Cot in the same room

[Newmum2b78]

Hi ladies,

Trying to get prepared for when I come home with our baby. C section scheduled for Friday !!

My question is, does the crib have to be by your bed, or can it be a bit further away like against the wall ? My Dh is reluctant to kick the dog out of the room and I'm worried she knocks it over. She has no manners at all !!!
I can see his point in that we don't want to instigate jealousy.

I realise after a c section it would be easier for me next to the bed, but I just worry about potential hazzards. He doesn't seem to see them !!

Thanks ladies

You can have it a bit further from the bed but to be honest you'll probably want it as close as possible to make things easier.

I would highly advise not having the dog in the bedroom. If you and your OH are both asleep the dog won't be supervised near the baby. No matter how much you trust the dog it isn't worth the risk IMO.

Agree entirely with pp.

Cot next to bed, dog out bedroom.

I have three. They all slept in bed, now happy in kitchen.

You are going to be sore, exhausted and emotional. Baby is tiny. You will find it hard enough to relax and sleep without worrying about what the dog is doing.

Night feeds? Baby could feed for hours, you dose off, dog jumps on. It's just not worth the risk.

Good luck op. Hope all goes well.

We have two dogs who used to sleep on our bed before DS came along. We relocated them to sleeping in another part of the house a good few weeks before the baby came, to get them used to it and to try and avoid resentment. To be perfectly frank, there was no way I could sleep soundly in a room with a tiny newborn and two loose dogs, no matter how well I know the dogs, so they had to be moved out. Fortunately my DH agreed with me. We haven't had any jealousy issues, in fact one of the dogs is basically now DS's dog, they're best friends. It's lovely, although I still watch them like a hawk. If you think your dog could knock the crib over if it's next to the bed, what's stopping it jumping up at the cot when it's further away against a wall? It might not get knocked over but will likely still disturb baby. Plus if you're feeding in bed, do you really want the dog there too? The dog can be moved to another part of the house in a sympathetic way, without causing issues. But at this point baby's safety has to come first.

On a practical note, I found it helpful having the crib right next to the bed, because if DS was just snuffling a bit, I could pop a hand in and soothe him, I could also quickly check in the night if he was warm enough, cool enough etc, all without getting out of bed. I slept better, and I think DS did too, being that close to me.

I agree with both posters. It doesn't matter if the cot is not right next to the bed but it is easier. But dog needs to be out of room.

Put the cot wherever you want , but what would possess you to have a dog in the room?
“ fur babies” have to come second now, way below the actual baby!

No it doesn't need to be right next to bed, I'd be worried about accidentally kicking duvet or something onto it asleep. But your dogs need to sleep somewhere else, starting before the baby arrives.

We very much had the dog sleeping with us and she'd often make her way in the bed. Sneak up in middle of the night etc.
We did however move her out if the bedroom and now baby has gone she still sleeps downstairs. She's adapted pretty well to the new arrival and to sleeping downstairs etc and now its nicer in the bedroom as not having to get rid of her hairs all the time!
I understand you still want your dog with you and don't want to relegate her etc. But I strongly recommend you change your habits. Ive had dogs for years on my bedroom and we managed it.

It will be much easier to have the cot nearer the bed.
But it honestly doesn't make sense to try and have a dog in there too.
Even if you 100 percent trusted to dog around the baby and that is a massive if. There is going to be getting up, walking around, fetching things, extra bathroom visits etc. The dog is likely to be very disturbed and possibly stood on during the night.
You are not going to want to manage a dog and a baby during the night.

I have two dogs who had always slept on the bed. They decided themselves not to once the twins arrived! I had a cot away from the bed as I needed to swing my legs round after my c section - I couldn't wriggle down the bed as it was too painful. I found the cot next to the wall (with about a foot gap between us) worked the best for me.

@moobar I have three. They all slept in bed, now happy in kitchen. Is that the dogs or the kids?

Definitely don’t have the dog sleeping in the same room as the baby, baby has to come first. Cot close to bed would be easiest for night feeds.

Moses basket or next to me cribs are much easier than a cot after a section.
Definitely agree with removing the dog from the bedroom.

@TheJoxter well......nah it's the dogs. Although I did sleep in the kitchen with the baby and the dogs for three months but that's a whole other story.

If your dog is big enough to take out the cot then its too big to have in with you when you have the baby I’m afraid - you won’t be supervising all the time if you’re sleeping. All it takes is for the dog to react to a loud noise outside and they could cause injury by accident.

Hi you don't have to have the cot next to you, my dp is the same with our dog he would never kick her out our bedroom so when we bought our baby home we still had the dog in the bed with us and the crib on the opposite wall from us, but it is definitely easier to have them next to you, so just do what feels comfortable for you

I had babies crib away from the bed a bit I needed the room to get out of bed after section.
The dog situation is a personal choice, my 2 dogs slept in our bedroom even when dd was newborn. They slept on the end of my bed and were totally terrified of the baby so stayed well out of her way. We had the crib up for a couple of months before baby’s removed so they learnt they weren’t allowed near it anyway. But if your not comfortable with the dog being there it’s tough for your DH the dog will need to go into another room

Thanks ladies. I totally agree the dog should be out, I just Hope when baby arrives she is knocked off her princess pedestal ! She is a German shepherd and we have to have the window open because she gets too hot, but he still won't have her downstairs where she will be cooler and more comfortable. She has separation anxiety and chews herself when she isn't with you.

I will try with the cot against the wall if it's safe to, but I think after the first night things will have to change ! I really hope he sees sense and wants to make things easier for me not harder.

Maybe get a sensible midwife to have a chat with him?

A German shepherd is likely going to be tall enough to stick its nose right into the cot if it wants to, let alone knock it over. my dog is a similar size and can do so. If its anxious enough that it has issues when made to sleep elsewhere, there is no telling how it might react to a crying baby. It simply isn't safe for the dog to be in the bedroom overnight with the baby, not even for the first night. I agree with the previous poster, get your midwife to speak to your dp.

This sounds really unsafe for your baby. Please please rethink.

A dog with separation can't simply be moved out on her own. It's not that easy. If you are going to have her out I'd suggest either DH sleeps elsewhere with her and you stay with the baby or you put a stair gate on the bedroom door so she can still see you and sleeps in her bed on the other side. Put another gate at the top of yeh stairs if you need to. You don't any her destroying the house

Can you try and move dog sooner, rather than later. Sounds liksle it's going to need a bit of training. To be honest, I was more concerned about the hairs getting everywhere than the dog doing anything (even accidental) to baby and we have a big dog too. She was very gentle with baby, but they can do things accidentally.

It sounds like your DP might need to sleep in another room with your dog to keep her happy, or you could implement the stair gate idea. That’s a great idea. If you start your new routine with your dog now, she’ll be happier when your little one arrives. I’m no dog expert, but with ours he needs time to adjust to any change and is happier when he knows what’s going on. If your dog has to get used to a screaming baby and a new sleeping place at once, it’s likely to really distress her. I hope you find a solution that works for you

I would not have a baby and a dog sleeping in the same room, sorry. And with a c section you will probably want the cot as close as possible, at least at the very beginning

I have 2 cats that I love waaay too much and they're getting shut out when the wee one makes his appearance.

I'd start getting the dog used to not sleeping in the bedroom now, rather than as soon as the baby arrives. Definitely not a safe plan to keep a big dog in the room with a baby. Even if it doesn't act aggressively, it's easy to smother a baby with fur!