People saying I won't have time for dog

[Firstimemum3]

Was just seeing if there's some dog walkers on here that still manage to take there's out for a good run off lead with a baby. I'm only 5 weeks pregnant but some people are already saying 'you won't have time for that'!!! It's driving me mad. I know life will be completely different, but when I'm out I see people with prams and there dogs having a run in the fields. My dog means so much to me and she'll still need exercise. Sorry rant over! Any advice would be much appreciated :) thank you

Of course you will. Stick baby in pram or sling/backpack, dog on lead, off you go. Baby will probably sleep (helped mine get into a bit of a nap routine) dog has a nice time, you work off some post-baby weight.
Get a buggy with big pneumatic tyres so you can do a bit of off-roading.

Ive just been out for a lovely long walk with dog and baby.

Some people allow babies to take over their entire lives ,when I had my first I still had 3 horses and a Shetland pony to deal with ,if you want to walk your dog you will find the time . Personally I've never worked out what people find to do all day with a small baby at home .

I didn't have time for my kids or my dog....they're all fine

Thank you so much for them replies, I feel so much better. I love walking my lab and Ye I'll need to get some weight off :) What off road prams do you have? Where I usually go is quite bumpy but then my lab is off lead most of the time which is easy.

You will be able to walk the dog with a baby, unless you have a cs and for that recovery time (min of 3weeks depending on how well you heal) your partner will need to dog walk or get a neighbour/dog walker to do it for you.

Best and easy way to walk with a young baby and a dog is with a sling (I like the Close). Off-roading in a buggy/pram with a newborn will be v uncomfortable for the baby as the baby will literally flop and bounce about in the buggy/pram and they really need pavements/grass which are smooth riding. Plus having them in a sling means you can easily navigate fallen trees, branches etc.

Once s/he gets older (has neck control or is sitting up) then use a buggy. Good dog walking buggies are those with three wheels which are inflated so provide good suspension. I'd look at Mountain Buggy, Baby Jogger, Phil & Teds (though these can be heavy).

Congratulations on your pregnancy.

CS recovery time is 6 weeks officially but a lot of women find they are mobile, able to drive, walk the dog anywhere from 3wks onwards (some earlier, some later). It's all entirely personal and varies from woman to woman.

Those times when your baby is safely tucked up on your off-road pram, or cuddled up in your sling while you walk the dog will be lovely moments for you, the baby, and the dog. The baby will be relaxed and comforted by the movement and fresh air. So although she is with you it will still feel like a bit of time out from the ordeal of new motherhood. And you'll be taking care of your mental and physical health.

Also, assuming that the baby's dad is in the picture, it is really brilliant to have a regular reason to leave him with the baby for a while. It's easy to get into the habit of thinking that you have to be the one with the baby always, but an hour's dog walk without the baby from time to time will give you a break and your partner a chance to get confident with the baby on his own.

You will do it because it sounds like you love your dog and that you WANT to do it

Not the same, but when my DC were small, I ran competitively, right up to marathon distance. The training was intense at times. I fitted it in because I wanted to do it, meaning very early mornings or late nights sometimes. Had I not been so committed to it, the incentive to train so hard would have ebbed away.

You will be fine, the early days might be a bit of a juggle and chaotic, buts that's what friends and family are for

I found that dogs and baby were very easy. I just put the baby in the sling or off-road pram and we went everywhere. Dogs and toddler are more difficult as the toddler doesn't always want to play along!

ps - the only time DC1 would sleep would be when he was being walked and it was a bloody relief to get out of the house at times, having a dog is a perfect excuse!

Also wanted to say: it won't all be easy. There will be times when you feel a bit frustrated or ragged because of the extra demands of having a dog on top of a baby. But it will even out in the end and your baby will love having a stinky slobbery best friend to throw food at, balance against, etc. And the dog will survive any short rations of attention or exercise that he might have to put up with on the more frazzled days.

peanutpatty I'm definitely going to look into getting a sling, seen a few dog walkers with them. I'll look at that one you recommended, thank you!!!

buthereagain Ye the daddy is in the picture :) that's good idea. I usually take her to training every Thursday night, so I could carry on doing that while baby and daddy have night in together to bond (daddy would also be out all day so be nice for him)

Thanks everyone for comments and advice. I'll tell them people to just shut it when they keep going on lol. My lab is such a soppy silly girl and I hope they'll love each other. We take her to agility every Sunday and there's a little toddler with her parents that goes and watches her dog and she loves it.

