apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

We had the same issue as we have a dog and 3 cats. We considered one of those temporary screen doors that attaches to the frame and then retracts out of the way (like a window shade) but we just went with a baby gate. Our cats are mighty leapers too so we got a gate that was somewhat taller than others and then also raised it slightly off the floor, high enough to make it taller but not so high that a cat could squeeze underneath.
It has worked great for the past 5 months and we also like having the nursery door open so we can just peek in whilst the little one sleeps.

we have cats, and they have never jumped into the crib... the stroller, yes, but never the crib. try them with it, and see what they do -- maybe they will not be interested.

Not a suggestion per se but an observation. I was worried about this too but once the baby arrived, my cat wanted nothing to do with the crib or the baby. I know all cats are different but you might consider taking a "wait and see" approach. Might save you some money.

p.s., why keep them out of the nursery?

I don't have cats, but I do love your rug!

One tip I've heard is to lay a sheet of tin foil in the crib. When the cats jump in, it'll spook them a bit and keep them from jumping in again...unless your cats like that sort of thing.

This tip is obviously for the period of time BEFORE the baby arrives, hah. Train the kitties before baby comes home.

Our cat took long luxuriant naps in the crib pre-baby. Once the baby arrived, the cat never set "paw" in the crib again. Two years and three months later, she still really wants nothing to do with our son. Just wait and see - It may never become an issue for you.

My cat loved the tin foil. He was afraid of those packing bubbles.

He never jumped in the bassinet, crib or stroller. My husband, funny guy that he is, decided to claim the nursery and the crib. One day as the cat was about to wander in he stood in the doorway and growled at him. He used his body to block the cat from entering. He repeated this several times and the cat got the message. This sounds wacky but it may just work for you, too.

I agree with some of the posters above, the cats loved the crib until the baby came. Then they wanted nothing to do with it or him. He's 4 now and they still steer pretty clear of him.

My cat also wants nothing to do with the crib (or baby yet for that matter). I was really worried about it, so I let the cat roam freely and sniff while we were painting and decorating the nursery before the baby arrived so he could get used to it all. Once the crib was set up, I monitored it to see if the cat jumped in. Fortunately, the crib is in the center of the room and our cat is older and can't easily jump in without aid of a table or something, which isn't close enough. But really, he just doesn't seem interested in even trying. He could have easily jumped in the Pack N Play where the baby first slept, but never did that either. I think he just doesn't want to have anything to do with the baby.

So, perhaps just wait and see, like others have mentioned. Definitely let the cats roam around now if you can and see how they act. Otherwise, the crib tent seems a good option (and what we would have done).

I'd take a wait and see approach, and have a bottle of water with a spray nozzle handy. Make sure it's set on the 'stream' and not the 'mist' setting. It's possible that your cats won't care about the baby, but if they do, a few squirts should do when they get into a spot where you don't want them. Of course, I've had cats that have learned from this, and then I've had others that have taken it as a challenge to be more secretive about their deviousness.

Congrats on your little one!

Have Bitter Apple spray on hand to spray the "no-go" areas. It's a training tool, works for cats and dogs. They hate the smell! Just spray the crib a few times before baby arrives to teach your furry babies that there is - - nothing to see here, keep moving, kitties!

I found a mosquito net online and it worked beautifully! During the day I would pull it all back behind the bassinet. They're not expensive and hang from a simple screw-in hook from the ceiling.

bitter apple made one of our cats very sick...he's kind of sensitive, but nonetheless be wary. one of our feline babies loves our human baby boy, and sure enough, he did end up hopping in, to my horror. at the foot of the crib luckily and not on top of baby...i couldn't sleep for 2 nights. and kept the door shut. which stinks too. i then just kept a pretty close watch at naptimes and evenings. and the next few times the cat went in the crib, i lovingly scooped him out (as i would our human baby) cuddled him and brought him into bed with my husband and i. i made it a point not to freak out and this method has worked just fine. i was a mouse click away from buying the tent, but i didn't want our baby to feel like a prisoner in his own bed. it seems so weird to me.

get rid of the cats and focus on your new infant.

