, timidly walk up to baby with a light sniff, good! Fast approach with nudging, BAD!!!

    You want dog to sniff baby to get used to him/her. Any time that he would approach baby in a way I considered too aggressive, Mama Bear instinct kicked in and I would shove him away. He would then persist and want to nudge baby (especially when I was changing diapers or when baby was crying), and I would shove harder. You want to get your point across that you have the final say and you will do what you can to protect your "puppy."

    My dogs feelings were a little hurt because he felt replaced but the newness of baby has died down. He's back to his normal self and doesn't approach baby in a way that makes me nervous anymore.

    My brothers dog is the same way. But it don't seem aggressive. He's just a big idiot. I swear this dog has half a brain. And I don't particularly like him.. But he always wags his tail when he's trying to get in her face. I always swat him on the butt or put on my mama bear voice. He has more respect for me then he does my brother. He listens to me the best out of everyone in the house, yet I don't even like him. Lol. He knows I'm alpha when it comes to me and him, so if he's trying alpha himself on her.. I think I made my point. My moms dog.. Who I try to steal all the time. Lol I love him to pieces. He got protective of her. He growls at the other dogs when they go near her. When my friend came over to see her he went crazy.. It was kind of scary.. He settled down when she sat beside me. But it was weird. And my dads dog (she's a lab mix) is the one who constantly sneaks in kisses here and there. But she's been there for each of my kids births and has always adored kids. She acts like a nanny.. Either way.. I refuse to let any of them in her face. Or alone with her yet.
    Report Reply
  • mirrenruemirrenrue member
    edited August 2015
    My lab mix female was great. Only once she peed on the floor where I laid his diaper for a second. (She marks and has had litters before) lol but it only happened once that weird ole dog.
    Report Reply
  • mrsmitchell1120mrsmitchell1120 member
    We have a Rottweiler and a cat. DH brought home blankets from the hospital with baby's scent each day for them to sniff. When we brought baby home, the cat seemed uninterested but the dog sniffed him and was very gentle. He follows the baby wherever he goes. If we go upstairs, the dog comes with us. When baby starts to fuss after a nap, the dog nuzzles him and gives him licks on his hands and feet. The dog has been amazing and seems super excited that we have a new pack member. They are going to be best buds when baby gets older!
    Report Reply
  • ashleytiffashleytiff member
    I thought my cat would want nothing to do with him but he actually comes up and sniffs him every once in a while and checks him out when he cries, which I definitely didn't expect. I thought he'd run away from any noise.
    And my dog loves him. Whenever we do tummy time he's right next to him on the floor.
    Report Reply
  • mrsrep123mrsrep123 member
    I have two pit bulls that are indoor/outdoor. A week prior to my EDD, we started leaving them outside completely. Once I delivered and was settled in postpartum, DH brought a beanie and swaddler home for them to smell. He even left it in the garage for them. Once we got home, we brought LO out in his car seat and let them sniff him. They were great. They went right up but didn't touch or lick. Everyday we bring LO out and let them see and sniff him. This week, we are going to let them back inside and return to their routine since they've been so good.

    DS1 7/24/15

    DS2 5/7/17

    Report Reply
  • zmombiezmombie member
    greatgrandbaby7 said:

    We have a retriever cross. He's a rescue that is quite fearful and he will bark and often be aggressive with people that are in our house. He stays in our bedroom when most people come over and it's clear that he's more than happy to hide out in the room where no one will bother him. Needless to say, we were worried about bringing our baby home.

    Every time we got new furniture or items for the baby we would put them in the nursery and then let the dog sniff them and get used to everything. I was in the hospital for 3 days and each time DH would come home he'd bring blankets and clothes that the baby had been wearing. He'd let the dog sniff them and then put them in the bassinet in our room. He also recorded the baby's cries on his phone and played them from the bassinet.

    When I came home I let the dog out of the house (he was ecstatic to see me) and let him meet the baby outside. He could slowly sniff the baby while DH held him and we told him to be gentle. DH brought baby in the house (baby first with the dog following).

    We were very careful at the beginning and watched the dog and baby like a hawk but also made sure to give the dog lots of separate attention. The dog has been great! We are on day 9 and he often comes over to check on the baby or give him a sniff or a little lick. He gets a little stressed if the baby cries but seems to be getting used to it. My next concern is that the dog will be over protective of our son out of the house once he gets a little bigger!

    Lol I don't know why this made me tear up. Lol I blame the hormones. But that's sweet. He loves the baby.
    Report Reply
  • wilcoxonkwilcoxonk member
    edited August 2015
    I haven't had my baby yet but just have to say I'm loving reading these posts!
    Report Reply
  • nmfranklin00nmfranklin00 member
    Our weenie babies have done well with him. We always say "one kiss" when they get close and they will lick his cheek and then back up. They always want to lay close to him and get upset if he's crying- almost like WE are hurting him. I definitely saw the depressed actions from the dogs though- however I think it's wearing off and they are acting more like themselves now!
    imageimage
    Report Reply
  • meganpatelmeganpatel member
    We have a cat and a dog. The dog is great, always coming to tell me if our little girl even moves in her sleep, whereas the cat took an instant dislike to her, as well as a sudden intense disliking to my hubby. The car now camps out in the laundry. I don't know what to do. I love the cat dearly but I can't risk her hurting our daughter. If she sees her she hisses and spits and creates so much drama. Iv tried just about everything. At the end of my patience
    Report Reply
  • beccer123beccer123 member
    We have 3 dogs. The pit bull follows my 9 yr old. She sniff the baby but that's abt it. The chihuahua, he's the most protective. He likes to sit and watch the baby. And we have a chihuahua mix and haven't had her long. She is just like "whatever". I was most concerned with my chihuahua and how he would act. He has been out baby since the day we got him. He is 1 yr old now. He seems the most protective.
    Report Reply
  • zmombiezmombie member
    How cute
    Report Reply
Sign In or Register to comment.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"