Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Getting your pets ready for a baby

I've read a lot about how to prepare your pets furbabies for your new human baby. And really I don't think there is one specific thing you can do. They have no idea what they're in for (and neither do we)! Oliver and Wembley have been our children for the past 4 years and we can't imagine them not being number one. So here are a few things we are doing to prepare our little monsters.

  • Familiarize Oliver and Wembley with Hadley's things. Any time something comes in the mail or I bring something home I show them. Now, maybe this is because I'm home with them all summer and don't have a lot of human interaction during the day, but I think it helps that they get to see and smell the new things that come in. Once the clothes are washed they will be hung up so they (especially Wembley) can't get into them.
  • Invite them into her nursery. I don't want them to feel left out, especially Oliver. He gets his feelings hurt easily. Yes, I know he is a dog. Once we have her nursery up and running we plan on inviting him in to lay down while we just relax in the chair. We might even put one of his beds in there to feel included. {Note: Oliver being included is really important to me}
  • There's no way around it. Wembley is a sh!t. If you follow me on Instagram or have read any of my Oliver and Wembley posts, you know this. I'm constantly yelling at him because he's always into something. He's is a great cat--don't get me wrong. But he is way too smart for his own good. He's the third cat I've had in my life and he's completely different from the others. He's a climber--the other two were not. This is new to me because he's on everything. I hate cats on the counter. My biggest worry with him is Hadley in her crib. So we are going to prepare him early on! My mom discovered these things called Ssscats a few years ago. OMG. They're amazing. I'm not going to lie. They're expensive but they are totally worth it! Basically they're a can of air with a magic eye. When a cat gets near it, it sprays the cat. Wembley hates them unlike aluminum foil and clear tape (we learned the hard way). So if I have to spend $75 every six months then it's worth it! That will get you quite a few too! We will have Ssscats in H's crib, on her dresser, and on changing table. If it gets really bad he will not be allowed in the room. I would never do anything to harm Wembley. He's so noisy and I don't want him hurting anything or anyone.

I could watch these videos all day. Wembley does not react like this. He just jumps down.

  • We definitely plan on J bringing home Hadley's baby blanket after she is born so they can smell her scent. We've heard how important this is and definitely want to do it before she comes home.
  • Pretend baby is something we play sometimes. I will literally get a blanket and ball it up and pretend it is a baby. I will talk to it and hold it. I won't let O & W jump and look but ask them nicely to sit beside me. Usually W doesn't care after the first five seconds but O always wants to watch. This gets them use to seeing me holding something. We also will play baby cries from you.tube. Neither one are bothered or even realize what is going on, so that part will be interesting!

Oliver and Wembley have both been around babies; Oliver more than Wembley. They both have done so well and ignore the baby after a little while. I'm not really worried about either being hurtful towards Hadley what-so-ever. They are such loving animals and have been glued to me since day one. I'm excited to see their love for their new sister.

Any other advice for getting our furbabies ready?

2 comments:

  1. We brought home Emerson's shirt she wore in the hospital. I did the same things you did about familiarizing them with the nursery and toys. Our dogs absolutely love Emerson. Rennie sleeps under her bassinet and is always where she is when she cries. Roxie is still a little hesitant at times but she was definitely our most spoiled dog before the baby. She is very protective of Emerson though. I think animals know something is going on before the baby comes. Yours will be just fine......even Wembley :)

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  2. We always made sure to bring Kiki on walks around the block (I still do this). It's soothing to the baby, includes the furry baby, and it's good for mom and dad too to get some fresh air! I bet both Wembley and Oliver will let you know when the baby has woken from a nap before you notice it on the monitor :-) kiki always runs to the top of the stairs and waits patiently until I hear the kids!

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