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6. Pet Meets Baby. Advice on how to introduce baby to your pet.

7. Safety. Baby proofing tips and advice, room by room.

Pet meets baby

If you already have a pet and are now expecting a baby, you’re probably wondering how your “best friend” is going to react to the new family addition. Doubtless you’ve heard stories about how a pet became so jealous of its new “sibling” that he had to be given away. How can you avoid this situation? Here are 9 tips on smoothing the transition.

1 If your dog hasn’t been obedience trained, do it now. Even if you feel confident that your dog is well trained, a refresher course can’t hurt.

2 Before you get pregnant, have your cat tested for toxoplasmosis, a disease that is caused by a parasitic organism that is transmitted to humans from cat feces (and raw or undercooked meat). Nicole Shaw, a doctor of veterinary medicine in Brooklyn, NY sent us the following information regarding Toxoplasmosis and how to avoid it. “There are certain precautions pregnant women should take. The main three precautions are:

Clean out the litter box once daily (it takes over 24 hours for the organism, shed in feces, to BECOME infectious).

Simply wash your hands (duh!) after cleaning the box (the transmission is fecal-oral)

Have the mom and the cat tested for Toxo: If the mom is positive, there is little risk to the fetus (the mom is protected). If the mom and the cat are negative, no risk, keep the cat indoors and do not feed it raw meats. If the mom is negative and the cat is positive (the only risk is IF the cat itself was recently infected) then it can shed the organism in poop for a few weeks. If, for instance, you adopted your (toxo positive) cat 5 years ago as a stray, and she has been indoor only since, chances that she is shedding the organism in poop is extremely low. Again, the best thing to do is WASH hands after cleaning the box. I have had a few single, pregnant, cat-owning clients who do not have other people to clean out the box, but if they keep their cat indoors, clean the box daily and wash their hands afterwards there is no risk.”

3 Don’t overcompensate. You may start feeling guilty while you’re pregnant because you won’t be able to spend as much time with your pet after the baby comes. So what mistake do expectant parents make? They overcompensate and give a pet extra attention before the baby arrives. Do this and then the animal really misses you and resents the new baby. While it might seem counter-intuitive, gradually give your best friend less attention so he or she can adjust before baby comes.

4 If your pet has never been around babies, now is the time to introduce him—before your baby is born.

5 Consider buying a baby doll. Why? If you practice loving and attending to a baby doll for a few weeks prior to your baby’s actual arrival, your pet can begin to get used to you paying attention to small bundles wrapped up in blankets. We did this, and our dog ZuZu got over her curiosity about it quickly. By the time the baby arrived, she didn’t much care what we were carrying around (as long as it didn’t smell like doggie biscuits!).

6 Before the baby comes home from the hospital, have a friend or relative bring home a blanket or piece of clothing the new baby has slept on or worn in the hospital. This helps your pet get used to the smell of the new addition before you bring on the actual baby. We put a blanket the baby slept on in our dog’s kennel, and we really think it helped smooth the transition. Another idea: one mom told us she had the nursery staff tape the cries of babies in the hospital nursery. She then put the tape inside the crib and let it “cry” for a while. “By the time my son came home, our pets were so used to hearing a baby’s cry, it didn’t bother them at all,” she said.

7 Strategies for bringing baby home. Make sure your dog is under control (on a leash or under voice command) when you first come home with your new baby. Greet your four-legged friend first, without the baby. This allows your dog to release some of his excitement and jumping (remember he hasn’t seen you for a few days), without you worrying about the dog harming a baby in your arms. Next, Dad should hold the dog by the collar or leash while Mom shows Fido the baby. Give your dog time to sniff a little, but don’t let the dog turn the situation into a lick-fest. If everything looks OK, you can release the dog.

8 What about using a net over your baby’s crib? While it’s an old-wives tale that cats have an unnatural attraction to babies, cats DO love to sleep in warm places. And often a baby’s room will the be warmest place in the house. While your cat probably won’t want to sleep in the crib with the baby, you still might want to prevent them from visiting the crib and leaving pet hair/dander on the sheets. Pet gates are one solution.  Another idea: train your cat where not to go by using double sided tape on such items as the crib, changing table, etc. One couple decided to install a screen door on the baby’s room. They could see in and hear the baby, but the cat couldn’t enter.

9 Never leave your pet alone with the baby—especially if it has shown any signs of jealousy toward your child. Don’t allow your dog to sleep under the crib (there have been incidents of dogs standing up and pushing the mattress off its supports, causing the mattress to crash to the floor). Always supervise how your baby plays with the pet. For example, when our son was older, he found our Dalmatian very interesting. However, he tended to pull on her ears and tail whenever he got a hold of them. So, we constantly encouraged gentle petting.

