I don't think this one has been asked before, but let me know if so...
Have any STMs had experience introducing their dogs to a new baby? We adopted a puppy last year, and she'll be around 2 when this baby is born. She's a great dog and pretty well trained, but I definitely want to make sure we do all we can to get off on the right foot in January. I've read up about it online and have a sense of the basic recommendations, but would love to hear any firsthand experiences with this.
@KRB22 I was slightly nervous about my dog when my DD was born. While I was in the hospital recovering, my DH went home to shower and feed the dog. The first time he went home he brought a blanket that my DD was wrapped in and gave it to my dog. He let her smell it and then laid it on her dog bed for her. I think this really helped because she was able to get used to my DD's smell before hand. Then when we all came home, I went in first to say hi to our dog since she hadn't seen my in a couple days. Then we brought in my DD and slowly let her sniff her. We also made it a habit to all go on a walk together. That way my dog new this was the new "pack". After that, it was easy-peasy and she was such a protective dog over her. It was awesome! Now they are the best of friends.
Pumpkin Spice Gone to Far| Jan '17 September Siggy Challenge
@KRB22 I was slightly nervous about my dog when my DD was born. While I was in the hospital recovering, my DH went home to shower and feed the dog. The first time he went home he brought a blanket that my DD was wrapped in and gave it to my dog. He let her smell it and then laid it on her dog bed for her. I think this really helped because she was able to get used to my DD's smell before hand. Then when we all came home, I went in first to say hi to our dog since she hadn't seen my in a couple days. Then we brought in my DD and slowly let her sniff her. We also made it a habit to all go on a walk together. That way my dog new this was the new "pack". After that, it was easy-peasy and she was such a protective dog over her. It was awesome! Now they are the best of friends.
This! We had two dogs when DS was born (although one was so old I don't think he realized we had a baby in the house until DS was like 6 months!) We did the blanket thing when my husband went home. I came in first, let my female sniff me--I know I smelled weird, I'd been in the hospital for like four days. Then when she knew I was okay, we brought baby in the carrier. Put him down, let her sniff a little, then went from there. We also went on walks as soon as I was able (csection) and I never excluded her, we tried to keep life as normal as can be. I can say, she was my saving grace of sanity when I was home alone with the baby those first few weeks!
Now they are BFF and she LOVES her little person! I forgot how adorable they were together!
S/O of the other dog question- anyone's dog act like an asshole during pregnancy? Did they snap out of it?
My Ted has been such a dick. He's a rescue, was a stray and has a lays acted like it. We've had him for about 7 years so he should be 8-9 now, and he's always been a little punk (housebroken when he feels like it, food driven to the max, exceptionally protective of his yard from all furry and feathered animals) but lately he's ignoring my commands and snapping at me. I'm the alpha!! WTF is happening?! I'm thisclose to bringing in a behavioralist, he's put his teeth on me twice in the last month and I am so not ok with it. (He hasn't bitten down, just put his teeth on me- still not ok with me, not one bit!)
ETA my other dog is obsessed with me and behaving fine, the cat can't get enough of me. Ted follows me around so much more but is acting like a teenager and I'm over it!
I want to jump in on this too - any experience with preparing cats for baby? We have two cats, and one of them has been peeing EVERYWHERE in the basement. Literally destroyed our carpet in our just built, one year old house, so now we have to replace that. The vet said there was "no way" this was pregnancy related, but he started doing it exactly at the time that I found out I was pregnant and has continued ever since...so I basically don't believe the vet at all. I am extremely worried that the cats will pee in the baby's room once we get her home. Any advice, other than letting them smell a blanket in advance?
@KRB22 I was slightly nervous about my dog when my DD was born. While I was in the hospital recovering, my DH went home to shower and feed the dog. The first time he went home he brought a blanket that my DD was wrapped in and gave it to my dog. He let her smell it and then laid it on her dog bed for her. I think this really helped because she was able to get used to my DD's smell before hand. Then when we all came home, I went in first to say hi to our dog since she hadn't seen my in a couple days. Then we brought in my DD and slowly let her sniff her. We also made it a habit to all go on a walk together. That way my dog new this was the new "pack". After that, it was easy-peasy and she was such a protective dog over her. It was awesome! Now they are the best of friends.
