My family have been bringing up my pets a lot lately... and their living environment and all that. They're bringing it up because my baby is nearly here and they hold (genuine) concerns.

Have any of you had any problems with your pets, and your babies/kids?

My cats are purely indoor cats and won't be going outside just because bub is here.
I'm trying to take the right measure for keeping them out of her cot by having it up for the next month or so before she is here, and 'training' my cats to stay out. Also by putting a net thingee around the cot.
And I'm also having a gate made to block off a part of my back balcony so that the dogs can be kept away from her should we be sitting out there. They're not a threat to her by any means... but they like to lick at times and are also likely to drop a soccer ball in her lap and expect her to play fetch (well before she's physically able to!)

Just looking for advice/ideas...
What did you do to prepare your pets for bubs arrival?
Are there signs I should look out for?
And any other handy hints would be cool :D

For the record - their concerns are that the cats will want to sleep in with the baby; allergies to fur; scratching; toxoplasmosis; and that the cats will get jealous.
I have 3 cats, if thats any help. And 2 dogs. And 2 turtles, but I don't think they'll be too fussed about her until she's big enough to have her face up to their tank!

Sounds like you've got a pretty decent start on acclimating your cats to bub's arrival. I would suggest also that while you are still in the hospital after giving birth, take a baby blanket with you that won't necessarily BE baby's blanket. I don't know how long they keep you in the hospital there, so I'm just going to assume they have you stay at least two nights. Anyway, have baby sleep with that particular blanket one night, then have hubby take it home so the cats and sniff at it and get used to that scent being there. Then once you get home, settle in on the couch before doing much of anything else and let the cats come up and sniff on baby (not near the face though, of course). Typically it's a jealousy thing when you bring a new baby home into a house with pets, so as long as you keep giving the cats the attention they are used to, there shouldn't be any jealousy issues.

But sometimes the cat just can't get over the new addition, and unfortunately sometimes you just have to give the cat to another home. I hope that doesn't happen in your case.

(and dogs....somehow I missed the part about the dogs)

Yeah, we've already had "the talk" about what if they don't get used to her... and we have to be prepared for that (though its hard to really prepare for that, I just hope someone in my family would want them if that happened)... that would be worst case though. I think why I want to get this all ready and have these ideas is to avoid that if possible... so hopefully! *fingers crossed*
That idea with the blanket though, brilliant! I'd never have thought it! Thanks!

Our dogs (2 spanadors, cocker spaniel cross labrador) were pretty good with the new arrival and took to him very well.
They are submissive dogs. Ive seen my boy grab one of the dogs lips and pull, the dog simply liked the attention.
Concerns for me were the noise factor. Trying to get baby asleep and then dogs suddenly start barking at floating dust is not fun and one of the dogs loves to jump up for things. Theyve done good though, they seemed to understand what was happening.

When mum and baby were still in hospital, I took a blanket the baby had slept in and showed it to dogs. They freaked out. They recognised the smell when he finally came home though. They both loved to sneak into the babies room and sleep under the cot.

With dogs though its important not to leave them out of the "packs" activities. We always kept them close when we changed nappies or took baby to park.

Indoor gates are a good idea.

I have no cats! Ive only heard of the things youve already mentioned here.

Research has shown that kids who grow up with cats and/or dogs have better immune systems :)

when i brought moises home from the hospital the chiuahuahs were very protective of him anytime he would cry they would run over to check on him anytime we would touch him the dogs would move fast towards us as to let us to know not to hurt their baby. my labs didnt really understand that there was a new baby in the house (they are old). I left for about 4 months and came back and my puppies embraced my then 6 month old. i was worried cuz now we had a cat. the cat loved my son and was very gentle. we didnt have any problems with jealousy or allergies. thank god. now moises is gentle with the animals and has learned to gently pet the animals and give them hugs. the only problem i had with the cat was he loved to sleep on the changing table and the crib but i kept him out of the crib.

My mum has 3 dogs and they have been fine. At first I went over for an hour at a time till they got used to him and now they love him. Especially the Labrador, he thinks he is amazing! But even though I trust them completely I would never ever leave them in a room alone together.

My friend had a baby and she gave her cat to someone. One of her friends scared her to death that the cat would suck the breathe out of her son. *rolls eyes* That really bothered me. As long as you keep your daughter's room as dust and pet dander free your good. Vacuuming often works well too. You still can have pets and a baby unlike what some people say.

As long as your dogs don't act like Marley in Marley & Me, I think you'll be fine ;). But seriously, I think you're doing just about as much as you CAN do to prepare the animals before baby is born. Of course you'll want to formally introduce them when you bring bub home instead of just trying to keep bub away from the pets. I know it's general nature of pets, after getting over the jealousy factor, to be most protective of babies in the house. Not to say that theres no possibility that it won't work out, but I'm sure you've prepared yourself (as much as one can) for that possibility.

My only advice about the pups is to start pulling on them now. Pull their tails and grab their fur and grab at their mouths. It gets them used to having a munchkin pulling at them. Also, start carrying around a baby doll or stuffed animal in a baby blanket. Talk to it, pay attention to it, ignore the pups. They'll be a bit put off, may whine, but they'll get used to it in no time. Another idea is to look up videos or sounds of babies crying. Play that once in awhile to get the pups used to it. Honestly, most homes that I've worked in said that their pets just knew that the baby was part of the pack and while they were super excited to check them out, there was never a problem. I just want to say as well, thank you for not just booting your "first kids" in favor of the new one. I wish more people knew how easy it can be to have both pets and babies with just a tiny bit of preparation. OH! Maybe the day you're coming home, see if a friend or family member can take the dogs for a really really REALLY long walk before you head home. That way they will be super tired by the time you come home, which hopefully means they'll be calmer to meet the new baby. :)