Where do you put your newborn with a dog in the house???

[Crazyone84]

I am not due until for a few months but something has really been playing on my mind. This is my first so it may seem like a silly question to all the experienced Mum's out there.
Imagine the situation: newborn baby, dog running around, husband out at work during the day. You want to do something like prepare dinner/lunch or sort some washing in the house (I'm sure there are lots of different tasks you need to put the baby down for) Where do you put the baby that is going to be in eye sight/ear shot that is not too low the dog can sniff and sit on them?
I saw these highchairs with "from newborn" which could be stood in the kitchen or dining room so high enough the the dog wont reach but they seem very expensive compared to the standard high chair.
Am I over thinking this situation or is it as simple as put them in a sleeping crib/Moses basket?

Keep one or both with you at all times. E.g. If baby napping on couch and you need the loo, dog comes with you to the loo. I found it's generally easier to have the dog with you as they move under their own steam and tend to follow you anyway rather than carting baby around.

I had a 3 year Old GSD bitch when DS was born. She was the softest lump imaginable and treated DS like her puppy but I never, ever left them alone together (I know that should go without saying but every year...……..😔)

Something else I did in general tending and baby was to get the car seat and Oran and other fun bins out before they came home so ddog was used to them. I also walked him with the peak a few times to get him used to how to behave before Dts came from hospital.

Not a dog owner myself but my SIL has massive dog crates for hers, they have beds in them and toys.

Put the dog on a crate. Start now so it's used to it.

Crates are used when you are out of the house and for short durations and are used for puppies and young dogs for their security as they get anxious in the house alone (and to stop them chewing everything). You cannot stick a dog in a crate all day and lock it as a punishment because you had a baby. The crate training has the door open when you are in the house as it is a safe space for the dog not a cage!

You need to get baby gates and a dog crate and get the dog used to spending time by himself with a treat there ASAP. Dogs shouldn't be jumping up and running around willy nilly

It's really important to work on your dog's ability to self-settle and spend time alone before the baby arrives

A playpen.

What is it with all these "dog haters"????

I am not locking her in her crate when I have a baby! Maybe people should do that with their first born when they have a second to keep them both safe???

She has a crate and yes sleeps in it at night times and will also take herself there when she wants a bit of peace, so happy to be left on her own and self settle.

You are not going to believe this but I do actually like her and like having her around and she is part of the family!

It was a simple question for suggestions on how to keep both the dog and baby safe. now quit it with all the dog bashing!

Thank you to all those dog owners that have offered friendly sensible advice on how to keep all parties happy and safe

We had a travel cot in the middle of the living room. It was handy to put babies in for a nap and when I needed both hands and ddog, even though I knew she was extra careful around the dc, it gave me peace of mind if I wasn’t in the room or if ddog got excited if the doorbell rang

Does your house have doors? Shut the dog away from the baby. Even better, baby wear and don't worry too much about getting chores done.

Also ddog was around for both children. Usually curled up next to me on the sofa when I was breast feeding and when they got older and had bedtime stories she would wander into the dc’s room and lie at the foot of their bunk beds and listen to the story till she fell asleep. Dc thought she was the sweetest thing the way in the middle of the story she would start loudly snoring.
We never had a crate and she was given free reign in the house.

We have 2 labs in the house one is about 10, the other 14. When DS was born 3 years ago I put him in the pram in the kitchen diner and sometimes the bouncy chair on the floor. They had a sniff and left him alone. We really didn't worry about it as both dogs are very good, if I'd have had terriers I'd have been concerned.
It was a little more problematic as he got older, the tails are a hazard and he did get knocked over a few times when learning to walk but basically they've ignored him. I did put the dogs in the garden when weaning him as they lay under the high chair waiting for food to drop and DS dropped extra for them!

I must say I never, ever locked my dog away. I never needed to really. I did teach him to go into his bed but that was actually for when workers came into the house and he needed to be away from them. It wasnt for the baby. I really believe kids and dogs in the same house should be very exposed to each other so they arent novelties. The bigger deal you make of it, the bigger deal it becomes. The main thing is to always have one of them with you. Just dont leave them in the same room alone. That's it. It's actually very easily done. After that, let the dog sniff and lick the baby with you beside it. Let them get used to each other.

I am sitting here writing this with my spaniel sitting beside me asleep and my 20 month old on the floor, 6 feet from him, playing with her toys. Neither have blinked at each other. They are so used to each other. If anything, I have put more time into teaching my DD to be nice to the dog than worrying about the dog with her. They need to learn how to exist together.

@RainbowFlowers

I've got cat and don't leave them in the same room on their own. Apparently cats can suffocate babies by sitting on their heads for warmth.

Absolute twaddle.

