Preparing Owen (our dog) for Baby

I’m already practicing mommy duties by pushing around my Orbit stroller. Also, I realize this is the toddle seat. We have the infant car seat that will will be using while she’s small 🙂 And I’m not even joking about pushing the stroller around the neighborhood. We are trying to get Owen used to walking with us with a stroller. Our neighbors must think we are crazy! Walking around the with an empty stroller. But we read that it’s good to start living your life like you have the baby now in order to start preparing your furry friend.

Let’s see, what else did we do…

We also set up a bunch of baby products around the house slowly over the past few months. Like the bassinet in our bedroom and the Mamaroo swing in our living room. That way Owen doesn’t feel overwhelmed by all the new baby products in the house all at once – on top of well, a new baby.

We also read that Kevin should bring the baby clothes or a blanket home form the hospital while doing a trip home before we bring the baby home. Oh and that we should introduce the baby to Owen on neutral ground – not at the house where he might feel territorial. We’ve also been told that guests should great Owen first when they come over so he feels special before acknowledging the baby.

It’s not that we think Owen will be bad with the baby. In fact, we think the opposite! We’ve seen him interact with friend’s babies and he LOVES them! We know he is going to love his little sister. It’s more that we want him to feel as comfortable with this transition as possible. He is of course, our first baby 🙂

Did you do things like this to prepare your dog for baby? If you know of anything I didn’t post about, tell me in the comment below!

Sharing outfit details too because this dress is so great and functional!

This dress is really great for summer to be honest. It’s not only maternity friendly, but it’s postpartum friendly because it’s made to make nursing easy! It has these little zippers on the side that you zip down so your baby has easy access to their food source (As you can see me demonstrate below. Ha!) Plus it’s so light weight that it’s a perfect dress for the hot summer days that lie ahead of us. Honestly, when I first got it I was worried it would be sheer because it was so light weight, but you totally can’t see thorough it.

My fedora is so pretty with the lace trim and a necessity so keep my face safe from the sun this summer! And it’s under $20. My initial necklace is under $40 and very personal to me. 

1) NURSING DRESS 2) FEDORA HAT 3) INITIAL NECKLACE 4) CRYSTAL RING 5) ORBIT STROLLER

13 Thoughts

13 thoughts on “Preparing Owen (our dog) for Baby

  1. Hi Ali! We actually got a babydoll and carried it around the house.. Put in the swing, crib… Just let him sniff it and get use to seeing us hold a baby. We think it was really good for him! We also brought the blankets home like you said too and introduced them outside. 🙂 hope this helps!

  2. Love the outfit!! Also wanted to chime in and give you a little "add-on" to the whole bringing the blankets and clothes home from the hospital bit. My best friends brought a brand new dog toy to the hospital when they had the baby and then dad brought it home wrapped in baby’s clothes etc. so the toy would smell like baby. That way, the first time Owen smells baby, he will associate baby with the positive feeling of getting a new toy and then will always associate baby’s smell with a positive feeling! They said it worked wonders because they didn’t do it with their first babe and their dog was NOT happy, but then did it with the second and it was a great transition! Just a thought. Good luck! Wishing you a healthy, quick delivery and a blissful parenthood!! xoxoxox

  3. Start tugging on his ears and tail, like hard like a toddler would do. Also, when he is eating his food, reach into his bowl and take some pieces out, see how he reacts. These are things a toddler will likely do that a dog might have a bad reaction to and you want to see his response. Even better, get a friend he doesn’t know as well to tug on him and reach into his bowl.

    1. I disagree, don’t let your toddler tug on eats and tails or reach into a dog’s bowl of food, teach your toddler to respect a dog. A dog is not a toy for a child and shouldn’t be treated as one.

  4. Hi Ali,

    One thing that we did that was really helpful was play YouTube videos of babies squeaking, crying, laughing, sneezing, and any other sounds they make. That helped our dogs get used to baby noises that they had never heard before. When they first heard the videos they barked like crazy but when we brought baby home, they were fine. Just a tip ?

  5. You look so cute in everything you put on! Sweet that you are doing all that prepping, but people of been bringing babies hospital with dogs in the house for many many years, and think it’s more for the parents and the dog!

  6. Before you bring baby home, take a blanket home with the babies scent on it and let Owen smell it. Also when introducing the baby, make sure Owen is outside. Bring the baby inside and then let Owen in the house to see the baby. They also say to take the dog for a walk before introducing so he gets all of his energy out.

  7. All of the above and we also were recently told to rub diaper cream and baby powder on us so the pup gets used to the new smells too 🙂 and playing crying videos from the nursery so the pup hears it in there and gets use to it

  8. We got everything ready for the baby and let the puppies go in our room and the nursery all the time so they could get use the different smells. After I had our daughter my husband brought home a blanket for each of the dogs to sleep with. We let them sniff her and such when we brought her home. They absolutely love and adore her now.

  9. Hey! Cute dress 🙂 we brought home our daughters little hat we put on her after she was born home to our dog. Our dog summer was a little depressed at first. It didn’t last long. We tried giving her a lot of attention as much as we could. It was hard at first. But a year later our daughter and our dog are good friends…most of the time 😉 enjoy every minute, it goes way too fast.

  10. If your pup is used to snuggling you or hopping on your lap using a babydoll is great. We wrapped a doll in a blanket and held it as we sat on the sofa in the evenings so the dogs got used to not jumping up on or laps and respecting space when the baby was around.

  11. My friend did all the things above…now she wants to kick her poor little fur baby to the curb! ?

  12. I am new here so forgive the questions….i love seeing your blog and everything…..have you posted photos of your new house? Just like looking at how other people decorate their new homes because its all so much fun….
    I noticed in the photos here behind you…is that a rug? Or is it something else? It appears to have a lip that might cause someone to trip. Mthat may not be the case but being a grandma…you notice those things when a new baby is in the mix. I am sure you have considered every safety measure.

    About your dog, Owen…i think everything will be fine as long as you include him and let him get to know baby Mollie and give him some mommy/daddy time when she is asleep. Not all dogs are jealous….most are very protective of their pack….and they seem to know instinctively about helpless babies.

    I know my cats and dog did. My brittany spaniel slept under the crib and if the baby hesitated for a se ond to breathe or anything….she was in my face pulling on me. My cats were babies too and they slept at the other end of the bed covered in their own little baby blankets and they never once tried to smother my kids…they grew to be very protective like our dog was, but my animals were all exceptional. Not everyone has critters like I didi that reLly were part of the family.

    It will all work out..

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