Dog's Food/water Dishes and Baby on the Move...

I found that no matter where I put the food and water, my kids went for it anyway. They still put cars in the food or socks in the water although they stopped eating it long ago. I think all you can do is keep an eye out. It's harmless stuff. Grain, meat and veggies. While it's unappealing to us, it's harmless. Just say ewww and clean it up if she makes a mess. Keep the water bowl small so there isn't enough water to pose a major problem. I also kept a towel under the bowls for a long time to make it easier.

Both my girls crawled on the floor and ate the dog's food and played in the water........I highly doubt this is hazardous behavior! If you are there to supervise it should be no problem to take her from there and bring her to an area that's more fun and rewarding. Every child needs to explore. She is learning more from that experieince then any you can provide!

I have a 9 month old daughter on the move and she always trys to get to the dog's bowls. Unfortunately theres really nothing you can do besides catch her before she gets too close and keep giving her other distractions. If its possible you could always put up a gate to the kitchen or where ever the dogs food is. Good Luck!!

We put it behind the gate so there was no chance of the baby getting into it. If your dog is picky about where her food bowl is, you could try moving it slowly, a few inches each day to a safe spot!

We left it out and taught our daughter not to bother it. You might try putting it in a location you don't let her go very often, so maybe she won't notice it for awhile....

Okay. I have a 4 yr old, a 2 yr old and a 10 month old. The two older girls both went through a dog food eating stage and they are as healthy as can be. My 2 year has even gotten to the cat food (climbing for it), sitting down with the bowl and eating it like it is snack! We definitely discourage the kids from doing this, but kids are kids, and they are curious, and when hungry and not totally verbal, will eat whatever they can find!

My youngest is just starting to get curious, and yes, I expect she will too go through a dog food eating stage. She has not tried to eat anything yet, but we do not leave the food down all day. We feed our dog at dinner time, so we do not have the same issue. The cat food, which is out all day, fortunately is off the floor on the cat's own counter.

Dog water WILL get everywhere. BUT it is only water. Just make sure you have some old towels around for easy clean up and extra dry clothes for your little one. You will find yourself getting clean dog water frequently as well, as kids love to put things into bowls of water...

All said, I have never had any of my kids (knock on wood) choke on either the cat food or dog food. You have to be vigilant, but I do not think you need to worry if a few kibbles get ingested...I would be more worried about your dog getting anxious over your little one invading her food. My dogs have always been very docile when it comes to food. But if your dog is already a worrier when it comes to eating, you may need to work with her starting NOW and slowly moving her food to a more kid friendly place that she can get to but your baby can't. Is there a room where you can close the door and install a doggie door on for your dog? Until your daughter learns to crawl through that, which will come later when she is less likely to choke, your dog will be able to get to her food in peace and you won't have to worry about your daughter quite so much!

Good luck. Critters and babies together are fun, but they do pose a bit more of a challenge!

Well, first I'd say what you already know - the baby is the priority. So, doggie may need to move her eating spot, if it must be left out all day. Is there anyway she can spend time outdoors? Do you have a utility room or something where she could eat? The best idea I think I had, involved teaching your dog something new. I don't know how that will go over, but here it is... If possible keep the food where it is, but put up a baby-gate. If that area doesn't allow for a baby-gate, move it to an area that does. When you all are not home, the gate could come down. When you are the gate stays up and the dog could learn to go the gate and give a little yelp when she wants to eat. You can lift her over and she can yelp when she done. This is the same principle as teaching dogs to go to the door when they have to "go" and need to be let out. It won't be without its aggravations, but then would having an indoor dog and young baby ever be? :)

Also, you may want to check for solutions at your local pet store - you can't be the only one to go through this, maybe they have something to help. (?)

If she ingests it, be sure to help her get it out of her mouth, for choking can be an issue--other than that...I would say do what we did.

put the dishes in a corner she usually is not around, and teach her to stay out of it..now will you have a puddle on the floor from the water dish? probably! And dry food in the water bowl? yep...but remember to take pictures! :)

It's all a learning thing right now, and trust me, there are many parents who do not even child proof at all, but just teach them to leave certain things alone... All will depend on your child and her own personality.

Taking the dishes up is obviously a risk to your dogs health, and should not be messed with, IMO...Children can be taught to leave it alone...and a lot do! :)

Is there any way you could give the dog access and block the baby too? Try a small gate that your dog can jump/lean over or a set of steps just for the dog that the baby can't reach. Otherwise, redirect, redirect, redirect that carpet crawler! You just have to stay on top of it but accidents will always happen. What are you going to do when she starts walking and exploring everything?

We had the same issue w/my son & our cats, except it wasn't just food/water, but also the litter! We put it all in the kitchen & gated the kitchen so he couldn't even get in there unless we carried him. GL!

