Bedside cot + cats

[curlyclaz13]

I was thinking about a bedside cot i.e. the Troll or Amby nest from NCT to make BF easier and as a compromise to co-sleeping as we both wriggle a lot in our sleep. BUT we have two cats who sleep on our bed one of them will be nearly 12 by the time baby arrives and I am not convinced I can train them out of getting on the bed. I am worried they will get in the cot during the night and wonder if a rocking crib might be better/safer as access will not be as easy and hopefully the rocking motion will put them off. Anybody got experience they want to share ?

I wouldn't want cats sleeping in the same room as a baby while I was also asleep.

Probably not what you wanted to hear.

My fat lump of an old cat loves the Moses basket but wouldn't go anywhere near while my son was in it. She was completely freaked out by him. Usually I let her in the room at night while we were there and shut her out when he napped in there during the day. I didn't really think anything would happen but was just being extra cautious.

I got a rocking crib with 4 sides for our room to last longer the Moses basket and had it next to my side of bed at the beggining, this was as part because I thought it would discourage the cats as they wouldn't be able to get in easy and wouldn't like the rocking, they didn't btw and I have 3 but this was just to stop then going in it unfortunatly agree with the others I would t let the cats sleep in our room while we were asleep aswell, at night we have always shut them downstairs in the kitchen and utility with their own beds, it's hard if you've never done it before but I would really recommend and if you do to do it now before baby so it's not associated

Oh and agree with other posters my dd loves ours and was one of her first words, only one of them will actually go near her though, the minute she's in the room the other 2 make a sharp exit lol

I'm so glad you asked. I'm worrying about this too. Keeping our cat out of the bedroom isn't an option - the door doesn't close fast (and we rent, so are kind of stuck with it).

Has anyone any experience with a net over the cot?

I think it will depend on the cat really. My two also sleep in the bedroom and before DS1 was born were always getting in the new pram, moses basket etc. When he was born I shut them out of the bedroom and my female cat (who is very clingy to me) massively stressed me out (and ruined the carpets) by crying outside the door and scratching the whole time - I eventually let her in but she did (and still does) hate DS1 and wouldn't go anywhere near the cot when he was in it. DC2 due in July and I think I'll just let her in if she wants to.

My boy cat is another matter, and would happily plonk himself down on top of a sleeping baby - however, he is fine about being hoofed out and now sleeps with 3 yo DS anyway not me :-(

We have two cats and have a co-sleeper cot (not used yet!).

The answer for us is simple: our cats are not allowed in our bed with us while we sleep. They are just too cuddly and space-grabby and we sleep so much better now they've been completely banned from the bedroom. They come in most mornings for a cuddle when we are awake and will continue to do so when the baby comes. We banned them when they were quite young - probably about a year old - and they HATED it at first and used to sit meowing outside the door. But it didn't take long for them to get the message and I really think this is your best bet. When the baby gets its own room you can always let them back in.

As for your situation, OP, not sure how you think a co-sleeper is any different from a moses basket or other crib. Cats - even old fat ones - can jump, so I don't see how a co-sleeper will be any different.

I don't think a net will work. Nets are light and cats are heavy - if a cat jumps on a net I think the chances of the baby being smothered are probably more not less! You could just ban the cats from the bedroom. I think if you are doing this you should do it asap before the baby arrives so they don't associate the down grading with the baby! The other option is to have a water pistol at the ready and squirt them whenever they get too close to the cosleeper - do this now so they are already wary of it before the baby comes.

Cat nets are rubbish - I agree with banning the cats from the bedroom. The Amby Nature's Nest is fairly inaccessible, though, and because it swings very easily I would think it would be pretty tricky for a cat to jump up on. It'll swing away as soon as they touch it, IYSWIM.

Somehow you have to find a way to close that door, even if it means putting something heavy behind it. Please don't let the cats in the same room as a baby unless you are watching them. Cats naturally gravitate to the warmest thing in the room, that'll be the baby, and possibly the baby's face.

We have a cat who is my other baby and I love dearly, but she would never be left alone with a baby. It would really be incredibly dangerous.

We have cat nets and they are useless as a protection. As soon as any cat jumps on the net it will collapse and they'll still end up sitting on the baby.

