Avoiding putting baby on the floor because of dog hair!

[Firsttimemummy19]

My baby is 5 months old and unless we are upstairs in the nursery then I never put him on the floor because we have a Labrador and the amount of crap she brings in plus all the hair she looses is immense!
Baby has all of a sudden decided he hates the vacuum so I'm limited to when I can use it now (he never minded it until one day).

What's the answer?

What do others do with babies & dogs?

seriously - start vacuuming outside room with closed door & work towards baby or vacuum first thing in morning whilst baby is in another room & don't let dog in till end of day - or put baby in playpen

Honestly don't bother with a play mat. In 4-6 weeks or thereabouts they will be crawling and won't stay on it. It will be a massive waste of money. If you have a blanket or throw at home just use that for the time being.

Mine just has dog hair on her!

Hardly patronising. Typical PFB behaviour, we've all done it!

Being a monster because you're vacuuming? Dear me!

If my baby screams then I'm not going to carry on regardless!!! I'm no monster.

Don't be silly OP, no one is a 'monster' for hoovering round a baby who doesn't like it. If you spend your time stopping every little thing your baby doesn't like a) you'll literally get nothing done, and b) your baby will learn that all they need to do is cry and they're in charge.

You asked for solutions, you need to hoover more. That is the only solution if you want to make your life easier. Neither of mine liked the hoover either but they got used to it quickly enough. You're talking about a 2 minute whip round with the vacuum, not an hour beside your baby to deliberately upset them. If you don't want to do it put the baby in their cot while you hoover up.

So is that a definite yes then to a first baby, op?
Next time go non-shedding.

Are you brushing your dog everyday? May be a different type of brush would help? (Trying to be helpful, not sarcastic )

@motheroftinydragons People like you really aren't helpful on these threads.
Dear me indeed! 🙄🙄

@Aquilla Fab idea, in fact I'll get rid of the dog and get a non shedding one instead.

Can't you just put him in a room on a playmat or in a sit me up and close the door while you whizz round with the hoover? Can your partner take him while you hoover/you take him while partner hoovers? I do sympathise but hoovering is just one of those things that does need to be done, particularly if you have a dog. It won't do him any lasting damage! But a bit of dog hair won't do any damage either.

My little one used to be terrified of my hair dryer, not just a bit of upset but so upset and used to sometimes shake; if yours feels the same about the Hoover then I don't blame you at all for trying to work around them rather than inflict it on them. A playmat works great, and can just move them around the rooms. Even better are the foam pieces that interlock together as they are a bit softer and easy enough to assemble and store, but usually a bit more pricey.

firsttimemummy19
That's why I said 'next time' and put one of these after my comment 😉.

I use the mattress part of the travel cot, as it's not fluffy like a playmat then the dog hair can just be wiped off with a baby wipe or hand brush. Although there's not a great deal else you can do about it, dogs shed (mine does constantly) and eventually they do just merrily crawl through it. Maybe a lint roller to get the hair off baby once play has finished.

@Sandybval Thank you, for a second I thought I was in the minority of not liking my baby being scared!

Hoovering once a week with a hairy dog. Ew! I would either just hoover daily and let the baby cry as it doesn't take long, or hoover daily when the baby is asleep.

Dd used to scream if I had a towel on my head. Sadly I had to wash my hair occasionally so she had to get used to it.

What are you planning on doing when baby starts crawling op? You can’t not let him crawl about so you don’t have to hoover and possibly scare him.

Just vacuum, baby will get used to it. Possibly exclude dog from room

Sorry but agree with just vacuum. My DD was terrified of the Hoover when she was a baby, but it's something she had to get used to and did, because I kept doing it.

Honestly op you’ll look back on this and laugh in a few years - “omg remember when I wouldn’t hoover because it scared ds?! Haha!!” We’ve all done it, but 5 minutes of hating the hoover really isn’t going to harm him in any way. Crawling around in a weeks worth of muck might.

Errr No! I'm not going to vacuum in front of a screaming terrified baby!
I don't give a flying fuck what you would all do, it's not my style of parenting and this 'phase' won't last forever.

This is the problem with most of the people that post on Mumsnet, instead of suggesting a short term work around solution that I've asked for, you come on here and tell me I'm wrong for caring too much about my baby.

Fucking weird.

And most don't read fully what I've written anyway so it's just boring reading your crappy advice! 🤦🏻‍♀️

Literally everyone has suggested a solution, you’re just being exceptionally bonkers about this!

And when baby starts crying when you use a hair dryer?

Ans when baby starts crying when turn on the washing machine?

Get a bloody grip!

Infants will often cry when a noise startled them but they get used to it the MORE they hear it.

By hoovering occasionally you are making it worse as baby is not accustomed to the noise.

Yes so I do my hair in another room, what's the point of me doing it in the room when upsetting her is easily avoided? I'm sure she isn't going to grow up with a phobia of them as whilst she is still small I don't see the point of freaking her out. Plenty of things she doesn't seem fussed on, and I get on with those If the OP isn't comfortable hoovering then it's not going to harm the child FFS. Although hoovering often would be good if someone can do it when he's not around, or when he's somewhere safe upstairs etc.

Haha haha. In the kindest possibly way, you are being ridiculous.

It's no ones 'style of parenting' to deliberately terrify their baby Most people however realise that normal life goes on and that includes using the things like the vacuum when you need to. It's is gross letting a baby roll around covered in dog hair ffs.

You'll look back on this thread one day and feel like a right plum OP.

My goodness @Firsttimemummy19 there's no need to be so unpleasant. If you 'don't give a flying fuck' what everyone would do, why on earth are you asking? No one has been unkind to you, or rude to you so there's no need for your manner.

Good luck with everything. And I mean that.