Safety

General Tips

Throw away plastic bags and wrappings—these are a suffocation hazard. And there are more plastic bags and packing in your house than you might realize—dry cleaning bags, grocery bags and bubble pack are all prime suspects.

Sign up for emailed recall notices on Recalls.gov. When you go there, hit Sign up for Emails. Then select the CPSC list—and pick the options to only subscribe to “only those recalls involving infant/child products.”

Put window guards on any windows you plan to open. In June of 2000, the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued new standards for window guards. Each year about 12 children die in falls from windows while another 4,700 require hospital visits. You have two options with windows. You can place a stopper on the window frame so the window can only be raised up to four inches or you can install a guard. Window guards screw into the window frame and have bars no more than four inches apart. The guards come in two flavors: stationary or removable. If your windows are in a standard two-story house (up to the sixth floor of an apartment building), you’ll need a barrier that can be opened by an adult or older child in case of a fire. If you live in an apartment above the sixth floor, you’ll need a permanently mounted option. Most window guards sell for $50 to $100; go to WindowGuard.org to find a local retailer near you or mail order catalog that sells these items

Mini-blind cords can be a strangulation hazard. Put them high off the floor or buy cord shorteners (available from many of the catalogs and web sites we review later in this chapter). Another money-saver: inexpensive “cleats” from hardware stores let you wrap up the cords, keeping them far from baby’s reach. A reader also recommended “Blind Winders” from Kidco ($20 for a pack of four)—these gizmos automatically retract the blind cord like a tape measure,

Always use gates at the TOP and BOTTOM of stairs. Placing a gate two or three steps up from the bottom allows your child to practice climbing without the danger. Gates at the top of the stairs should be permanently mounted (instead of pressure gates). If you have wrought iron railings or other challenging railings, consider gates from KidCo (800-553-5529 for a dealer near you, www.kidcoinc.com). KidCo makes adapter kits to make any gate compatible with wood banisters, hollow walls and wrought iron railing.

Eliminate pool hazards. Pools are among the most dangerous outdoor hazards for a toddler; about 350 children under five drown each year according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The CPSC actually studied the effectiveness of pool alarms in a report released in 2000. They looked at three types of alarms: floating alarms that detect waves on the surface, underwater products that detect waves under the surface and a wristband alarm worn by children that activates when wet.
The CPSC found that, in general, underwater alarms performed most consistently with less likelihood of false alarms (one surface alarm also performed well). The CPSC points out that underwater alarms can also be used in conjunction with a pool cover—surface alarms cannot. The wristband alarm was most impractical of all the devices since it requires a care giver to remember to put it on a child. Here are the alarms they recommended—for underwater alarms, Poolguard (PBM Laboratories, www.poolguard.com) and Sentinel LINK (Lambo Products; we found it on www.babyproofingplus.com). A good surface alarm: PoolSOS by Allweather (www. allweather.ca) Here are additional tips from the CPSC for safety around your pool:

1. Fences and walls should be at least four feet high and installed completely around the pool. Fence gates should be self-closing and self-latching. The latch should be out of a small child’s reach.

2. If your house forms one side of the barrier to the pool, then doors leading from the house to the pool should be protected with alarms that produce a sound when a door is unexpectedly opened.

3. A power safety cover (a motor-powered barrier that can be placed over the water area) can be used when the pool is not in use.

4. For above-ground pools, steps/ladders to the pool should be secured and locked, or removed when the pool is not in use.

5. If a child is missing, always look in the pool first. Seconds count in preventing death or disability. Keep rescue equipment by the pool, and be sure a phone is poolside with emergency numbers posted. You or someone in your household should know CPR.

Keep your child out of garages and basements. There are too many items stored in these areas that can be dangerous (like pesticides and gardening equipment). If you don’t want to install a keyed lock to basement stairs, consider a hook and eye closure at the top of the door. This allows adults to open the door easily.

Put the cat’s litter box up off the floor. Even better: install a cat-sized pet door in the laundry room, put the litter box in there, and keep the door closed.

Keep pet food dishes and water dishes out of baby’s reach. Besides eating dog or cat food (and maybe choking on it), some pets jealously guard their food and might snap at an eager toddler. Water dishes are a drowning hazard

Fireplaces can be a major problem. Never leave your child unattended around a fire. Even if there is no fire in the fireplace, the soot left behind is a toxic snack. Fireplace tools aren’t good play toys either; put them away in a locked cabinet. Consider buying a bumper pad to go around the hearth to prevent injuries.

