[NAGDU] Dog and baby, was something like guilty dog mom

[Jean Menzies]

Okay. I will chime in.

Our kids are grown now, but thinking back, here's how I did things. My 
solutions worked for me, and might not work for others.

I found that the traditional stroller used by sighted parents was pretty 
much a disaster for me with a dog. It was cumbersome, and awkward. I tried 
pulling it behind, but generally the wheels on strollers are designed for 
smooth even pavement or flooring.

So, what next? When the kids were tiny, I used a front snuggly and carried 
them on my front. I found that lugging a diaper bag was also too much to 
manage, and pared anything I might need down to the bare minimum. I stopped 
carrying a purse for me, and consolidated anything I needed into one cary 
item. I have never gone back to carrying a purse. lol.

As soon as the kids were able to sit, I think maybe around six months or 
whenever they grew out of the front snuggly, I switched to a baby backpack. 
They get strapped in, and on the one I had, there was a pouch underneath for 
baby items. So everything was in the kid backpack carrier. That worked well 
for me until they got too heavy, around 18 months or so. We got it at an 
outdoor hiking outfitter store. I actually got teary when we finally sold it 
in a garage sale when the kids were grown. Lots of fond memories.

When I couldn't carry them on my back anymore, we really worked on walking 
together, and the kids did very well walking for much longer distances than 
their sighted friends who lived in strollers it seemed. I also used a kid 
harness so that they could walk on their own without having to always have a 
hand held up grasping my hand. And, yes, I also used to clip a dog flexi 
leash to the kid walking harness so that they could have some real freedom 
in safe environments. All along, we worked on always answering when mom 
called. It didn't take long to teach them not to run and play the run away 
game.

I also used a sturdy wagon that I pulled for walks in our neighbourhood and 
to the park. My dog of the day quickly learned to line up so the wagon got 
the wheelchair ramps at curbs. Good boy!

For me, I loved getting out with the kids at all stages. I had to really 
rethink what I needed to carry, and how to carry it, including the kids. The 
baby equipment that most sighted people used just didn't work for me, and I 
opted for more of the hiking solutions.

I hope this helps spark some alternative ideas of how to get out with babies 
and young kids. For me, it was very doable, and very enjoyable. Good luck.

Jean




-----Original Message----- 
From: Tracy Carcione via NAGDU
Sent: Sunday, April 21, 2019 6:23 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Cc: Tracy Carcione
Subject: [NAGDU] Dog and baby, was something like guilty dog mom

This is to the person who wrote last week about having a new baby and
feeling bad because she wasn't working her dog much.  I was hoping some of
the other people, people who actually have kids, would chirp up, but maybe
they're too busy with their kids.

And I'm sorry I forgot your name.

Is it possible to put the baby in its carrier or stroller, harness up the
dog, and just go for a walk?  Or, now the weather is getting warmer, stroll
over to a local park and sit and a bench?  There might even be other mothers
doing the same thing.

No complicated baby equipment required.

Or, and this is me, I'd try to get the father or someone to watch the baby
for a bit, maybe even a whole hour, so I could get out and get a break.  I
don't do so well when I feel like I'm confined to the house.



You also said you'd be returning to work, so things would change then.  With
a bit of work here and there, your dog could probably relax until then.
Though I'm sure she'd love to get out and work when you can.

Sure hope some of the people with kids chime in. I know some of them have
decided having a dog was too much extra work, and some have not.

Tracy



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