I got a puppy 3 months before my first baby was born, would not necessarily recommend such madness but we coped. DD used to come to dog training with me in the sling first and then backpack and then sit at the side in her buggy. The trainers dogs used to drop their balls in her lap for her to throw. Consequently she's always been a very 'doggy' person.

ncisaddict ah that's lovely. So they get on really well now your DD and dog? Feeling a lot better now about things, took my lab out yesterday and thought this would be fine with little baby in a sling :)

They did for all of the dogs life, dog used to lick DD's feet when I was feeding her and circle her buggy out on walks, not letting any strange dogs near her. They would sit on the floor together (never unsupervised though) and dd would babble happily with the dog twitching her ears in response. Dogs are very good for clearing underneath highchairs too.

DD is 21 now so I'm afraid Jess has crossed the rainbow bridge a while ago but we now have a five month old BC who she is enjoying training.

No dog here yet (trying to talk DH around!) but to say, when a lot of people have DC1 they can't imagine managing to do anything other than just about get the baby and themselves washed and dressed and fed. I was like that with DC1, getting to something that started at 10am was a struggle, I achieved nothing all day. Now I've had DC2, I have to get DC1 to preschool so leave the house at 8am, so this time round, we are all up dressed, breakfasted and out by 8am, we manage to go out again to collect him. I have to manage DC1's other activities and DC2 just has to fit in.

What I'm trying to say is you just cope with what you have to do. For some people, the idea of going out every day for an hour or so's walk would be far too stressful, but if you have to do it, you just fit it in your schedule.

I would make sure you have a good off road buggy though and not just rely on slings, with DC1 my back was rather knackered after childbirth so it was nearly 9 weeks before I could comfortably wear him in a sling for more than 20 minutes. If you need to be able to go out off road before then, you'd need a suitable buggy.

(oh and DC1 would sleep in the buggy, I often walked 2 hours every day getting him a good nap, you could just arrange your dog walks for your baby's nap times, as long as you keep moving, it'll be fine - and you'll get the baby weight off fast!)

It may be a good idea to find a local dog walker who could take your dog for walks instead of you. You will need someone to take the dog for walks in the first few days, you may stay in hospital, so would be good to have a plan to cover all eventualities.

Also, you may not feel like taking the baby on an hour's walk when it's pouring down (even when they're not newborn) so it would be good to have a backup person/people.

Then you can smile graciously at all those people and say you're sorted, thanks!

I hardly seemed to find time to eat with DS who was a difficult, non-sleeping, constantly crying baby. I still managed a walk most days though. I often went with other new mums and we'd walk in all weathers even snow. As others have said, it would be good to have cover for the first couple of weeks if possible.

Ha. My dog got more walks when I was on maternity leave as I could guarantee baby sleeping when we went out. It takes a bit of adjustment. The dog took a while to get used to us heading out a little later (10am rather than 8am) for her first walk.

The sling is the best invention for when you get bored of walks with the pram. Even the best off road pram can only cope with some of the paths round here. The only challenge is trying to pick up poo when wearing the sling. Practise bending at the knees!

I used to walk everywhere with my dog and the twins [rural area no car] just used to tie the dog to the pram [big old fashioned silver cross twin pram] and off I went. Kept me nice and slim. Those were the days! not so slim now tho
My DD had a Quinny 3 wheel job with big tyres ...it went everywhere! Off road? Like a landrover!

Thanks for advice :) My mum is only 10 mins up the road so dog walking if I'm in hospital is fine. She's at my mums a lot anyway while I work. That's sounds good goldencity that's what I need the landrover of buggies!

Don't listen to them! My dogs have kept me sane through three pregnancies and babies - and now again with number four. It's great to have to get out with the baby every day and I agree about the whole routine thing. Now we drop bigger ones off at school and me, dog and two year old go off for a lovely walk. She's great at walking, the fresh air is perfect and the dogs are happy. Plus it's only a benefit to me and the bump. I'm sure that the walking has helped with my labours too. Plus lower blood pressure, all the company, love and loyalty etc etc. Meeting people. I could go on! Congratulations!

slippersandacuppa thanks for your reassuring words. I've been really tired and emotional this week and getting home and seeing her waggy tail and happy face is already making me feel so much better. :)

Tiredemma, you have a baby?
Yes you can still walk dogs when you have babies and children :)