I am expecting #3 in June and am trying to figure out our sleeping arrangements. The baby will be in our room until we move after she's born because we have run out of room to give her her own room. There is not enough room for the full crib in our bedroom. We have 2 boys, 8&5 who often come into our bed at random times of the night as well as 4 cats, 13yrs, 2yrs and 2 6 month old kittens who will be 10 months old when she's born. With the bed already crowded as it is and not being able to trust the kids or the cats to not squash the baby we can't safely just let her sleep in the bed with us and need to give her her own space. We have been looking at the Co-Sleeper and like the idea but are a little worried about the cats and it. It looks a lot like a pack and play in that it's got a lot of mesh sides and stuff. The kittens right now like to attack my mesh laundry baskets all the time when I'm doing laundry. I am a tiny bit concerned they might like the idea of climbing the sides or something. We are also looking at small bassenets but you can't use those as long as the Co-Sleeper so I don't feel like I'm getting my money's worth.
The question this is leading up to is does anyone have the Co-Sleeper and young cats? Did they leave it alone? Would I be better off with a bassinet even though you can only use it for about 4 months as opposed to the year you can use the Co-Sleeper? I am really stumped.
Thank you for all your suggestions. I am taking another look at the cosleeper now, though my husband still isn't totally sold on it anymore now. I was reminded that when I was pregnant with my first son we were very concerned that one of our 2 cats we had at that time(one of them passed away a month ago and the other is the mentioned 13yr old) would bother the crib. We looked at that tent thing to go on top and decided against it and too see what happened. She jumped into the crib exactly once, the day we put it together. I gave her an extremely severe and stern "No" and told her to "Get Down" while going to pick her up to take her out, she jumped right out and never did it again. That was over 8 years and 2 kids ago. Of the 4 cats we have I am only really concerned by the curiousity of the 2 kittens. We've had them since they were about 4 days old when we rescued them and their mom so I am by far their "mom" and the Alpha Cat (to all 4 really), they're good about listening to me and we've got 3 more months for them to get better at that still. With that said, we found a bassinet we really like that has a moses basket that we could use in other places of the house that is starting to win over the cosleeper even though we can't use it as long.
Thanks again :)
I don't have cats myself, but have heard that the easiest way to train cats to not jump into the crib/co-sleeper etc. is to put a bunch of empty soda cans in there before you have the child. When the cats do jump in it makes a lot of noise that they don't like and the combined movement of the cans teaches them not to jump in. Several couples in my lamaze class used it with success. Good luck!
C. H.
Get the Co-Sleeper early and train the cats away from it. Cats hate the sound and feel of foil. Put mouse traps in side of it and cover with foil. The cats are protected from actually getting caught in the traps and learn not to go near it. Hang foil on the outsides, they will learn to stay away. By the time the baby gets here they will be trained not to go there.
My cat attacks mesh things too but has left the co-sleeper alone. I LOVE my co-sleeper! But you can't really use it as a co-sleeper for a year, but you can make it into the playpen after they grow out of it. My daughter slept in it for about 6 1/2 months but then she got too interested in waking up and standing up and looking over the sides and fell out once!! I still have it attached to my bed, but she is pretty much in her crib full time now. She is 8 months old.
My cat sleeps on my bed, but never makes it into the co-sleeper.. I guess the bed is more comfy? lol But he will sleep in the crib with her sometimes.. he sneaks in and I find her covered in cat hair in the morning! :)
Oh and if your cats are anything like mine.. closing the door at night is not an option.. my cat scratches at the carpet and at the door when he wants in so I would much rather him come in than ruin my carpets!!
To those who claim the cats are a major hygiene issue.. sure obviously if your cats ate all that contaminated pet food they might have the salmonella, but that happened a while ago and odds are her cats are fine. Also given the ages of her cats, she has had them for a while and as long as they are indoor cats toxoplasmosis is not a huge risk. My cat is an indoor cat and I have had him since he was a tiny kitten and he has never been outside, does not eat rats, birds, or anything else.. so I changed his little box all throughout my last pregnancy and am continuing to do so in my current pregnancy. If I didn't do it it wouldn't get done and having him poop all over my carpet would be a bigger health risk than me scooping the litter box once a day! My cat loves my kids and snuggles in with them and lets them chase him and I am not in the slightest bit worried about any "germs" he might have.
I had the same concerns about my one cat, and he never showed any interest in the co-sleeper while my DS was using it. Now that that DS has moved out of it and sleeps in his own room, however, my cat has claimed it for himself and sleeps in it all the time.
My cat is an adult though - 8 years old. I can't speak for kittens.
If I were you, I'd play it on the safe side and just close the bedroom door to prohibit the cats and other kids from coming in. I mean no offense, especially if you sleep with your other kids as a cultural practice. But for my family, one of the best things we did ever did for everyone's sanity was start prohibiting my older kid (age 5) from coming into our bedroom before 7 a.m. We did this a few months BEFORE his baby brother was born, so he did not associate it with his brother and become jealous.
We have a cat and a co-sleeper - we bought the canopy attachment for the co-sleeper to keep the cat out. Well, in our case the baby wound up in bed with us and the cat found a way to slip into the co-sleeper. Could you shut the door and keep the cats out of the room? Start shutting it now so they get used to it, and have your other kids start doing the same.
Knowing that you love your cats and feel they are part of the family...it's hard to tell you this. For the safety of the baby, perhaps you need to keep the cats away from the bedroom where you and the baby will be sleeping (and your sons too!) for a while. Especially the kittens, they tend to get carried away when they play, and cats are often more active at night. Could they have temporary quarters in the gargage at night for a few months? Or can you close off the bedrooms and let them roam the rest of the house?
