If your baby mistakenly ate dog food, the first thing you need to do is keep calm and observe the situation.
Now, in most cases, if the dog food taken by the child is not harmful to the dog, then there is nothing you need to do. As long as the meal is not detrimental, humans can dog food without experiencing any adverse effects.
Nevertheless, if your child consumes dog food, keep a watchful eye on the infant; if you observe any strange behavior, call your family physician immediately. Even so, there is typically nothing to be terrified about.
But since this problem keeps coming up, we’ll talk about how to keep your infant safe from the dog so you won’t have to live in terror of your kid consuming dog food.
Ways To Make Your Home Dog & Childproof
Most parents will put their children’s safety and comfort first while designing their homes. However, family life can be crazy, so you require a well-thought-out plan and the appropriate tools.
Here’s how to ensure everyone (the baby, puppy, or cat) has the room to live in peace and harmony under the same roof.
Safety For Pets And Kids: The Golden Rule
You’ve probably heard this one before, but it bears repeating: under no circumstances should small children and dogs be left alone.
Whether you have a patient kid or a calm dog, both are unpredictable, and anything could go wrong at any time. For example, an overly enthusiastic hug, an accidental grab at the food dish, or a try to play “horsey” can all result in a scratch or bite or an anxious or hurt animal.
Many pet-child problems can be avoided. You only need the appropriate safety gear & some very strict ground rules and regulations.
1. When you have to leave a room, it is best to bring the child, pet, or both with you.
2. As an alternative, you can put your child and your pet on different parts of a restriction, like a playpen or any safety gate, for a short journey to a nearby room. But, of course, you ought to still be nearby.
Although it may seem difficult initially, you rapidly become acclimated to this behavior. It implies that every encounter between your youngster and pet will be closely watched.
Baby And Pet Proofing Tools
Although there are several parallels between baby- and puppy-proofing your house, lots of the equipment you require to accomplish the process is quite similar:
- Cupboard locks
- Playpen
- stair gates
- Cameras & monitors
- Microchip feeders
- Wall beds or cat trees
Okay, the last two are primarily for dogs and cats, but you can purchase pet or baby versions of anything else.
Now is there a distinction between a baby gate & a pet gate? A playpen and a puppy crate?
Are Baby Gates And Puppy Gates The Same Thing?
Not exactly. Baby playpens, baby gates, and many other items made specifically for children should adhere to British Standard safety requirements, which attest to their suitability for younger children.
For instance, baby gates must adhere to BS EN 1930, which certifies that they are suitable for guard rails for kids under two.
There have been no particular safety regulations for items like playpens and baby gates designed for pets. Dog muzzles were the sole pet-explicit BS standards we could find.
Dog gates & pet playpens aren’t always dangerous, but you shouldn’t use this playpen for your kids unless they adhere to the necessary BS criteria. The locks may not be childproof & may have holes where garments can grab or where heads & limbs can become entrapped.
Purchase the baby version if you require safety devices like gates and pens for children and pets. This is an easy and affordable solution. Both your dog and your toddler will be safe.
You will ultimately need to go shopping if your home was formerly puppy-proofed using pet-only gates and playpens & now that your youngster is beginning to crawl.
Let’s examine how to utilize this kit to keep your household safe for kids and pets.
Stair gates
Stair gates are essential protective gear for a home with multiple pets and children. For isolating cats, dogs, and young children, they are indispensable.
Purchase some of it if you can, and use them in the following manner to establish gated areas in your house:
Gates at the bottom and top of your stairs restrict toddlers from falling.
- Gates over entrances to create dog-free zones for kids to play in
- Gates that have cat-sized space at the bottom level so that your cat can reach an area although your dog & child can’t
- Pets can be divided while eating by gates placed across entrances and other openings, which is especially helpful if one pet consumes food more quickly compared to the other.
Safety gates could be permanently fastened to walls or pressure mounted to walls. One piece of advice: use dog beds that screw to the walls if you believe they will be a permanent fixture for your dog once the kid outgrows them.
Since my kids are old enough to open the gate themselves, I have frequently been re-tightening pressure-fit ones for the past few years until eventually giving in and installing a screw-to-the-wall obstruction at the underside of your stairs to keep wet, sand-covered dogs out of the kitchen.
Useful Safety Gates For Children And Dogs
BabyDan Elin Safety Gate
BabyDan is likely the most well-known manufacturer of kid home safety products.
Although they provide a variety of dog-specific gates & hindrances that also adhere to child safety regulations, we like this hardwood stair gate because of its adaptability. It may be adjusted to the size of the stairs or doorway and is mounted to a wall, safe to put on the top of the stairs.
It also has a sophisticated, Scandi-style appearance, making it an excellent alternative to keep the dogs below long after the kids have outgrown it. We believe it to be the best solution for long-term use as a result.
If you’re expanding your family with a puppy or dog and your kids are older than the crawling & toddling stage, the Dog G8 is a brilliant choice.