I did all of this too and we never had a problem. My dog was really interested in the baby when we first brought her home and checked on her every time she made a noise. Over time the dog really got over it and largely ignored my daughter's existence until DD was old enough to have snacks and drop food. Now they're the best of friends because my dog will do almost anything to get her paws on some freshly dropped on the floor people food.
@AlabamaRedhead that picture is sooo sweet!! My dog is a black lab mix and looks a lot like yours
thank you and @mrshuse525 for the advice. That's basically what I was planning to do, and I'm glad to hear it worked well. I will probably enlist my dad or 1 of my siblings to stay at the house with the dog while we're in the hospital. She's super friendly and loves all kids, so I can't wait for her and baby to be BFFs.
I'm so glad you guys are talking about this! My husband and I will most likely be getting a 3-month old puppy this week(German shepherd/boxer mix). In hopes to have them trained by the time the baby is here. I will be stalking this thread for all sorts of advice. lol
I want to jump in on this too - any experience with preparing cats for baby? We have two cats, and one of them has been peeing EVERYWHERE in the basement. Literally destroyed our carpet in our just built, one year old house, so now we have to replace that. The vet said there was "no way" this was pregnancy related, but he started doing it exactly at the time that I found out I was pregnant and has continued ever since...so I basically don't believe the vet at all. I am extremely worried that the cats will pee in the baby's room once we get her home. Any advice, other than letting them smell a blanket in advance?
We have two cats. We'd had them about 4 years before having DD, and one of our cats is extremely nervous (seriously, we had to give her Prozac for awhile to help her function after we moved... poor thing). My husband brought home a blanket and a hat and basically rubbed the blanket on both of them, and let them explore the hat. It really helped.
Once DD was home, I would sit with her on the floor in her bedroom and let the cats come in and explore. Neither of them usually got very close, but I would reinforce good habits by petting them and talking to them like nothing was out of the ordinary. It greatly put them both at ease and made her presence more normal to them. Unless they did something totally inappropriate (which they never did), I didn't scold them for taking interest in her, but I remained close by just in case.
Our non-nervous cat actually became pretty attached to her as a baby, and would sort of pace when anyone other than H or I was holding her. We called him Safety Cat because he did not like it if he couldn't see her, or when she would cry, he would need to be in her room just to be sure she was okay (very cute and super endearing). The nervous cat just basically ignores her most of the time, but if DD gets too close, she'll just move out of reach.
@juliebird6 do you notice a lot of stray cats in your new neighborhood - your cat could be trying to mark its territory (saw this on an episode of my cat from hell) i went through a phase with one of my cats where she would randomly pee right next to but outside the box (this was also after we moved) and once the vet confirmed she didn't have a UTI and we tried getting another litter box and making sure it was cleaned everyday and she still did it they gave us the option to try kitty Prozac - it came in a cream we rubbed inside her ear for 30 days and we havent had an issue for the last 3 years (and we have moved again since)
I had tiny tiny lap dogs. They were fine when my baby was immobile(one even tried nursing him when he was a newborn and crying) but as soon as he started crawling, they did nothing but growl, bark and snap at him. Then 1 started marking his territory and the oldest thought, "cool, we can pee in the house now," and just started doing all her business in the house. No matter what I did, they hated my son and everything got worse, not better. I eventually had to put them up for adoption. My son loves them and asked for them for weeks. I cried for weeks. I still cry when I see the same breed. They were all adopted together so that's good.
@TinaBelcher you might want to have your pup checked out. Changes in thyroid or other health problems could cause those behaviors, especially at that age.
Our cats did fine. We had three when DS came home (yes, I live in an ark). One was SUPER interested, but he was always more doglike anyway. I just kept the nursery open before DS was born so they could explore, then just let him sniff DS when he was on the floor, etc.
@KRB22 she's actually a German Shepherd. We now have a 1 yo male GSD who is a doof, we'll have to watch him with the baby, mainly because he's like a bull in a china shop. Sweet as can be, just 80lbs of doofus. Anna, the one pictured, I'd trust my kids lives with.
Team Blue ~ Jan. 20 DS born 9/4/12 MMC July 2015 MMC January 2016
Also.. before my DD was born we also set up a space just for my dog. She used to sleep in our bedroom and we weren't sure where the baby would be so we gave her own new dog bed in the living room and created a space just for her. We also put a dog gate up before my DD was born so she wouldn't associate all these changes with the new baby.
