Cats and the baby's nursery?

[Hannah'sMommy]

If your baby sleeps in another room and you have cats, do you shut the door to the nursery so the cats don't get into their crib?

Our 7.5 month DD sleeps in her own crib in her own room right across the hall from us. We have the baby monitor on at night, and it's plugged into an outlet, so the batteries won't die in the middle of the night. We used to lock the cats up at night in the laundry room where they have access to the garage (hence food, water, and litter) and leave both our bedroom doors open some, but it's getting to be a pain to get the cats in there every night since they don't like to be locked up.

I was talking with a co-worker today, and he said that they never closed the door to their baby's room so they could hear the baby in case the monitor died. They actually installed a screen door on the nursery room so they could leave the door open without the cats going in.

So, I'm curious, what do you do? Would you shut the door to the nursery at night?

[firewoman]

Considering that I have two spots of RINGWORM on me from my asymptomatic cat, I would keep kitty out of the crib.

[Masel]

My cats inspected the crib when it first went up (for each kid) but never bothered it again after that. They are older (now 19 and 10) which might by why they didn't want to jump in it.

[Chamomile Girl]

My cats sleep with the kid sometimes. Example. I've never had any problem with that now that he is no longer a newborn.

[texaspeach]

we cosleep at night but use the crib for naps. one cat has a window seat in the nursery. if the baby is in the bed they won't go in it, especially now that baby = eating the kitty's tail!

[Teensy]

Will your cat jump over a baby gate? If not, that is an easy solution.

[Chamomile Girl]

Originally Posted by Teensy

Will your cat jump over a baby gate? If not, that is an easy solution.

Don't know about the OP but it didn't take our cats long to figure out how to jump over the gates. Actually the old cat was the savvy one there LOL!

[candelaria80]

Originally Posted by Chamomile Girl

My cats sleep with the kid sometimes. Example. I've never had any problem with that now that he is no longer a newborn.

I don't have cats, but I just have to say this is the cutest picture!

[frontstreetmama]

I bought a crib tent to keep the cat and her hair OUT of the crib... of course now she sleeps in the toddler bed and on any fabric she can find... I am thinking baby gate at the door with sticky tape along the top as further discouragement! the crib tent was expensive but cat hair and the cat in the crib really bothered me - our cat goes outside and licks her butt neither of which I find sanitary and I don't let the cat on my bed either!

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by Chamomile Girl

Don't know about the OP but it didn't take our cats long to figure out how to jump over the gates. Actually the old cat was the savvy one there LOL!

My cats can, but they don't.

I vote for the baby gate if it's a concern to you. My cats are not the slightest bit curious about the baby anymore, although I can't say the same about all the baby's cuddly belongings (like the basket of blankets, or the basket of diapers, the bassinet or even the changing table - all places I've found the cat sleeping).

We cosleep and until recently one of the cats would sleep on the bed with us. When the baby started getting curious (now that he can move on his own), the cat and I decided that was no longer acceptable. But I have a couple pics from early on where the cat snuggled up right next to the baby, and I didn't have a problem with it.

That being said, I did (and do) have a problem with the cat hair and our cats can't seem to kick the tapeworms, so they shed eggs everywhere, which grosses me out, especially now that baby puts everything in his mouth.

[tzs]

are you really sound sleepers???
we have the babe in a room across the hall. i shut the door AND the door to our room and i still wake up at the first peep. or maybe my dd really IS a loudmouth. i never really understood the need for monitors and we have 3 levels.

[slimkins]

We have three cats and have not had a problem, yet at least. There have been a few occasions where I have one of the cats in my son's crib when he wasn't in it. They usually steer clear of him unless he is with us, then they are willing to hang out around him.

I'd say give it a go with the door cracked.

[akind1]

the door to the nursery stays shut. not so much due to cat hair, but it did used to be the cats' room/DH's office, i.e. that is where their litterbox was. I found one time I left it open that at least one of the cats (we have 2) thought it still was his litterbox. Not good. There are few smells and stains more persistant than cat pee.

like a PP, baby only sleeps in his crib for naps - door shut - and in bed with us, or in the co-sleeper at night. Our other cat does sleep sleep with us most of the time, but she steers clear of the baby. and we have made very sure she doesn't go in the co-sleeper (she did try it out a couple times) while he's sleeping. My concern was more that the cats would want to sleep ON him, or jump in it and not see where he was. They can be careless when they are jumping and running around.