Don’t use it as a kid barrier because it isn’t rated for that use. However, by employing the different add-ons and expansions, the G8 could protect a new puppy by fencing off doors to prevent them from stealing food from your kitchen or gnawing on children’s playthings in the living room.
It is also made to bind to your front door & open using it, which can avoid an episode of opportunistic escape if your recent furry family members, such as a puppy or home cat, are inclined to race for your door.
Playpens
Similar to safety gates, though with a little more flexibility in the placement, playpens could be used to establish zones. For puppies & larger dogs who may become destructive if given free rein of the home, large dog playpens could be utilized as a sort of enormous dog box.
Some could be pulled up and mounted to walls in open-plan living spaces to provide room separators.
When leaving the house, using a dog enclosure can help prevent overly enthusiastic greets that send helpless children careening down the hallway, like bowling tacks/pins.
During mealtime, playpens are especially useful for separating children from dogs, dogs from other dogs, or cats.
Put your baby’s high chair in a playpen when feeding them when they first start eating solid food. It will prevent the dog from developing negative behaviors like scrounging and kidnapping food.
Although I’ve heard that for the weaning phase, a starving Labrador’s the best floor cleaner you could get.
Best Playpens For Children And Pets
Dreambaby Royale Converta
This durable metal playpen is one of our favorites because it appears useful long after your kids outgrow it. With a height of 74 cm, it can hold dogs up to medium size, and you can attach it to the walls to use it as a room divider.
You can use it for your baby, puppy, or older dog in various ways.
Safetots Deluxe Fabric Pet Playpen
This unique portable pet pen is designed for dogs but has a child safety rating.
It can be used outside. So, it serves various needs on family outings, days out, and camping vacations.
Cupboard Locks
To prevent young children from emptying the contents of your kitchen cabinet and dogs from helping themselves to treats, you can purchase cupboard locks.
It’s crucial if you’re keeping raisins, which are every toddler’s favorite food. Unfortunately, for dogs, this dried fruit can be pretty hazardous. Roughly one-third of all dog poisoning claims we handled for pet insurance in 2021 was brought on by raisins & grapes.
Best Cupboard Locks For Kids And Dogs
Magnetic Child Safety Locks By BabyGo
The ability of these magnetic locks to fit inside cabinets is a significant selling factor.
As a result, a curious dog cannot chew or scratch at them in search of additional treats. With 3M adhesive pads, they can be installed quickly and easily.
Monitors And Cameras
These days, video baby monitors are the standard for babies. However, instead of spending twice as much, think about a system you could use for your pets.
While you’re away, a video monitor and wi-fi will allow you to make sure your dog is not exhibiting symptoms of separation anxiety.
They can also be helpful to cat owners; it’s comforting to monitor your cat’s entrances and exits while you’re gone, even if a neighbor or pet sitter is dropping by.
The Best Baby And Pet Monitors
Mini And Kamibaby
The Kamibaby is a baby-specific home camera from Yi Technology with all the typical baby-friendly features, including cry detection.
But conveniently, you can add more home cams to a similar app, such as the Mini, giving you a lot more flexibility over time for keeping an eye on your kids, pets, and home all from one location.
Wall Beds, Shelves, Or Cat Trees
The birth of a baby might cause some turbulence in cats. Baby will appreciate various out-of-reach perches throughout the house once they can move around.
If you live with multiple pets and some cats and dogs and prefer not to interact, try placing cat trees, raised beds, and shelves in passages and “pinch points.” Creating conflict-free passage points can genuinely assist in reducing the tension and soothe your pets.
Top Cat Shelves And Trees
Freestyle Omlet Cat Tree System
This modular cat tree system’s recognition of the fact that not all houses and families are the same is what we love about it.
It may be constructed precisely as needed to ensure that your feline family members have viewing platforms while deterring curious little children from climbing up to join them.
Cat Shelves Constructed At Home
You may create your cat shelves using these Hills Pet Food instructions if you’re on a tight budget (and who isn’t after having a baby?). Consider constructing a few to aid elderly cats in hopping over barriers and entering spaces off-limits to young children and dogs. Alternately, stagger them up the stairs to make room for households with multiple pets.
Microchip Feeders
If gates & playpens are not possible, a microchip feeder could prevent a repetition of this distressing event.
Your infant won’t be able to get the food because only your pet can open the feeder. It’s a practical safety tool, especially if you give your pets raw meat, which can harm young children’s health.
Optimum Microchip Feeders
The only one available in the UK is the Sureflap Microchip Feeder, an excellent option for households with several pets and children.
When one of your pets needs daily medication, and you can’t risk switching over mid-meal, it’s incredibly helpful to have a barrier preventing two different species from eating each other’s dinners.
Conclusion
There is nothing more effective than watching your baby to see what he does and how he interacts or plays with the pet. This will offer you an idea of what should be done to keep both the baby and pet safe, no matter how much these tools and precautions help.