Pumpkin Spice Gone to Far| Jan '17 September Siggy Challenge
@mrshuse525, completely agree with giving them their own space and not having them in your room. Our dogs have a crate in our living room and it is open during the day, but that is their safe space and we teach the kids to leave the crate alone. Our dogs adjusted fine with the kids, but it is nice for them to have a place to go that is kid free. Especially since they are small and my kids like to give them hugs. lol Also, we don't allow our dogs on the couch or furniture and I think that helps a lot once the kids are climbing up and sitting on the couch. We have dog beds in several rooms for them and their is no competition between kids and dogs on furniture. I know that was an issue with a friend whose dog thought it owned the couch.
@emy730 That is so cute! I hope that is how our cats respond once we get the baby home. Will definitely try to interact the way that you suggested.
@ceclarlinetlo We have a few stray cats in the neighborhood, but nothing unusual. And he pees everywhere, unfortunately. We added another litter box, bought the pheromone sprays, but nothing is working. It's horrible. We tried a prescription for kitty Prozac for about a month, but it didn't really help. Maybe we'll have to try again.
Regarding dogs: We have a rescue dog that we got right before I got pregnant with DS1. He was 2 years old and is absolutely amazing with our kids unless you count constantly trying to steal their snacks.
Something I really recommend is target training which has been a huge help for us once the littles started to crawl and get grabby. It allows me to immediately remove him from the situation whenever one or both (or all) of them start getting too out of control for my tastes. We always say "Smeagol, go lay down" and the dog stops playing and will go into the other room to rest. We even use it when the kids are little and are getting too grabby. We have a Jack Russell Terrier who loves to jump but surprisingly does rarely will jump on kids at all. He will sometimes sort of gently stand on his back feet but I swear he knows he has to be more careful with the short people
Another recommendation. If you have a dog who sleeps with you it might be worth considering to put an end to that now. A huge percentage of parents report that they have practiced co-sleeping at some point and having an animal in bed makes that more dangerous. Even if the intention is to have baby in his own bed, you may find yourself making difficult decisions out of desperation. I don't consider myself a co-sleeper (though we do room share for the first few months) but I have definitely bed-shared with both of my boys on occasion when things got rough and safe sleep is very important.
I would suggest that you not bring the dog home until you have been home for a day or two. We missed our pup so much, that we had him get dropped off a few hours after we got home from the hospital. He's 75 lbs and although he is sweet and amazing, he was overwhelming to me. Everytime the baby made any noise, he would jump on me. I ended up having him leave for a few more days because it was too intense. When he returned, it was just as intense, until he calmed down and got used to her. It took 2-3 days. They are best friends and adore eachother now.
Great topic!! We have two dogs - both rescues. They couldn't be more dissimilar personality wise. I'm only really concerned about our Jack Russell.
Neither dog is allowed on any people beds or furniture, which I think is good. The JRT can be territorial though. I've only seen him interact with other dogs though. He's never been around children or babies as long as he's been with us (a little over two years).
I want to jump in on this too - any experience with preparing cats for baby? We have two cats, and one of them has been peeing EVERYWHERE in the basement. Literally destroyed our carpet in our just built, one year old house, so now we have to replace that. The vet said there was "no way" this was pregnancy related, but he started doing it exactly at the time that I found out I was pregnant and has continued ever since...so I basically don't believe the vet at all. I am extremely worried that the cats will pee in the baby's room once we get her home. Any advice, other than letting them smell a blanket in advance?
I have experience with this and still don't know what to do. When I got pregnant with DD our cat started randomly attacking me, like seriously jumping up from the ground, latching onto my back or arm and digging his claws and teeth into me. Then when we brought DD home from the hospital, the cat started peeing in her room behind the glider. It took us a while to figure out where the smell was coming from and eventually just had to keep the nursery door closed at all times. Still do to this day.
He stopped attacking me once DD was born but has started with the aggressive behavior again since getting pregnant this time. I don't know what to do. He was 100% an indoor cat back then but has since become 50/50 in and out so I'm hoping it won't be as bad this time around.
I guess my only advice is to keep a close eye on the cat until you see what he's going to do. Luckily mine never attacked DD, all his aggression was directed at me.