I think you'd be fine keeping the door shut, but if you want it open, maybe a fairly tall gate. my cats can, and have, jumped our privacy fence in the backyard.

[Comtessa]

Originally Posted by texaspeach

if the baby is in the bed they won't go in it, especially now that baby = eating the kitty's tail!

Our cat, too. She loves to sleep in the crib but as soon as the baby joins her in there she decides (or I decide for her) that there are more peaceful places to sleep. I really don't mind the cat hair everywhere, but DH does (she's my cat) so I try to be attentive to his concerns by keeping the cat out of the baby's bed. Plus, the cat's been known to express disapproval (in the form of claws) if the fur-pulling baby gets too close.

I was closing the door to the baby's room to keep the cat out, but like you mentioned in your OP, a couple of times our monitor stopped working for no apparent reason. (Operator error, I think... I tend to turn things off in my sleep if they make noise.) I was worried that I wouldn't hear the munchkin if the door was shut. So I started keeping it open. And wouldn't you know, the cat started sleeping in the baby's room right under the crib, and now she comes to our door meowing if the baby wakes up. She's our backup baby monitor! that !!!

[Hannah'sMommy]

Thanks for the input! I was just feeling bad about shutting the nursery door after talking with someone. Our cats aren't all that interested in DD, but one of them can be a bit cranky sometimes, so I don't always trust him. Given the choice he would probably sleep with us over DD, but he always surprises us! He's also a curious little one and roams around the house at night getting into trouble.

Originally Posted by Chamomile Girl

My cats sleep with the kid sometimes. Example. I've never had any problem with that now that he is no longer a newborn.

That is such a cute picture!

Originally Posted by Teensy

Will your cat jump over a baby gate? If not, that is an easy solution.

They would. But maybe a screen door would work... Before DD arrived and before she was crawling, we used a shock mat in front of the nursery to try to train them to not go in there. One cat would jump right over it, the other would watch to see if we stepped on it (to see if it was actually on). If we stepped on it, he'd go in the room. If we stepped over it, he knew it was on and would keep his distance. But we don't use that anymore given DD is crawling all over.

Originally Posted by tzs

are you really sound sleepers???
we have the babe in a room across the hall. i shut the door AND the door to our room and i still wake up at the first peep. or maybe my dd really IS a loudmouth. i never really understood the need for monitors and we have 3 levels.

Not totally sound sleepers, but our monitor is really good, we could hear her pooping or farting when she was a newborn! Plus, our unit beeps if the unit in her room is off and ours is still on. She does have a good set of lungs though, so I would hear her in the off chance both sides failed.

Originally Posted by Comtessa

Plus, the cat's been known to express disapproval (in the form of claws) if the fur-pulling baby gets too close.

I was closing the door to the baby's room to keep the cat out, but like you mentioned in your OP, a couple of times our monitor stopped working for no apparent reason. (Operator error, I think... I tend to turn things off in my sleep if they make noise.) I was worried that I wouldn't hear the munchkin if the door was shut. So I started keeping it open. And wouldn't you know, the cat started sleeping in the baby's room right under the crib, and now she comes to our door meowing if the baby wakes up. She's our backup baby monitor! that !!!

The claws are what I'm afraid of, plus sleeping against baby's face. I don't know that they actually go in the crib all that often though. I love your kitty backup baby monitor, that's too funny!

We have a crib tent, but we'd have to rig it to make it fit on our crib (it has a high back).

Thanks for the input! I feel better about leaving the door closed now, but we may go ahead and try to rig the crib tent or doing a screen door.

[Abraisme]

Originally Posted by Chamomile Girl

My cats sleep with the kid sometimes. Example. I've never had any problem with that now that he is no longer a newborn.

Shine and Olivine

[Quinalla]

Yes, I keep the nursery door shut. I really don't worry about them getting in the crib, I really doubt they would as they tend to steer clear of the baby still, but they would certainly go in there and start messing with stuff and possibly wake the baby which would make me far too angry at the cats to describe so I avoid it!

We do leave our door open and while I do have a monitor so I can hear when she first wakes up, we have no problem hearing her once she gets a bit loud even with the door shut, so I don't worry about it.