Hello,
We have two dogs who each have their own dog beds. Our daughter FINALLY learned to crawl last weekend and has been exploring the house. Today she found the dogs beds (which is in our living room, so we knew she would find it sooner then later). How do we keep her out of it? I'm not sure how to "redirect" or "discipline" an 11 month old. Thank you for your ideas and insight!
C.
I wanted to thank everyone for their insight on the dog bed =O) We've decided to let her check it out (when the dog is not in it) and if the dogs need a place to get away they can go outside or to the back bedroom.
Thanks again!
C.
I don't think an 11 month will listen to directions. My daughter who is 15 months is now started to listen when I tell her no. You can't keep her out of the dog beds unless you have baby gates or keep the dog beds in a locked room. Just keep them as clean as possible, and the more you try to restrict her from them the more interested she will be. Also, when she starts walking it gets 100 times harder.
Hi C.,
Sorry to hear you had to go back to work. :( I know how it feels. As to the dog bed situation, our dog became VERY territorial about her bed when I was pregnant and my sister-in-law brought her 15 month old daughter over. Our dog loves kids and is very mellow so imagine my shock when she growled and snapped at my niece when she started to crawl on the dog bed! Amber too was our first "baby" (along with several cats) but I realized my soon to be born daughter's safety was more important. I NEVER left her alone with our dog until she was old enough to understand that she needed to give Amber her space. We started from day one showing Paige how to pet Amber, always saying "gentle". Once she was mobile, whenever she would head towards the dog bed or any dog toys I would pick her up and say "not for Paige" then give her one of her toys. I would tell her that she could scare or hurt Amber and Amber may bite her because she is a dog and doesn't always understand. A friends' granddaughter was attacked by the family dog and is still going through reconstructive surgery to repair her face. I don't want to scare you, but be aware and alert.
Sincerely,
L.
It sounds to me like you are really doing a great job so far. Being a first time mom is so very hard and there is so much that we fear we are doing wrong. Relax.
I guess the first question I would have is "Why is there such a fear of the dog's bed?" Is it a territory thing? Do you think the dog will nip at her to gain dominance? If so, work on letting the dogs know that in the hierarchy of the family it is you and your partner, then the baby, then the dogs.
Children are natural born explorers. It is not only in their nature, it is how they learn and how they establish feelings of competency and self esteem. If you need to stop her because of allergy issues, then be gentle, she is only doing what her nature is telling her to do. You break that spirit now, and you are on your way to a clingy, fearful baby.
If she really REALLY wants to get in the dog bed, maybe it is because to her it is in her line of view. I would expect that when she is closer to 2 she will want to climb into it because it is more her size, but for now, she is not developed cognitively enough to think in those terms.
If it is "first time mother geebies" (and I have been there too!), then just watch her carefully, but don't stop her. She will go over, crawl on it, roll on it and then head off for more fascinating territory. If it is dog issues, try to keep the dogs in the other room when she is exploring so that they do not feel threatened by her crawling on their beds. If it is allergies, wash the beds more frequently and try to gently redirect her to more fascinating areas. But, again, do not discipline her on this. It is what babies are supposed to do,explore their worlds.
You will do great! And, not only will you sail through this little mommy-moment admiring the adventurer in your little one, you will have the bonus of a wonderful, sharp, and self sufficient little girl, in your life! Good luck!
I can't imagine how you would keep her out unless you put a fence around the beds! You can keep pulling her off the beds and telling her no, but every time you turn your back, she will be right back in/on them. I would really suggest moving the beds for now.
I would just let her explore the beds. We have some really cute pictures of our son and the dog both laying in the dog's bed together. The dog (after an initial period of jealousy of him at birth) is very protective of my son and very gentle with him, even when he is trying to climb on her back and "ride" her. We always very closely supervised them together (until my son was over two). When he was a crawler (and also with my daughter) I just made sure I kept them clean. They both went through a stage where they were really into the dog's bed, but it passes. When my friends' kids come over we just move the beds into our bedroom, since quite a few of them are germ phobes and don't want their kids crawling on the dog's bed. So my advise would be unless you want to be saying no or redirecting all day, either let her crawl in it and get it out of her system or move it so it doesn't become something you have to constantly deal with.
my son does the exact same thing. i just let him check out he beds and he usually moves on...no harm.
I agree with Jan. You can't really descipline an 11 month old, but you can just pick her up and point her in another direction while reminding her that the dog bed isn't for babies, or for playing in. She may not completely understand right now at 11 months, but very soon she's going to start understanding your instructions. If at one point you let her play in the dog bed and then all of a sudden it's no longer allowed, it might be a little confusing. So, if you really don't want her in there, just be consistent in keeping her out of it.
It's no different than the fireplace or the toilet paper roll or anything else that she may be able to reach that you wouldn't want her playing with. She'll get it eventually, but it will take a sharp eye and consistency on your part.
C.,
Just use distraction and redirection. Don't make a big deal of it or she will just want to go back there to explore some more. Give her a toy or physically move her to another area and play with her there. Congratulations on her new milestone! Make sure EVERYTHING is baby-proofed! :)
Molly
Hi C.,
Every time she crawls in them move her to a new location and say "That's the dog's bed, not yours" or something like that. If she can learn that the dog eats dog food and she shouldn't, then she can understand the bed situation. If it really becomes an issue, buy another dog bed just for her.
Good luck!
I forgot to say - this will probably work best if everyone is consistent, including gramma, if she watches your daughter in your home.
HI!
We also have a dog and our son LOVES his bed! As long as it is safe, I would just let your daughter explore it! For me, I really didn't want my son on the dog bed b/c of getting dirty. BUT he gets dirty from the floor anyway! I agree with some of the other mom's, if you make a big deal of it, that is all she will want to do! I made that mistake a lot!
Good luck and enjoy this time of craziness!!
S.
Here is the problem, if you make a big deal out of the dog beds then she is going to want to go to them all the time. Do what we did, as long as your dogs done't mind. We let our little one explore the dog beds and even the dog crate. Now when the dog is not using the crate it is a great place for my daughter to hide. The bed she lost interest in after a while. As loong as your dogs are OK with sharing their bed for a few minutes she will ge tired of bed and find something else to explore.