Our puppy (dog) was 5 years old when we brought our daughter home, but he is still full of energy like a puppy. As other people have suggested, I would allow your dog to sniff the new baby while he/she is still in the carrier. We put our daughter right in the living room for him to check out at his free will. Then once he sniffed her, we took her out and allowed him to sniff even more. Newborns are so easy going, she had no clue what was going on. Dogs easily sense your anxiousness so as long as you're calm, your dog should be fine. I'd also suggest that you're not holding the baby when you first re-unite with your puppy, and give him lots of loving.
@lastmango This is a huge fear for me! Our cats are also 100% indoor cats, but we are very seriously considering turning them into outdoor cats in order to help with the situation. Neither one is violent (that sounds awful!!!) but you just never know what will happen when you add a baby to the equation. I had already decided that we'd have to keep the nursery door closed at all times. If you leave the door open, does your cat still pee in the nursery? I'm so fearful that we are going to have to re-floor our entire house!
@AlabamaRedhead she looks beautiful! We had German shepherds when I was growing up. If/when we get another pup I'd love to get a shepherd.
@ThePax89 did you do anything special when you brought your dog back home? I'm also considering sending ours to my parents house or the lady we board her with when we go away, but I wasn't sure if it would be easier if she's home when we get back or vice versa. You make a good point about having some extra time and space for yourself to adjust, though.
@ElleMF728 good call on the target training! We did that with our dog (as well as place training) and it is immensely helpful. I do think we will need to reinforce it a little once the baby is here, or at least practice with more distractions ahead of time.
Our dog is crate trained and is happy to sleep in her crate, but lately she's been sleeping in our room most nights (never in our bed though). At some point we'll probably transition back to the crate at night. We do let her on the couch, but she knows "off" and I've also been trying to condition her to lay on her bed instead. I definitely don't want her jumping up on the couch if I'm there with the baby. I'm also getting sick of vacuuming her hair up.
I want to jump in on this too - any experience with preparing cats for baby? We have two cats, and one of them has been peeing EVERYWHERE in the basement. Literally destroyed our carpet in our just built, one year old house, so now we have to replace that. The vet said there was "no way" this was pregnancy related, but he started doing it exactly at the time that I found out I was pregnant and has continued ever since...so I basically don't believe the vet at all. I am extremely worried that the cats will pee in the baby's room once we get her home. Any advice, other than letting them smell a blanket in advance?
I have experience with this and still don't know what to do. When I got pregnant with DD our cat started randomly attacking me, like seriously jumping up from the ground, latching onto my back or arm and digging his claws and teeth into me. Then when we brought DD home from the hospital, the cat started peeing in her room behind the glider. It took us a while to figure out where the smell was coming from and eventually just had to keep the nursery door closed at all times. Still do to this day.
He stopped attacking me once DD was born but has started with the aggressive behavior again since getting pregnant this time. I don't know what to do. He was 100% an indoor cat back then but has since become 50/50 in and out so I'm hoping it won't be as bad this time around.
I guess my only advice is to keep a close eye on the cat until you see what he's going to do. Luckily mine never attacked DD, all his aggression was directed at me.
Our cat also started peeing the nursery in a corner by the changing table after DS was born. We had to shut the door all the time, but she would still get in there at night because we don't completely close the door so I can hear him. And once they start peeing somewhere, it's impossible to get all the smell out so she just kept going back. She started peeing in the bathroom and hallway and ever since then has been moved to the garage/outside 95% of the time. We just can't let her in the house for very long any more. The carpet in DS's room, which will be where all the babies are eventually, is completely destroyed. So now DH is going to change out the flooring in the next month or so.
@juliebird6 DH brought home a blanket that DS had slept with before we got home so the cat would be familiar with his smell.
@LastMango Yikes! I can't believe your cat is so aggressive with you, at least when I'm pregnant the cat is more interested in laying near my belly than attacking me.
@lastmango This is a huge fear for me! Our cats are also 100% indoor cats, but we are very seriously considering turning them into outdoor cats in order to help with the situation. Neither one is violent (that sounds awful!!!) but you just never know what will happen when you add a baby to the equation. I had already decided that we'd have to keep the nursery door closed at all times. If you leave the door open, does your cat still pee in the nursery? I'm so fearful that we are going to have to re-floor our entire house!
@juliebird6 I believe he would still pee in there because his scent is forever in that damn spot on the carpet. We recently moved DD into the guest room and are keeping her door closed just as a precaution. So basically all rooms are shut off while not in use. It sucks.
