Pets and Babies 2008-03-11 05:00:32

Lil Tip: Bringing Baby Home to Fido

March 11, 2008

Many couples are parents to pets before they have a human child. Before you bring baby home to meet her furry sibling, there are things you can do to prep the animal for the newest addition.

To see the list of things to do, read more.

Schedule a regular check–up for pup.
Consider spaying or neutering your pet, as it tends to calm them.
Familiarize them to smells by wearing baby lotion, etc.
Try to get the pet used to a routine so they aren't depressed when the limelight shifts to the tot.
Have your friends bring their babes over so your pet can learn about the lil creatures.
Get a baby doll and place it in the swing, crib, sofa, stroller, etc. If the fuzzy guy reacts badly to it, you can be forewarned and try to combat the issue before hand.

Most pets learn to love the baby and protect it from other outsiders. In time, they will be best buds.

18 Comments

lickety split 4 years 50 weeks

our cat was pissed, she had been my baby and now here was a replacement!? i was sleeping in the nursery for the first few weeks and at night the second night she jumped up to sleep with me rather than go to the master bedroom where my dh was. she spent a lot of time checking out the baby and sniffing at her things. she never did warm to any of the kids, pretty much stayed away from them. only once did she hurt one of them and it was so odd. my first was about 2 and sitting on my lap and we were reading a story. the cat came in the room and suddenly flew up and attacked my daughter's face. there was no permanent damage but her face was scratched and it upset her (and me). the cat was a year old when my first was born and both my dh and i worked at home so she got lots of attention. when the baby was born dh moved his office out and i stopped working. probably not the best way to do things in retrospect.

lickety split 4 years 50 weeks

milosmommy 5 years 10 weeks

We have a rabbit, Bogey, who was my hubby's baby long before he met me. When we brought my son home he was ok with him and didn't bother with him too much, unless he cried, which of course was a lot. Whenever Milo would cry Bogey would stamp his paw hard on the wood floor to get our attention that he didn't like the noise. He has since learned to deal with it and stopped stomping.

myconscience 5 years 10 weeks

does anybody else here have small parrots & a baby? i'm worried about how to help my birds adapt when we bring home our baby this fall. they are used to being spoiled rotten and out of their cages at most times, so it will be quite a shock.

MarinerMandy 5 years 10 weeks

My fiance and I are still a couple years away from having a baby, but I've started worrying about how our first baby, a lab mix, will react! He's 2, but he's still rambunctious like a puppy, so we're hoping he calms down a bit by the time we're ready. He's so protective of me that I think he'd be very protective of a baby.

schnappycat 5 years 10 weeks

My cat loves aluminum foil, hottdana. LOL. Fortunately, he hasn't been interested in the crib at all, though. Probably because he 3 other beds, a couch, and the run of the house otherwise. Heh. I was eating cereal just now at the kitchen table while the baby is napping in the bouncer, and my cat sat on the table (yeah, I know--but he loves the table!) and I petted him while eating. Then he got my milk remnants from the bowl on the floor. So I just had a little quality time. Of course it helps that I'm not working and am home making pet quality time easier to come by.

schnappycat 5 years 10 weeks

My cat loves aluminum foil, hottdana. LOL. Fortunately, he hasn't been interested in the crib at all, though. Probably because he 3 other beds, a couch, and the run of the house otherwise. Heh.I was eating cereal just now at the kitchen table while the baby is napping in the bouncer, and my cat sat on the table (yeah, I know--but he loves the table!) and I petted him while eating. Then he got my milk remnants from the bowl on the floor. So I just had a little quality time. Of course it helps that I'm not working and am home making pet quality time easier to come by.

stina829 5 years 10 weeks

These are all great suggestions - thanks so much! I feel bad sometimes when I'm nursing my son because my cat is sitting on the floor just looking at me with that "What about me?" look, lol... Next time maybe I'll call him up on the couch and pet him while nursing, maybe that will help. thanks again! :)

stina829 5 years 10 weeks

bluecat1972 5 years 10 weeks

We have four cats and the transition was fairly easy when we brought our daughter home in October. The feline "girls" have completely fallen in love with our daughter. They are very protective of her, and are right by Gracie's side when she cries or fusses. We weren't quite sure what to expect as they had ruled the roost for years but they have adapted really well. We do make a point of trying to give them extra attention at bedtime and when Gracie naps in the daytime.

hottdana 5 years 10 weeks

to help keep a cat out of the crib, line it with tin foil b4 you bring the baby home. If they jump up into it, it will scare them. After a few tries of getting into the crib they will stop.

schnappycat 5 years 10 weeks

Before my son was born, we let our cat (who is 11, not healthy, and my first baby) spend plenty of time exploring the nursery while we were painting/decorating it so it wouldn't be a surprise for him (it had previously been a rarely-used guest room that was closed off most of the time). Also, we let him check out the Pack N Play and other baby items. I think it helped and he wasn't as freaked out when the baby came. I make a special effort each day to play with him and I always go out of my way to pet him for a minute specifically when the baby is crying so he knows he is still special to me, too. My cat loves the fact we get up at night to feed the baby, so I make sure to pet him (and let him drink from the sink) when he follows me into the bathroom to prepare the bottle. And my cat sleeps with us more now than ever, so bedtime is my special time with him. I think he senses that it's his time. It's definitely hard to give a pet the same kind of attention, but I have found that just a few minutes here and there really help. Even if I am hanging out with or feeding baby, I find I can sometime still reach over and pet the cat if he is nearby. And when I'm on the floor for tummy time or whatever, I'll often drag a piece of string around for the cat. It's just a bit of extra effort for me. The other day, I was holding the baby in my lap and my cat came over and also sat in my lap next to the baby (my cat was a huge lap sleeper before). It was the sweetest thing and made me think that maybe the cat is ok with it all now.

schnappycat 5 years 10 weeks

buch1979 5 years 10 weeks

Lucy wasn't thrilled with the switch in attention from her being the first and only grandchild. She was very curious and protective though, the only time we had any trouble was the first time my in-laws attempted to leave the house with the human baby with out my husband or me. She cut my father-in-law off at the door, growled and snarled at him until he handed the baby back to me. There was no way she was going to let her baby leave the house with out the protection of his mama or papa.

LaPerla 5 years 10 weeks

Stina, I don't have any tips for cat owners, specifically. But I empathize with you. Take it one day at a time. I just say to myself that soon, the dogs and the baby are going to be best friends. But for now, the baby is the priority. Think about it, if kitty had a litter of kittens, her priority would be to care for her kittens and kinda neglect her human, for a while, until the kittens were more independent. Your cat will forgive.

LaPerla 5 years 10 weeks

I brought my munchkin home to 2 doxies, and they were nothing nice. I had to protect munchkin by putting him in his play-yard, even if he was in his chair - that way, my pups wouldn't attack. And they tried, but they learned the old fashioned way. But if your dog isn't used to babies, why in the wold would you ask your friends to bring over theirs? They'll never come over again! A dog is a carnivore and a predator - nothing nice around stranger's babies, unless they've been socialized to respect recently born humans, who by the way smell completely different than a "grown" human.

LaPerla 5 years 10 weeks

stina829 5 years 10 weeks

I love the fact that you posted this... I need some advice! My cat, Fred, has been my baby for over 7 years. Then I bring home Johnny this past October and I hardly have time to play with Fred the way that he's used to anymore! I guess I should mention that I'm a single mom who works full time, so it's REALLY hard to do anything other than take care of my son at the moment... Any suggestions? I can see that Fred is really starting to feel jealousy/being left out.

Link Love

18 Comments

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