Cover outlets. You have two choices: outlet PLUGS that stick directly into receptacles and outlet COVERS, which are an entire face plate that is mounted over each pair of outlets. You can buy outlet covers from hardware stores or safety catalogs. Safety experts caution that those cheap outlet plugs are a potential choking hazard. Consider moving heavy furniture in front of some of your outlets as well. If you have a computer and other peripherals, consider a kid-proof outlet strip. We’ve seen such strips with covers that slide over unused outlets, and other models that keep baby from unplugging any cords (see the safety catalogs later in this chapter for more info).

Fire escape ladder. If you live in a two-story home, purchase a portable fire escape ladder. These ladders fold up compactly for under-bed or closet storage. They cost about $100 depending on the length. We actually saw the Kidde fire escape ladder in Costco warehouse stores for a mere $28. Just shows you you can find the weirdest stuff in the most surprising places if you keep your eyes open.

Keep top-loading freezers locked. An enterprising toddler can get a chair and climb inside if it’s not locked.

Going to the grocery store? Consider this: according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission 16,000 children under age five were injured in falls from shopping carts in 1996 (latest years’ data). Sixty-six percent of those injuries were head trauma. And don’t think all those injuries were from the seat. In fact, 49% fell out of the basket. Makes you think twice before putting your baby in a cart. Another concern: babies who teeth on the cart handle. Who knows what kind of germs are all over those handles!

So, what are parents to do? You’ve got to go to the grocery store at some point with your child. One answer: the Buggy Bagg ($65; web: www.babybagsdirect.com). Made for children from four months to four years of age, the Buggy Bagg can also be used as a restaurant high chair cover and a diaper bag. It covers the entire shopping cart seat and the handle as well. It can be inserted into the cart with one hand and is machine washable. Other options include the BuggyBuddy ($20; web: www.buggybuddy.com), the Clean Shopper ($30; web: www.cleanshopper. com) and Baby a la Cart ($45; web: www.babyalacart.com).

Safety: Bathrooms

  • Toilets make a convenient stepping stool and can be used to reach the bathroom countertop. Take hair dryers and curling irons off the counter and put them in a locked cabinet.
  • Secure tub spouts or nozzles with protective covers.
  • Set your hot water heater to a lower setting. The best temperature for baby-friendly bathroom hot water is 120 degrees or less. (Most hot water heaters are set at 140 degrees by default). As an alternative, you can purchase an anti-scalding device that attaches to showers or sink faucets. Look for these devices at your local hardware store.
  • Hide medication (including vitamins), mouthwash, perfume, and anything else containing alcohol in a cabinet with a latch. Don’t think that a childproof cap is really childproof. Junior is much smarter than those rocket scientists at the drug companies think he is. Keeping all items that pose a hazard out of reach is your best defense. Each year, one million children accidentally ingest medicines or chemicals. Sadly, 50 of those cases are fatal.
  • Get a toilet lock for all the toilets (about $10 from hardware stores and safety catalogs). Toddlers are fascinated with the water in the bowl. If they fall in head first, they won’t be able to get themselves out. Also, don’t use those colored deodorant products in the toilet. Not only are they toxic and therefore inherently dangerous, but they also make the toilet water a more enticing blue color.
  • Check bath rugs and mats. Get non-skid versions or buy rubber backing to keep baby from slipping when she starts walking.
  • Never leave buckets of water around, in the bathroom or anywhere in the home. If your baby should fall in head first, the weight of his head makes it impossible for him to leverage himself out. The result could be a tragic drowning, even in an inch or two of water.
  • Separate your medicine and vitamins from the baby’s. You don’t want to make any mistakes in the middle of the night, when you’re sleepy and trying to get your baby’s medication.
  • Don’t store non-medicines in the medicine cabinet. You might grab a bottle of rubbing alcohol instead of cough syrup by accident.
  • Bath rings and seats can be dangerous. Yes, these items (which are attached to a bathe with suction cups) are pitched to parents as a safe way to bathe baby. But, they are not foolproof. Never leave any child under five years old alone in the bathtub or with an older sibling. Remember that a young infant can drown in less than an inch of water. Bottom line: we do not recommend use of any bath ring or seat.