We have put a pet gate across our bedroom door to keep our cat out. It's just like a baby gate but taller.

I worried about this when I was pregnant- although I was unable to find a single substantiated case of a cat smothering a baby we still erred on the side of caution and kept her out of the bedroom at night. I wish we'd started doing that before the baby arrived to get her used to it.

as it happens our cat is scared of the baby and won't go near her, although she loves sleeping in the Moses basket during the day.

like others have said, cat nets don't work because the cat is heavy enough to weigh it down.

I'd try to get your landlord to fix the door. or is there a room somewhere you could lock the car in (with a nice snuggly cat bed and either outside access or a litter tray?)

cat not car!

We set our cot up 3 months before baby was due and covered the bottom with balloons. One of our cats jumped in once and popped some balloons (was actually quite funny seeing the cat run out the room all puffed up) both cats never went in the cot again. On a side note our cats avoid our son like the plague, and do sleep in the room with us. I didn't feed while in bed and the few occasions we co slept the cats were put out.

The balloons is a genius idea! :D

Our cat used to always sleep in our room but we got her used to sleeping downstairs last time I was pregnant. She's also not allowed in the bedroom where ds sleeps at all as she makes a beeline for anywhere cosy & sleeps/sheds hair on it.

She was annoyed at first but has got used to it. She avoided ds like the plague and I wasn't worried about her smothering him, it was more to do with wanting to avoid her shedding hair/walking germs all over his stuff .

I know someone who got a cat net and the cat hilariously used to use it as a kind of hammock, luckily before her baby arrived when she was just testing it out!

I can't believe people are even considering sleeping with a cat & a baby in the same room! I have a cat & on the rare occasion the door to my sons bedroom is ajar he sneaks in & snuggles up at the end of his cot. Luckily DS has not been in his cot but it makes my blood run cold.
Even without the smothering risk there's hygiene & allergies to consider.

One of the guidelines for safe cosleeping is not to allow pets to sleep in or on the bed, I think this must also apply if you're using a cosleeper cot.

My cat won't jump anywhere, we even have to open the stair gate so she will come downstairs. I would never have her sleeping in with us and the baby though.

Previous posters need to go easy on OP, it's quite possible she's in early stages of a first pregnancy and hasn't found out about safe sleeping yet!

Anyone will tell you that it is not safe for a cat and a baby to be sleeping in the same room unless you are awake and able to keep an eye on them. A cat will find the warmest place in the room and stay there, and unfortunately babies are super warm and snuggly. You need to start closing the upstairs bedroom door during the day and at night also, and whichever room will be the nursery/child's bedroom, so the cats will become used to finding another place for their naps and sleeps.

My cat was never allowed in bedrooms anyway, but is perfectly happy to sleep on the carpet on the landing, or on the sofa downstairs.

They will be a bit annoyed at first, but at the end of the day what is more important - a cat being a bit miffed at finding somewhere else to sleep, or the safety and health of your baby? It's a no-brainer :)

I was worried about my two cats when I had DD but it turned out that they weren't interested in her and kept their distance. Found them in her cot (when she's not in there) but I scream at them and clap my hands to get them scared and they jump out and stay away until they their courage grows again about 3 months later. I always give them a cuddle soon after so we are friends again.

Cat nets were useless for me too. Every cat is different but I think most cats connect loud crying with babies and so stay away.

No need to scare OP to death. Sure cats like to sleep in cots and baskets when the baby is not there, but I've never seen a cat who wants to sleep next to noisy wriggling grabby baby, most of them avoid babies like plague. And there are no evidence that a cats have ever smothered any babies.

Well said Hazle.

My cats were the centre of attention for 12 years, slept where they wanted, took food off your plate when they wanted and were still generally very spoilt, as soon as DS arrived one of my cats that used to sleep on my bump slept underneath the Moses basket when he was a newborn and wouldn't let anyone near him, when he moved into the cot bed with me the cat jumped straight into the Moses basket I kept swatting her out until I eventually gave up and let her have it. DS is now 5 and the two cats hate him and run out the room whenever DS enters but I suspect that's because they don't want they're tails pulled anymore

My cat who sleeps on the bed won't even be in the house if DS is about so he just naturally found somewhere else to go.