We wondered the same thing when our son was born. We also considered a Dutch Door (half-door) for his room so we could leave the top open for air circulation and the bottom shut to keep the cats out. But when the baby came, neither of them would get near him.

The misquito net sounds like a great idea. I've also known people without cats to install a dutch door, which becomes very useful once the little tyke starts trying to crawl out of his crib in the middle of the night.

We have a cat and a dog. The cat at first tough the crib was his bed. So one day I decided to spray the cat with water to make him understand that isn't his bed. And since then he doesn't go in to Heidi's bed.

Wait-and-see approach, and crib tent or something like it. Tin foil doesn't work on every cat; one of my cats loves it. Crib tents are no big deal for newbies. Newbies actually enjoy being swaddled and snug spaces; they feel more secure in womb-like settings. I didn't use a crib anyway. I did a combo of cosleeping and Amby bed.

I tried the tinfoil trick, and it definitely worked on one of our cats. The other cat never had any interest in the crib.

We have two kitties and purchased one of the nets before our son was born. They have never shown any interest in jumping in his crib. Quite the contrary; they slink past the nursury and scurry away when they hear him.

Dear Joebelt (see previous comment 3-5-08),

Getting rid of your pets is a horrible and unnecessary step when having children. What kind of responsibility does this show? Besides, I would hate to set that example for my child. Please realize animals are not disposable.

We have three cats and a dog, with a baby on the way and are planning on using the spray bottle to keep them out of the room (and ultimately keep the place from being covered in hair, as is our concern). It has always worked great in the past for other training!

i couldn't agree more with keversole. it will all work out! enjoy your new baby.

I can't agree more either. When I say get rid off, I mean don't keep them inside or responsibly give them to someone you trust and know.

Our cat slept with us for 10 year pre-baby. We tried to retrain her (cat) for a short while before the baby was born but night after night of cat wailing wasn’t worth it. We did the family bed for the first six months and the cat was fine sleeping at the foot of the bed or occasionally on me (as she’d been doing for years). Now our son is in a co-sleeper and twice I caught the cat taking a nap in there alone but she’s never wanted to sleep next to or on our son like she does with us. Our son moves too much for that! The cat has continued to sleep on our bed the whole time without any issues. We had concerns about cat dander and allergies, or possibly fleas or smothering or cat hair getting into our sons eyes but it ended up just being a lot of worrying for nothing. BTW our cat is NOT the aloof type; she literally follows our son around the house to get attention. Still, she has no interest in sleeping with him. Having the cat handy has made for a great entertainment system: We can get an extra 20 minutes of shut eye when we want to sleep in on the weekend while our son pets the cat. One time her purring actually put him back to sleep right next to her. She got up and moved away on her own. So even with a cat that has plenty of opportunity to cause havoc, it’s been a non-issue.

We just sprayed some water on our cat and said something in an angry voice and after that she left the crib alone. But like others have been saying just wait and see, I was worried about this too before our baby was born and then it wasn't really a problem.

THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH CATS SLEEPING IN CRIBS.

When my mother was a baby, her Siamese cat slept with her in the crib. When I was a baby, my cat slept with me in a crib. And now that I have a baby, my cat occasionally sleeps with him in the crib. Cats have a sense about babies, they don't smother them. My cat jumps in the crib and sleeps nearby our baby. He has never accidentally slept on top of the baby, and he has never scratched the baby. Please just wait and see what happens. This is really not anything to worry about. It is shocking how many seemingly intelligent people still think cats steal baby's breath. Don't believe these old wives tales.

I second jawasano, our beloved family cat used to "guard" me when I was a baby by patrolling around my crib and sleeping at my feet. He even appears in a portrait of me as a baby that my grandmother painted because he was always following me around.

Of course, it does depend on the cat. Now that I'm looking forward to having children I would let one of our two cats around a baby without a second thought but would use more caution with the other one. He's a bit neurotic and occasionally gets in "panic mode" and will scratch and bite to get away. Still, there are plenty of ways to make it work, most of them already mentioned. I would certainly not get rid of a pet who is a wonderful companion 99% of the time!