I bought a Tripp trapp chair with the newborn seat so that the dog couldn’t reach. The chairs very sturdy so even if she ran into it, the chair wouldn’t tip. They are pricey but you can usually get them second hand for an alright price if you’re not fussy on colour

We used a sturdy wooden crib downstairs to out baby in, or the pram (with carrycot on) depending which part of the house we were in.
Also invested in a room divider (baby Dan) with built in gate for the lounge diner, so now baby is walking there is still a way to keep her and the 30kg bouncy dog separated if I have to pop out of the room (and stop her feeding him from the highchair).
Also second the idea of having pram and car seat in the house for a while, we set up the crib downstairs nearly a month before baby was due so that dog got used to it, and starting walking him with empty pram a week or 2 before.
Mine tends to follow me around so he got treats for waiting outside the bathroom door when I needed the loo (as we have older children who weren't quite as well trained with closing gates after them).
Mostly he sat on the sofa with me whilst she fed and watched TV

well my dog didnt like my newborn and would jump and snap at him when being passed around. So I did have to keep them separate. It was very stressful and could never leave my baby anywhere near the dog. Remember that dogs can jump on to table tops etc unless you have a small breed. So dont assume because you have your baby high the baby is safe. Main thing is getting the dog used to baby and the noises etc. Let the dog have its safe place and perhaps consider stair gates around the house. My dog did settle btw but took a long time...

Letting a dog lick a babies face really grosses me out.

@Oliversmumsarmy

Also ddog was around for both children. Usually curled up next to me on the sofa when I was breast feeding and when they got older and had bedtime stories she would wander into the dc’s room and lie at the foot of their bunk beds and listen to the story till she fell asleep. Dc thought she was the sweetest thing the way in the middle of the story she would start loudly snoring. We never had a crate and she was given free reign in the house.

Aww I love this story! And @sqidgebum also, thank you for that, I love it. I have a small dog (mini schnauzer) and am pregnant and I'm so looking forward to sharing these experiences. I've read this thread with interest, so thanks @crazyone84, and like you I am so happy the vast vast majority (not all ) of people made effort to make sure their dog is given the best chance to grow accustomed to their baby without shutting them out.

As far as we're concerned our dog was here first, she has her routine and is trained so it's the baby we need to fit around her, not the other way around. And I'm definitely more worried about ensuring the baby is gentle with her than the other way around- little kids can be accidentally rough and the first thing ours will learn will be the rules about treating her kindly and respectfully!

I'm sure she'll adore the baby- in fact my only concern is her being too protective of us! She's already protective of me now, ushering other dogs she doesn't like the look of away when they come too close, and she's only little so I don't want her getting too defensive with the wrong dog!

I agree about not upsetting ddog’s routine.
Each morning we would get up and go out, rain or shine for a walk. Everyone was dressed appropriately. It was what we always did before and each evening she would get once around the block.
This never changed

Ddog on walks would meet up with her doggy friends and stand between them and the pram when they came up to have a sniff and a look at what was in the pram.

Dc were taught not to go up to ddog and not disturb her and only ever stroke her if she specifically walked up to them or they called her over and she came and never put their arms around her neck to hug her.

I have seen children doing this and I am sure ddog would have been fine but I am always scared of the child losing balance and falling and hurting the dog and the dog snapping in shock

For our Moses basket we got this - the hood can be completely zipped off too, but we have a springer spaniel, and although very well behaved he is obsessed with balls so we just feel like it's an extra layer of protection and the dog can't drop anything in baby thinking baby can play.

We also have a Chicco Polly Magic high chair that can be lay flat and has a new born insert which I plan on putting baby in (but away from) me in the kitchen while I cook and we eat.

For our Moses basket we got this - the hood can be completely zipped off too, but we have a springer spaniel, and although very well behaved he is obsessed with balls so we just feel like it's an extra layer of protection and the dog can't drop anything in baby thinking baby can play.

We also have a Chicco Polly Magic high chair that can be lay flat and has a new born insert which I plan on putting baby in (but away from) me in the kitchen while I cook and we eat.

We use a mixture of...

• Bouncer on kitchen table (only safe until they can pull themselves forward) and only when awake
• Pram in other downstairs rooms
• Playpen for tummy time / playtime

Use the pram mainly for when she's sleeping. Lies flat, too high for dog to get to, can wheel in to another room / garden so follows the safer sleep guidelines. Upstairs we have always put a stairgate on baby's room (put up months before) to make that room a dog free zone and put baby in cot even if they normally sleep in your room, other option would be moses basket on floor behind shut gate. As door is open, I think it's not too risky from safer sleep guidelines. I'm on DC2 and it's so much easier to keep a newborn and dog separate than a dog and toddler who like to spoon on the dogs bed

Assuming you mean “where do you put the dog with newborn in the house”?

Do you have a room where you could fit a Babydan room divider or similar and put your dog’s bed in there? Maybe kitchen?

Owner of elderly dog here. (Live in) grandchild due soon. Our dog will adapt, grandchild takes priority.

I don't have a dog so can't help with that but as you say you are thinking about using the pram in the house I'll pass on an idea i read somewhere - use shower caps on the wheels when indoors to keep your floors clean....