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Dog toys vs. baby toys

Filed under: Babies, Health & Safety: Babies, Development/Milestones: Babies

Now that my son is completely mobile, he's finally able to get a hold of the things he wants the most: our dog toys. Likewise, the dogs see Mr. Pickles dashing for their toys as a green light to start chewing on his.

This begs the question: is it worse for Mr. P. to lick (chew) the dogs' toys, or is it worse for the dogs to lick (chew) the baby toys? Well, maybe it doesn't beg the question, per se, but it's a situation I deal with practically every day.

From both the baby and the dogs' perspective, all toys are the same. Their about the same size, they're probably made of similar material and they're brightly colored. For even a non-baby or dog-mind it can be hard to tell whose is whose.

I do my best to keep the baby on his toys and the dogs with theirs. Mostly what ends up happening is that I have to pick the dog toys up off the floor and send the dogs to their mat while Mr. P. is on the floor. I guess I'll have to start giving the dogs their toys while we're at work and daycare so they can still get some enjoyment from them.

Luckily no one has gotten possessive over anything--yet. My little dog likes to be aggressive with the big dog when they play. I watch the baby every second he's around the dogs, whether or not they're playing. We're not that far away from the tugging and pulling that babies do on dog ears and tails.

I never leave the dogs, their toys or the combo of both alone with the baby, even for a second. But I'm not sure how, when we're all together, to do it right. Any thoughts?

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AdviceMama Says:
Start by teaching him that it is safe to do so.