Katrina,
While I think cats are not necessarily a hygeine issue, when it comes to babies there are many questions that arrise when dealing with pets of all kinds.
I would say you might want to start migrating their sleeping spots to someplace else that is comfy and where they won't feel displaced.
When my son was born we had three cats, two very dependent on routine and one who just kind of went with the flow. What I did was put beds for them in our open area upstairs near my room, and got them used to the bedroom door being closed. My son and I co-sleep and the co-sleeper was great for as long as he fit in it.
If you start now, you can get them used to a new routine or transition them to new sleeping spots. It's like dealing with toddlers...just be firm and consistent. Once my son was older (now 30 months) they were allowed to come in and out of the room, but they have no interest in my bed or being near my son when he's sleeping.
Good Luck!
Hi Katrina,
I had two cats when my son was born. Although they had always slept right next to me in bed, once my son was born, they did not insist on the bed anymore. Not once did either one ever jump in the co-sleeper, or in my son's crib. Truth be told, I think that the little person who made all that noise every couple of hours, was a bit much for them. They kept their distance, but always took notice when he cried. Sometimes they would meow when he cried. They were aware of him, and yet kept their distance. They found other places to sleep.
My suggestion would be to find some other cozy spot for the cats to sleep in that they really like. It could be a nice basket or bed on the other end of the room, or wherever else the cats would enjoy sleeping.
As for your co sleeper dilemna, I found that my son outgrew the bassinet much sooner than the co sleeper. Plus, it could be converted to a play pen later.
Congrats on your growing family!
M.
I do not believe having the cats in your room is a hygiene problem as others have stated. The school age kids probably come home with more germs than your cats have. Just train the cats early that they are not allowed to be in or around the co-sleeper. One of my cats got in the crib once before my first was born. I yelled at him to get out and he never did it again. The other suggestions are good. I would also suggest setting it up a few months early and using a water bottle and squirting them if they get too close to the co-sleeper.
I had a 6 month old kitten when my daughter was born. I had bought an expensive "tent" which was supposed to go over the top of the crib to keep the cat out. I didn't even need to use the tent because when my daughter was born, my cat had absolutely no interest in my daughter and I was able to return the tent.
If you do buy the co-sleeper, maybe you could give the cats their own "laundry basket" with some of their toys in it(so the cats know it belongs to them).
Katrina, This is from a dog lover, but common sense tells me that it's time to find a safe place for your cats to sleep. maybe the laundry room, or close the doors to your bedrooms. Lucky for you no one is allergic to cat dander. the choices would be more difficult. Borrow a bassinet and see how that goes if you can and then assess the situation. By then the cats will have their own spot to sleep too.
good luck, it sounds like a nightmare to keep cat hair off of everything. Happy pregnancy!! Deb
I don't have cats, but I love the co-sleeper. I had the mini co-sleeper and it worked great and was very sturdy. I'm sure you can make it work. Good Luck!
Hi. I have a 4 month old son, a 10 month old kitten, a 6 year old cat, and a co-sleeper. Before the baby was born, we set up the co-sleeper and filled it with balloons. Apparently, cats hate balloons (probably because their claws cause them to pop?) Also, the co-sleepers have pockets. I put a small squirt bottle of water in the pocket and squirt the kitten when he jumps in the co-sleeper to curl up at my son's feet. (The kitten seems very fond of my son and would love to sleep at his feet. One day!) It's all worked out great. I love the co-sleeper. I love having my son so close but with his own space. I respect parents who put their little ones in bed with them, but I just couldn't deal with sleeping next to my grunting, squirming, flailing lil bundle of joy!
Good luck with your new baby!
Hi Katrina,
I didn't use a co-sleeper but I have young cats. My son has a bean bag chair that I wanted to keep the cats away from so I got a water spray bottle. I few good sprays the first couple of times they tried to get on the bean bag did the trick. My cats will now walk around the bean bag but never go on it. You can get the co sleeper then if the cats try to get in there (which they may or may not do) try spraying them. They'll stop quickly.
I do think the co sleeper is a better use of your money. We bought a basinet and my son hated it... used it about 3 days then into the crib or our bed (where he still is 6 years later with the cats).
Good luck!
I heard that if you want to discourage cats in any location. Fill the area will balloons. The cats will jump in and pop the balloons - get scared and not return to that area again. I loved the bassinet we had, but you are limited on the time of use. Good Luck.
I have 2 cats and was worried about the same thing - especially since the two of them were in and on everything before my daughter was born. Surprisingly, they were very attuned to the fact that a baby was in the co-sleeper and left it alone. They were curious and sat beside her on the bed but never tried to go in.
My cats surprised me totally because they became far more maternal and put up with a lot more from her than I would have ever expected. There is just something about pets where they know they are dealing with a baby or a child and give way more care and leeway than they would any adult.
I concur with Beverly. Sorry.
I love cats and have always had them growing up and as an adult. BUT... I must say, that having so many, AND around a newborn... is a hygiene problem. Remember, a newborn has no immune system built up. Cats CAN spread Salmonella.... here is a link about it:
http://www.idph.state.il.us/public/hb/hbsam.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/Salmonella/typhimurium/salmonella_pets...
For me, my concern would be this- the hygiene and sanitation of the cats being around the baby. Sure, they say wash your hands after handling a pet. But, cats use litter boxes... and thus their feet can track microbes/bacteria around the house. And having multiple cats poses in increased risk, perhaps.
It's hard to say how your cats will at with the baby or with a co-sleeper. Kittens are playful!
All the best,
Susan
A pregnant Mom also should not handle the cat litter box...
I also know that some cats are great around babies...
What about closing your bedroom door when you go to bed so the cats and the kids can't get in?
Good luck!!
