7 Y/o Changing Litterbox

I am pregnant and my 3 yr old son whines for a cat 24-7. I'd like to have one too! I saw an infomercial thing about a self cleaning litter box that liquifys the waste and dumps it in the toilet on it's own AND cleans the litter. I can't remember what it is called, but you just reminded me to look into it! When I find out I'll let you know! I think it would be great, if it works!

Personally I think Dad needs to step up to the plate on this one. I have no issues at all with asking dear Karenna to help with dishes, making beds & even dumping out the bathroom trash but the liter box is really a different story. Can you have a heart to heart with hubby & re-explain to him that she already helps with x,y & z or that she could help with those but that you would really feel so much more comfortable with him doing the litter boxes & besides... he would only have to help until you are able to again.

Sorry, but geeeeesh -- what a big baby LOL You asked for his help & he dropped the ball -- come on Dad -- we need your help on this one :-) ~~Blessings, K.

I dont think 7 is too young but I do think he needs to help her with that. Explain to him that you cant do it and why, just in case he has forgotten. If he chooses not to help her then just move the cat box to his side of the bed and perhaps he will get the hint!
Good luck!

I know I am going against most of the advice here, but I would not let my 7 going on 8 yr. old change the litter box. There are SO many other chores she can do, the list is endless. My husband acts like our family dog is everyone but his, so he therefore does none of the work that goes with this.

I believe cleaning up feces is a grown up job for teens and up.

And there is my 2 cents!

R.

You could give him the choice of helping or shelling out the $99 for one of those automatic ones. If he's anything like my hubby helping scoop will suddenly seem much more appealing:)

I don't think she is necessarily too young, but your husband should change his approach a little. She needs to be taught how to do it and make it a fun chore. Instead of yelling at her to do it, could he get excited and at first she can be a helper. As she understands how to do it correctly, he can talk to her about doing it on her own and make sure he praises her about how good of a job she is doing!

My daughter is 19 months old and we make it a game for her to put dirty clothes in the hamper daily and she assists my husband in feeding the dog at night. She doesn't view them as chores and gets excited when she has the chance to help out Mommy and Daddy.

I think your daughter is absolutely TOO YOUNG to be changing the litterbox at all! If it is so dangerous for you as an adult who is pregnant, how bad is it for your 7 year old to be breathing that in? Your husband needs to be the man in this situation and do what is best for his family.

Absolutely! My almost 6 year old daughter has been sweeping the kitchen and helping me with dishes for a while now. They SHOULD have responsibilities around the house starting at a young age, that way they grow up being used to it. It's a lot harder to get a child to all of a sudden start helping than it is to start MAKING them when they're a little older.

My 7 year old son kept begging me to scoop out the litterbox. I have some control issues so I would not let him do it. (All I can think of is that will just be another mess for me to clean up when he is done).

I decided that I didn't want him to grow up with the same issues so I let him do it. And he actually does a pretty great job at it. He also now takes out the trash (and takes it to the street the night before pickup), makes his bed, puts away all his toys (i still help sometimes), cleans up his dinner dishes (scrapes them, etc) and more! Not only do I have more time to myself and more time to play with him, he is learning how to do things around the house that will help him in the future.

And we have the added bonus of going out for "special treats" because he has helped so much I have more time for the fun stuff. Which I tell him so he has the reinforement of the chores helping both of us not just something he has to do.

I'm a single Mom so I'm thrilled he can do things now! Let her do it. Just make sure she washes her hands when she's done!

I let my 8 year old clean out the litter box, as we have 1 cat. The only requirement is that after she is done, she has to immediately wash her hands, I was told by our vetrenarian (i know this isn't spelled right), that if I am to let her be responsible that hand washing needs to be done, there are some bacteria that are in the cat litter, that you don't want on you. If you are concerned about this provide him with some rubber gloves that he could wear while changing it, and then take them off and leave them at the box, for next time.

She's absolutely old enough! I was changing my cat's litterbox by myself at age 7 or 8. However, your husband needs to change his approach. You or him need to sit down with her and show her step-by-step how to do it correctly. Help her with it a few times. Then continue to monitor to make sure she gets it right. She needs instruction and patience until she learns how. Then again, I grew up on a farm so by age 7 I was mucking out the cow and horse stalls (yes, a 7 year old with a pitchfork! *gasp*) and responsible for feeding all sorts of animals including our cats and dogs.

Our oldest is 5 and he has his list of chores (some daily, some weekly) like taking out the trash, making his bed, sweeping/mopping the kitchen and putting helping to load the dishwasher.

That said, there's no reason why you can't change the litter box. Yes, there's a >slight< miniscule chance of catching I-can't-remember-the-name-of-it. However... the only way to get it is if the cat gets it... the only way for a cat to contract it is to be outside. IF your cat goes outside sometimes, the parasite/bug/whatever needs to be present in his stool (cats get it from eating dead animals). IF it's present in his stool, you need to touch it with your hands within a few hours of it being into the litterbox. IF you touch it within that few hours, you then need to touch your mouth, nose or eyes before washing your hands. That's alot of IF's! :-) Seriously, just wash your hands well after changing it and you'll be fine. There are tons of other things that are much more dangerous that you probably do everyday.

You have a MUCH greater chance of getting it from gardening - especially in mulch where outdoor critters like to pee and poop. Make sure you wear garden gloves and wash your hands well after working outside in flower beds or veggie gardens. And make sure you toss the gloves in the laundry frequently. That is how most pregnant women contract it - not through the litterbox.

Now they don't do it here just because i'd prefer they didn't but i know that my oldest son takes care of the pets at his father's, including feeding and watering and changing the liter box, every day, and he's only 8. Around here they load thier dishes after dinner into the dishwasher, make thier own beds, feed the fish and turtles with supervision, we take care of the cats and dog, and in general tidy up after themselves, clothes in hamper, toys put away, coat and shoes in closet ect. chores are good for kids just be aware of what they are capable of, they most certainly won't do as good a job as an adult but allowing them the chance to do these things and acknowledging what a big help they are and what a wonderful job they do is great or thier self esteem as well.