Kitchen

  • Remember the dishwasher is a fun toyland, filled with all kinds of interesting objects. The best advice: keep it locked at all times. Another tip: never put dishwasher detergent in the dishwasher until you’re ready to use it (and clean up any left over blobs after it’s done). Dishwasher detergents are highly toxic.
  • Lock the oven door as well. However, as one reader wrote us, you can get “burned” following this tip: “My husband fixes appliances and received a frantic call on Thanksgiving Day. A mother had her turkey in the oven and had locked it to ensure that her enterprising toddler didn’t open the door. Unfortunately, when you lock an oven door during use it will not unlock until the oven temp drops below a certain degree. It thinks you’re trying to do a high temp clean. The frantic mother had a house full of people and turkey burning in the oven.” Sounds like something we’d do!
  • Put all cleaning supplies and poisons into an upper, locked cabinet.
  • Use safety latches on drawers with sharp cutlery and utensils.
  • Latch any cabinets containing glassware.
  • Lock up garbage in a place that’s out of sight.
  • Unplug those small appliances—you don’t want Junior playing with the Cuisinart.
  • Protect your child from the stove. The best bargain tip here is to simply remove the knobs and keep them in a drawer until you are ready to use the stove. Another alternative is to use knob covers, sold in most chain stores.
  • Keep stools/chairs away from countertops, stoves, and sinks.
  • Tablecloths can be yanked off your table by an overzealous toddler, bringing dishes crashing down on her head. Use placemats instead when you’re eating at the table; otherwise, the table should be cleared.
  • Get a fire extinguisher rated ABC (which can handle any type of fire). If you have a two-story house, a second fire extinguisher upstairs would be a good idea as well.

Living Rooms

  • Remove floor lamps. Floor lamps are easy for older babies and toddlers to pull over on themselves. At this point we haven’t come across a way to secure them to the floor or wall, so we recommend parents remove them entirely.
  • Forget using that coffee table for just about anything—remove any small objects and potential missiles. If it’s breakable, it should go up on a high shelf or in a locked cabinet. Pad that coffee table with bumpers—especially if it’s made of glass. See our email from the real world for a great money saving suggestion for padding the coffee table.
  • Anchor bookcases to the wall with nails or brackets. Shelves present a temptation to budding rock climbers who might pull them over on themselves.
  • Inspect your house plants and get rid of poisonous ones. Consult your local nursery or agricultural extension office for a list of poisonous plants. Of course, even a “safe” plant should be placed out of reach. And don’t forget to check silk plants and trees to make sure leaves cannot be detached and swallowed.
  • Extension cords are a notorious hazard. Use as few cords as possible and hide them behind (or under) furniture
  • Make sure any TV or stereo cart can’t be pulled over. Babies also love to play disc jockey, so your stereo equipment should be moved far out of reach.
  • Consider buying a VCR lock to keep your little one from feeding the tape player her Cheerios.
  • Bedrooms  Don’t leave small objects like coins, jewelry, cosmetics, or medications on dressers or bureaus
  • Storing items under the bed is a no-no. These are easy pickings for a baby.
  • Check how easily drawers in dressers can be pulled out. Once babies can open the drawers, they may try using them as stepladders.

Do It By Mail

One Step Ahead.
To Order Call: (800) 274-8440; Fax (847) 615-7236.
Web: www.onestepahead.com
One Step Ahead has a convenient index that lets you zero-in on any product. The catalog’s four pages of babyproofing products include such items as gates, “Tot Lok” cabinet latches ($12.95 for two locks and a key), and Toddler Shield coffee table bumpers. They even offer TV/VCR guards, power strip covers and appliance safety latches. We especially like their child-safe medicine cabinet. Prices are basically retail, but they’ve beefed up the selection.

Child Safety Store
To Order Call: (800) 282-3836
Web: www.childsafetystore.com
This great web site is organized by room, product or brand. For example, you can search for just kitchen safety items or zero on Kidco’s Gateway gates. We liked the section on pool alarms, as well as cabinet locks. Sample price: $10 for the Tubbly Bubbly spout cover by Kel-Gar. Their email newsletter includes promotions and coupons, as well as other helpful tips. Our only complaint: the site is slow to load and contains annoying banner ads.

Right Start Catalog.
To Order Call: (800) 548-8531); Fax (800) 762-5501.
Web: www.rightstart.com
The Right Start Catalog seems to have added substantially to their safety items in the past years. Beyond the usual (Tot-Loks cabinet locks, stove guards and fireplace bumpers) they sell heat sensitive bathtub mats ($5.50) and driveway warning signs (Kids at Play, $11). Prices are regular retail but be sure to check their web site for special deals. They also have quite a few stores (usually in major malls across the country). Sales seem more frequent although the stores usually have a more limited selection than the catalog.

NOTE: We no longer recommend the Perfectly Safe Catalog we mentioned in previous editions of this book. We have received an overwhelming number of complaints from our readers regarding customer service from this catalog. Please see our message boards on our web site at BabyBargains.com for more feedback from readers on this company.