The violence aspect may come from the fact that my cat is a Bengal? He's got a wild streak to him but totally domesticated. They require a LOT of attention and interaction and that all went down the drain the minute we brought a baby home. Ugh, I don't know. I'm a huge animal lover but I really want to give him back to the breeder!
Cats are strange creatures so maybe you'll have much better luck. I swear they can sense pregnancy no matter what the vets say!
@KRB22 we sent the family member watching him home with the baby's hat/swaddle blanket. Other than that, he came into the house like a wrecking ball. The dude didn't act like he knew I was pregnant, and then he came home and was like "where is my baby!!!!!!"
Any experience with a young dog? We maybe be getting 3-month old tonight, so she wont even be a year-old once the baby is born. Anyone think this may make it easier or harder for bonding??
We're also in a tiny apartment, but will be moving either right before the baby is born or right after to a house or much bigger place.
@HJ.Morgan I think you'll be fine. Just watch the energy level of the pup, it may be a bit higher than an older dog, plus it will still be learning the house rules itself. Our male GSD will just be over a year when the new baby comes home, so we'll watch him for those reasons.
Team Blue ~ Jan. 20 DS born 9/4/12 MMC July 2015 MMC January 2016
Does anyone have experience with having a second child while your first is still in a crib? I'm getting pressure from my IL's and others to move my daughter out of her crib to make way for our new baby. Everyone thinks it's ridiculous to buy a second crib.
My DD is 20 months and sleeps extremely well in her crib. She goes down with zero fuss and when she wakes up she often plays happily on her own for 10-20 minutes and then goes back to sleep all on her own. She's never tried to climb out and is definitely not too big to fit. I just have this feeling if she could get out of bed and play...she'd never sleep.
Is anyone else getting the same pressure? Did you buy a second crib or move your first to a bed?
Does anyone have experience with having a second child while your first is still in a crib? I'm getting pressure from my IL's and others to move my daughter out of her crib to make way for our new baby. Everyone thinks it's ridiculous to buy a second crib.
My DD is 20 months and sleeps extremely well in her crib. She goes down with zero fuss and when she wakes up she often plays happily on her own for 10-20 minutes and then goes back to sleep all on her own. She's never tried to climb out and is definitely not too big to fit. I just have this feeling if she could get out of bed and play...she'd never sleep.
Is anyone else getting the same pressure? Did you buy a second crib or move your first to a bed?
@mfrqk6 If it ain't broke, don't fix it. It sounds like your DD is perfectly happy where she is so I personally wouldn't change a thing. If buying another crib is a possibility for you, then go for it. The people pressuring you aren't the ones who have to live with the consequences of moving a perfectly happy/sleeping child!
Does anyone have experience with having a second child while your first is still in a crib? I'm getting pressure from my IL's and others to move my daughter out of her crib to make way for our new baby. Everyone thinks it's ridiculous to buy a second crib.
My DD is 20 months and sleeps extremely well in her crib. She goes down with zero fuss and when she wakes up she often plays happily on her own for 10-20 minutes and then goes back to sleep all on her own. She's never tried to climb out and is definitely not too big to fit. I just have this feeling if she could get out of bed and play...she'd never sleep.
Is anyone else getting the same pressure? Did you buy a second crib or move your first to a bed?
I have told anyone who asks that DD is perfectly happy in her crib, and that we'll move her when we see fit. My DD is 2, and like yours, has never tried to climb out, and seems content. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Definitely don't take your daughter out of the crib if she's happy in it! We kept my son in his until he was 3 because he just never tried to climb out (we moved him because he was getting too long for it). If you can afford another crib, get one. Otherwise, you could probably buy some time by using a bassinet or pack and play for a while with the new baby,
@mfrqk6, keep doing what works for you. We had two cribs for a long time. I didn't switch until my oldest was almost 3. I am not kicking my 21 month old out of his anytime soon either. Baby will be in a pack n play with a mattress this time, though. We got rid of the second crib last year.
I'm worried about the dog thing too. I have two dogs one is 7 and one will be 2 when the baby is born. My 7 yo is the one I'm worried about. She's 10lbs and has been my baby since we brought her home. She's a lap dog and she follows me everywhere. If I'm on the couch she's on the couch if I move to the kitchen or bathroom she is right there haha. So I'm worried about her being mad about not being the baby. She did adjust OK to when we got a puppy but sometimes she spazzes on him for no reason. So that gets me worried. Our other dog is so chill. I think he will end up being best friends with the baby.