You have a couple of options. Dogs respond best to routine, so if you put her food down for 10 minutes twice a day at the same time each day, she will adjust. If she normally eats dry food, use wet food or cooked hamburger and rice for the first few days until she adjusts. Using yummier food will help with the transition. You could also have your daughter "feed" her. Hold your baby while you feed the dog and put the dish down. Also, have your baby put yummy things in the dish for your dog. These will all help.
You can take your dog to the vet and ask about reducing her anxiety through medication. We had a dog on Elavil and it helped her nerves without changing her personality. It was the same thing with us; we put her on Elavil when we had our first kid because it was very hard on her. The drugs were either $4 or $8 per month from Target, so very reasonably priced.
If your dog guards her food aggressively, I really don't see a way to free-feed her safely with a baby crawling around. I think anti-anxiety medication and strict routine will help. Dogs are soothed by routine, honest. I've had a lot of dogs and professional training with some of them so I'm giving you advice from experience. Good luck.

Yep...gates are the answer to everything. Boundaries!
If you have a large dog, or a small dog that jumps well, get a short baby gate and block off the doorway to the room with the food dishes. If you have a dog that won't jump, put the baby gate in the doorway, but raise it 6-8 inches off the floor. It's still a good visual barrier for the little one (and gives you a few more seconds to grab her before she gets past it) and your dog can go under it. I have a blind cat and we use a baby gate in this manner to block off the bathroom that has her litter box and food dishes. :)

Have read some really good suggestions on this one, teach her that the food is not for her, the moving the dish a few inches over time is good, too. However, if choking is not a concern, and you're certain that the dog doesn't have worms and such, I do agree with the mom that posted saying all of her kids have gotten into it at one time or another. As gross as it seems, little ones do build up the best immune systems by being exposed to things less than pristine. Hey, don't feel too bad if it happens, when my son was nearly a year, he came to me, totally thrilled with the fact that he had eaten kitty litter(the 'immune system' theory didn't fly too well with me that time!). Oh my goodness, I can still see the little clay particles in his teeth like yesterday-yuck! And he did it a second time, too! Both times I completely freaked out and promptly threw him in the tub for a head to toe and teeth scrubbing. Mortified, I told his pediatrician, who told me that if he wasn't eating weird things all the time(pica) then, oh well, it happens! Babies are so weird!

I read one time that if we would "house proof our babies" we wouldn't need to "baby proof our house". My baby used to get into our dogs food and water too so we just taught her not to. It's important to teach a baby that some things are not for them to have. They are able to learn that at a very young age. We aren't really helping them if we simply put everything they can't have out of reach. That only gives them the impression that as long as it's within reach, they can have it. - a dangerous thing for them to think later on. So my suggestion would be to spend a few days watching your baby very close. When she goes for the food, tell her calmly but firmly "no" and turn her the opposite direction. You will have to do this MANY times. But if you are consistant over time, she will learn she is not allowed to get into the food. (spending the time to train her now will actually save you time later.) After awhile (as long as you never let her get away with it) she won't even try because she will know it's off limits. You can do this with any object. Another technique I read with older infants is to lightly thump their hand at the same time you say no. - not so hard they cry, but just enough they notice and it gets their attention. They will then associate the "no" with the little discomfort to their hand. They will then test the relationship between the two by trying again. When you continue consistantly with this they learn what is off-limits and what is ok and they will obey even when you aren't around. Some people may not agree with this technique, but it does work. It's not a form of discipline - it's training them.

We kind of have the same situation. You are just goning to have to keep an eye on her when it comes to the food. When she gets old enough to understand it will actually be ok. My son who is 19 months has made it his chore to feed our dog her breakfast and her dinner. We supervise of course but he gets out the bag of food scoops it out and carries the bowl into her room. Now the water bowl is a completely different story. We cannot seem to keep him away from that. Everything that can go in has, and several times we have cleaned up a flood from him leaning on it or dumping it out. Just remember that your dog is a part of your family as well and make sure to give her plenty of attention. Good Luck and don't worry.

Interesting question. Can you relocate the dog's eating space - away from the baby? Or, perhaps put up a barrier so that baby doesn't get into the dog's space. Sounds like your dog is territorial and may freak if the baby interrupts its' routine.
You'll figure it out. Meanwhile, do the baby and dog get along?
Baby can learn faster than dog what the boundaries are.
Also, dog food probably won't harm the baby. Just piss off the dog.

The dishes are kept in a room out of sight. They are in reach but we have just told our son not to touch it and he listens.

That being said if your dog may become aggressive with her if she does go after it then you should definitely pick them up and feed her as needed.

Good luck. Animals and babies are a tough balance.

We have dogs too. We ended up using a kid gate to keep our son out of the kitchen (where the bowls were) and kept the dogs in the kitchen when the baby was on the move (until they all got adjusted to each other).