Preparing pets for baby?

[Hurdy]

We are expecting our first and I was wondering if you have any tips on preparing dogs and cats for a baby in the house?

[MegMarch]

Practice commands like "down" and "stay" with the dog.
Set up as much baby stuff as you can so they can get used to it.
Get some Nature's Miracle or similar enzyme cleaners if you don't have them since they are great for baby messes or pet messes.
Start to cut down on the attention you pay them or at least don't raise the level because you feel bad they'll have less soon. Not neglect, but let them get more used to your DH doing more of the pet care.
Ime, cats like to sleep in baby stuff but once a baby's been in it crying, they won't go near for awhile.
Get them any vet care they are due for soon since handling that with a baby to handle as well as harder.
Enjoy the sweet snuggles of a fur baby against your belly. I loved that so much when I was pregnant

[marbles]

Originally Posted by MegMarch

Practice commands like "down" and "stay" with the dog.
Set up as much baby stuff as you can so they can get used to it.
Get some Nature's Miracle or similar enzyme cleaners if you don't have them since they are great for baby messes or pet messes.
Start to cut down on the attention you pay them or at least don't raise the level because you feel bad they'll have less soon. Not neglect, but let them get more used to your DH doing more of the pet care.
Ime, cats like to sleep in baby stuff but once a baby's been in it crying, they won't go near for awhile.
Get them any vet care they are due for soon since handling that with a baby to handle as well as harder.
Enjoy the sweet snuggles of a fur baby against your belly. I loved that so much when I was pregnant

Yes to all of this! Think about where your baby will sleep and where your pets will sleep. One cat slept in the bed with us, but he was suuuuuper needy and cuddly and would literally try to sleep on our faces. Our other cat would sleep outside, so we started keeping the in and out cat inside at night and keeping the needy cat locked out of our room for longer and longer periods until he was staying out of our room all night. That way when the baby came it wasn't a huge adjustment. It was actually better because I would get up in the middle of the night a lot and he would snuggle with me and a baby!

[Hurdy]

Thanks ladies...we are moving when I am 25 weeks, so life is really going to be crazy for a while! I figure I have about 3 months to get everyone used to the new house, baby stuff and prepared for baby. I can do this right, LOL!

[CelticJourney]

My dogs were more impressed with the baby stuff than the actual baby. They did seem to pity the 'poor hair-less puppy with the strange bark'. They also made it clear to fil that it might be a strange puppy, but mom seems attached so don't get any ideas (one guarded the door, the other stood at his feet watching)

[ShepherdsWife]

What kinds of dogs and how many and how old were they?
I found that my dog did very well. The doctor suggested we lay the baby on a blanket on the floor and let the dogs come up and sniff and lick the baby. Then they would be far more accepting. That depends on the breed though. We have border collies.
My husbands older dog however was very uninterested and then eventually started growling at the baby. Months later she nipped him and we almost got rid of her but she does so much work on our ranch it would be super hard without her. We have 20 other working dogs as well and I don't trust all of them alone with my kid. Most would never do anything but they just need to be watched. I think it had a lot to do with her age (7 yrs) and her "only child" mentality was far more ingrained in her because she had spent almost her entire first five years of life as the only house dog.


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[HomeWithMyBabies]

My dog got strangely protective when I was expecting my first, like she knew. We set everything up and showed her around. My Dh brought blankets and bibs home from the hospital before I came home with our first baby. He let the dog smell them so she would recognize us when we got back. . Apparently it was adorable how interested she was in the smells.

[Hurdy]

Originally Posted by ShepherdsWife

What kinds of dogs and how many and how old were they?

We have a 13 year old chihuahua mix...she can be a little on the grumpy side as her arthritis bothers her a bit. She has been around other babies and done well until they are mobile and are making sudden movements toward her. We know we will have to watch her very closely. But, she is 13 and been by my side through all the infertility and loss stuff we have been through, she isn't going anywhere, but I also won't allow her to hurt the baby of course! She still follows me around all the time (she is definitely MY dog), so the likelihood of her EVER being alone with the baby is slim to none.

Our other dog is a 1 year old lab/shepherd mix. She is still in the puppy stage, but is a sweet girl. We are working with her still on obedience, but I think she will be fine...she has a little trouble focusing at times.

We also have a 12 year old cat...he's a good boy, but I'm guessing will watch from afar!

---------- Post added at 10:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:58 PM ----------

Originally Posted by HomeWithMyBabies

My dog got strangely protective when I was expecting my first, like she knew.

Our cat seems to be more interested in me than our dogs. He will come and sit with me at night and sometimes sleep next to me. Before I got pg he would only do that with dh, so he knows something is up. Our girls are pretty much business as usual!

I was planning on doing the scent thing as well!