If my husband doesn't want to leave the hospital can other family members bring the blanket in before we come home? Or should it be him?
Me: 31 | Husband: 32 Married: September 2014! TTC #1: January 2016 BFP 5/16/16 Quinn Born 1/27/17
@mfrqk6 I don't know why people are obsessed with having only 1 in a crib or only 1 in diapers. I'd keep your DD in a crib as long as she is happy and sleeping well!
@mfrqk6 what about having new baby sleep something else a little cheaper like a bassinet or in a pack n play and then buy a second crib if DD hasn't moved out of a crib by the time baby is ready to move to a crib?
@mfrqk6 my daughter (22 months) is a non sleeper. If she miraculously starts sleeping in her crib, we will be buying a second crib. A family member is giving us a twin sized bed that their son no longer needs, so we will have that. We will see what happens.
My son started climbing out of his crib at 20 months, disconnecting knob covers at 22 months and climbing over baby gates whenever he felt really excited about something on the other side when much younger (like daddy using a hand power drill). I changed his crib into a toddler bed immediately. I figured out a work-around for the knobs that works unless he's hell-bent on getting out. When he was 2, we took down the baby gates because he could actually unlatch them by hand. When he was 2 years, 4 months, he figured that he could unbolt the front door if he drug a chair to it and flipped the latch. We had to install a double-sides key-bolt.
He can now get in and out of the fridge and freezer by himself and sometimes climbs the pantry shelves to get the good stuff on top.
My son started climbing out of his crib at 20 months, disconnecting knob covers at 22 months and climbing over baby gates whenever he felt really excited about something on the other side when much younger (like daddy using a hand power drill). I changed his crib into a toddler bed immediately. I figured out a work-around for the knobs that works unless he's hell-bent on getting out. When he was 2, we took down the baby gates because he could actually unlatch them by hand. When he was 2 years, 4 months, he figured that he could unbolt the front door if he drug a chair to it and flipped the latch. We had to install a double-sides key-bolt.
He can now get in and out of the fridge and freezer by himself and sometimes climbs the pantry shelves to get the good stuff on top.
He's Houdini.
This sounds like the stories my MIL tells about my husband. He was the same way, and she always says that if he had come first (he's her youngest), she would've seriously reconsidered having more kids.
@mfrqk6 if you don't have to transition to a bed and don't feel like she's ready, don't do it. My daughter starting climbing out of her crib around 19 months and after trying nearly everything, we had to switch. Like you said, my daughter wouldn't stay in her bed and sleep. She played with anything and everything. She did so well from the beginning at night but naps were not happening. I ended buying a toddler tent and she naps in that and sleeps in her bed at night. The only reason we switched her was because we had to.
@Wholesome this is totally my daughter too. She is way too smart for her own good and it's hard to keep up with! We switched to a real bed last week and she adjusted immediately. Naps were a little more difficult at first, but now she just lays there and falls asleep!
Our RainbowBaby H arrived at 37 weeks on 12/20/16!
Baby E arrived at 37 weeks on 01/31/15!
Married my Marine 05.23.14
*TW* TWIN LOSS 7.2.15 BFP 9.7.15 CP BFP 12.31.15 MC 2.28.16 BFP 10.14.17 CP BFP 3.10.18 D&C 4.13.18
Re: Ask a STM+ Week of 8/29
Have any STMs had experience introducing their dogs to a new baby? We adopted a puppy last year, and she'll be around 2 when this baby is born. She's a great dog and pretty well trained, but I definitely want to make sure we do all we can to get off on the right foot in January. I've read up about it online and have a sense of the basic recommendations, but would love to hear any firsthand experiences with this.
Pumpkin Spice Gone to Far| Jan '17 September Siggy Challenge
Now they are BFF and she LOVES her little person! I forgot how adorable they were together!
Team Blue ~ Jan. 20
DS born 9/4/12
MMC July 2015
MMC January 2016
My Ted has been such a dick. He's a rescue, was a stray and has a lays acted like it. We've had him for about 7 years so he should be 8-9 now, and he's always been a little punk (housebroken when he feels like it, food driven to the max, exceptionally protective of his yard from all furry and feathered animals) but lately he's ignoring my commands and snapping at me. I'm the alpha!! WTF is happening?! I'm thisclose to bringing in a behavioralist, he's put his teeth on me twice in the last month and I am so not ok with it. (He hasn't bitten down, just put his teeth on me- still not ok with me, not one bit!)
ETA my other dog is obsessed with me and behaving fine, the cat can't get enough of me. Ted follows me around so much more but is acting like a teenager and I'm over it!
thank you and @mrshuse525 for the advice. That's basically what I was planning to do, and I'm glad to hear it worked well. I will probably enlist my dad or 1 of my siblings to stay at the house with the dog while we're in the hospital. She's super friendly and loves all kids, so I can't wait for her and baby to be BFFs.
Once DD was home, I would sit with her on the floor in her bedroom and let the cats come in and explore. Neither of them usually got very close, but I would reinforce good habits by petting them and talking to them like nothing was out of the ordinary. It greatly put them both at ease and made her presence more normal to them. Unless they did something totally inappropriate (which they never did), I didn't scold them for taking interest in her, but I remained close by just in case.
Our non-nervous cat actually became pretty attached to her as a baby, and would sort of pace when anyone other than H or I was holding her. We called him Safety Cat because he did not like it if he couldn't see her, or when she would cry, he would need to be in her room just to be sure she was okay (very cute and super endearing). The nervous cat just basically ignores her most of the time, but if DD gets too close, she'll just move out of reach.
I hope that helps!
BFP1 12/24/14 - EDD 09/07/15 (D/C 8w1d)
BFP2 6/12/15 - EDD 2/22/16 (D/C 10w3d)
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Diagnoses and Treatments
PCOS (myo-inositol, excercize)
Indeterminant levels of APS IgM antibodies (baby aspirin)
Sub-septate uterus (hysteroscopic septoplasty 12/18/15)
———
BFP3 05/02/16 EDD 01/09/17 DS born 01/05/17
BFP4 01/28/19 EDD 10/?/19 🤞🙏
Our cats did fine. We had three when DS came home (yes, I live in an ark). One was SUPER interested, but he was always more doglike anyway. I just kept the nursery open before DS was born so they could explore, then just let him sniff DS when he was on the floor, etc.
@KRB22 she's actually a German Shepherd. We now have a 1 yo male GSD who is a doof, we'll have to watch him with the baby, mainly because he's like a bull in a china shop. Sweet as can be, just 80lbs of doofus. Anna, the one pictured, I'd trust my kids lives with.
Team Blue ~ Jan. 20
DS born 9/4/12
MMC July 2015
MMC January 2016
Pumpkin Spice Gone to Far| Jan '17 September Siggy Challenge
DS2: 11/5/14
@ceclarlinetlo We have a few stray cats in the neighborhood, but nothing unusual. And he pees everywhere, unfortunately. We added another litter box, bought the pheromone sprays, but nothing is working. It's horrible. We tried a prescription for kitty Prozac for about a month, but it didn't really help. Maybe we'll have to try again.
Something I really recommend is target training which has been a huge help for us once the littles started to crawl and get grabby. It allows me to immediately remove him from the situation whenever one or both (or all) of them start getting too out of control for my tastes. We always say "Smeagol, go lay down" and the dog stops playing and will go into the other room to rest. We even use it when the kids are little and are getting too grabby.
We have a Jack Russell Terrier who loves to jump but surprisingly does rarely will jump on kids at all. He will sometimes sort of gently stand on his back feet but I swear he knows he has to be more careful with the short people
Another recommendation. If you have a dog who sleeps with you it might be worth considering to put an end to that now. A huge percentage of parents report that they have practiced co-sleeping at some point and having an animal in bed makes that more dangerous. Even if the intention is to have baby in his own bed, you may find yourself making difficult decisions out of desperation. I don't consider myself a co-sleeper (though we do room share for the first few months) but I have definitely bed-shared with both of my boys on occasion when things got rough and safe sleep is very important.
Neither dog is allowed on any people beds or furniture, which I think is good. The JRT can be territorial though. I've only seen him interact with other dogs though. He's never been around children or babies as long as he's been with us (a little over two years).
He stopped attacking me once DD was born but has started with the aggressive behavior again since getting pregnant this time. I don't know what to do. He was 100% an indoor cat back then but has since become 50/50 in and out so I'm hoping it won't be as bad this time around.
I guess my only advice is to keep a close eye on the cat until you see what he's going to do. Luckily mine never attacked DD, all his aggression was directed at me.
Our puppy (dog) was 5 years old when we brought our daughter home, but he is still full of energy like a puppy. As other people have suggested, I would allow your dog to sniff the new baby while he/she is still in the carrier. We put our daughter right in the living room for him to check out at his free will. Then once he sniffed her, we took her out and allowed him to sniff even more. Newborns are so easy going, she had no clue what was going on. Dogs easily sense your anxiousness so as long as you're calm, your dog should be fine. I'd also suggest that you're not holding the baby when you first re-unite with your puppy, and give him lots of loving.
@ThePax89 did you do anything special when you brought your dog back home? I'm also considering sending ours to my parents house or the lady we board her with when we go away, but I wasn't sure if it would be easier if she's home when we get back or vice versa. You make a good point about having some extra time and space for yourself to adjust, though.
@ElleMF728 good call on the target training! We did that with our dog (as well as place training) and it is immensely helpful. I do think we will need to reinforce it a little once the baby is here, or at least practice with more distractions ahead of time.
Our dog is crate trained and is happy to sleep in her crate, but lately she's been sleeping in our room most nights (never in our bed though). At some point we'll probably transition back to the crate at night. We do let her on the couch, but she knows "off" and I've also been trying to condition her to lay on her bed instead. I definitely don't want her jumping up on the couch if I'm there with the baby. I'm also getting sick of vacuuming her hair up.
@juliebird6 DH brought home a blanket that DS had slept with before we got home so the cat would be familiar with his smell.
@LastMango Yikes! I can't believe your cat is so aggressive with you, at least when I'm pregnant the cat is more interested in laying near my belly than attacking me.
The violence aspect may come from the fact that my cat is a Bengal? He's got a wild streak to him but totally domesticated. They require a LOT of attention and interaction and that all went down the drain the minute we brought a baby home. Ugh, I don't know. I'm a huge animal lover but I really want to give him back to the breeder!
Cats are strange creatures so maybe you'll have much better luck. I swear they can sense pregnancy no matter what the vets say!
Any experience with a young dog? We maybe be getting 3-month old tonight, so she wont even be a year-old once the baby is born. Anyone think this may make it easier or harder for bonding??
We're also in a tiny apartment, but will be moving either right before the baby is born or right after to a house or much bigger place.
Team Blue ~ Jan. 20
DS born 9/4/12
MMC July 2015
MMC January 2016
My DD is 20 months and sleeps extremely well in her crib. She goes down with zero fuss and when she wakes up she often plays happily on her own for 10-20 minutes and then goes back to sleep all on her own. She's never tried to climb out and is definitely not too big to fit. I just have this feeling if she could get out of bed and play...she'd never sleep.
Is anyone else getting the same pressure? Did you buy a second crib or move your first to a bed?
Jan17 Sept Sig: Pumpkin Spice gone too far
DS2: 11/5/14
If my husband doesn't want to leave the hospital can other family members bring the blanket in before we come home? Or should it be him?
Me: 31 | Husband: 32
Married: September 2014!
TTC #1: January 2016 BFP 5/16/16 Quinn Born 1/27/17
Due 1/21/17
BFP1 12/24/14 - EDD 09/07/15 (D/C 8w1d)
BFP2 6/12/15 - EDD 2/22/16 (D/C 10w3d)
———
Diagnoses and Treatments
PCOS (myo-inositol, excercize)
Indeterminant levels of APS IgM antibodies (baby aspirin)
Sub-septate uterus (hysteroscopic septoplasty 12/18/15)
———
BFP3 05/02/16 EDD 01/09/17 DS born 01/05/17
BFP4 01/28/19 EDD 10/?/19 🤞🙏
He can now get in and out of the fridge and freezer by himself and sometimes climbs the pantry shelves to get the good stuff on top.
He's Houdini.
bed and don't feel like she's ready, don't do it. My daughter starting climbing out of her crib around 19 months and after trying nearly everything, we had to switch. Like you said, my daughter wouldn't stay in her bed and sleep. She played with anything and everything. She did so well from the beginning at night but naps were not happening. I ended buying a toddler tent and she naps in that and sleeps in her bed at night. The only reason we switched her was because we had to.
*TW*
TWIN LOSS 7.2.15
BFP 9.7.15 CP
BFP 12.31.15 MC 2.28.16
BFP 10.14.17 CP
BFP 3.10.18 D&C 4.13.18