[Avasean]

My daughter has eaten dog food as long as she's been able to pick it up. We continue to spank her or swat her hand or pop her mouth, but she just continues to eat the dog food. I don't know what else to do. We've tried blocking it by various things (vacuum cleaner, stools, trashcan) but she just moves them out of the way or the dog can't get to his food.

What can we do?

[J_9]

Pick it up off the floor when the dog is done eating.

[mudweiser]

One word:

Babygate.

[mrshodges]

This is normal. I think all kids with dogs have ate dog food. What is not normal is you hitting a 15 month old in the mouth.

[Just_Another_Lemming]

Avasean, I really find your post disturbing. Why on earth would you hit a baby?

What is so difficult about feeding the dog when the baby isn't crawling around on the floor? Is common sense in such short supply in your household?

[J_9]

OMG, I missed that! You POP her in the MOUTH for your own inactions? :eek:

How dare you! Never ever lay a hand on your child in any place other than a slight tap on the buttocks!

OMG, I'm shaking after that one!

[J_9]

Avasean, I really find your post disturbing. Why on earth would you hit a baby?

What is so difficult about feeding the dog when the baby isn't crawling around on the floor? Is common sense in such short supply in your household?

Got to spread the love JAL, but that is very disturbing indeed.

[Just_Another_Lemming]

I know J, I am right there with you regarding the shaking. I am really pissed off!

Avasean, don't bother coming back and stating that the baby is walking around. You put her in a playpen or a high chair until the dog is through eating. Or, you place the dog in another room with a door that closes, so the baby can't get to the food. And, if you free feed your dog, you need to stop doing that. Get the dog on a regular feeding schedule. Sheesh!

[Avasean]

OMG! Seriously? I don't beat my child. I don't know if y'all are all from the north and allow your children to do whatever they want to, but I'm not like that. I actually want my child to behave and learn manners.

It's a tap on the mouth, I don't HIT her. JESUS!

I can't believe you people think that a tap on the mouth is WRONG!

She is a very happy baby. I love her. I would never do anything that would actually harm her.

My dog has a continuous food bowl. I don't know how to describe it. It is very difficult to pick up his bowls, but I will try what y'all suggested. Thanks anyway!

[Fr_Chuck]

And we could merely get rid of the dog.

[hheath541]

Disciplining her ISN'T going to teach her not to eat dog food. At least not at that age. She just doesn't have the reasoning skills to understand why it's OK for the dog to eat something, and not her. To her, it's all just food. Not to mention, she's in the oral fixation stage, meaning she'll put just about ANYTHING in her mouth just because she can and she wants to.

As people have already said, think about putting your dog on a feeding schedule and keeping her out of the room while he's eating. You can even try putting up a babygate with steps or a ramp or something so he can get out of the room when he's done eating. That way, you don't have to watch the pup eat. He'll be able to leave the room when he's done, and your baby won't be able to get in the room after the dog food. He'll just have to learn not to leave the room until he's done eating.

[Avasean]

Fr_Chuck and hhealth thank you for not lecturing me as the others did. It honestly never occurred to me that she just thinks that it is regular food. I will put the dog on a feeding schedule. We usually keep a barricade up so my daughter can't get into the kitchen, but she moves it most the time. She's very advanced and smart. If there were to be a way for the dog to get into the kitchen, she would watch him and do it herself.

We used to have a baby gate up, but the lock on it snapped recently.

Again, thank you for not lecturing me. Hhealth, you have helped me tremendously with this. I am a first time mom, so I don't quite understand everything just yet. Thank you so much!

[hheath541]

My nephew figured out how to move babygates almost as soon as he learned to walk. It was hell keeping him out of things, most of the time.

If you are willing and able, you can attach the babygate to the doorframe with a hing on one side and a sliding lock on the other (on the kitchen side, so she can't get to it). It'll make it impossible for her to move it, and you'll still be able to have it open when you need to.

[Avasean]

Thank you. I'll be buying a new baby gate this paycheck

[Just_Another_Lemming]

OMG! Seriously? I don't beat my child. I don't know if y'all are all from the north and allow your children to do whatever they want to, but I'm not like that. I actually want my child to behave and learn manners.

It's a tap on the mouth, I don't HIT her. JESUS!!

I can't believe you people think that a tap on the mouth is WRONG!

This has nothing to do with being from the north or south, children with or without manners. A TAP ON THE MOUTH IS WRONG. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! Not only were we reacting to that, this is what you wrote:

we continue to spank her or swat her hand or pop her mouth,

As hheath pointed out, your baby doesn't understand discipline at this age. You should know this. Own up to what you have written for goodness sakes. You don't spank, swat, or "pop" a baby in the mouth. Just because you are a first time Mother doesn't give you a free pass to make these kinds of basic mistakes. You seriously need to learn proper parenting skills. They offer classes for that.

[Jake2008]

If you are allowing your daughter to eat dog food, do you also allow her to drink from the toilte, or play with sharp objects, or help herself to the chemicals under the sink?

If you are unable to figure out how to stop her from eating dog food, to me, that implies that you are probably not too worried about other safety issues, and you are putting your daughter at risk.

Has the food been eaten before, during, or after the dog gets at it. How are you going to explain a dog bite or attack if she's munching away, and the dog decides to do the dog thing, and protect his food?

You are incompetent in my opinion, or a troll, or just posting to get a rise out of people, or are low functioning, to suggest that you have no control over your daughter eating dog food. Your story also implies that you are not watching her. If you were, and you knew that she goes for the dog food, why are you not stopping her before she gets to it. Are you in a wheelchair with a flat tire?

Once, is an accident. Several times is not. You are allowing this to happen, and what scares me is, if you allow this, what else do you not see her do until it is too late.

Getting rid of the dog is an option. But, it doesn't make YOU any smarter.

The obvious ways to stop your daughter from having access to dog food is obvious. Watch the dog. Watch the kid. Put kid in playpen. Put up a gate. Feed the dog in a location where she doesn't have access. Put the dog outside, and try to remember to lock the door on the inside so your daughter doesn't walk off into traffic.

Surely you realize that if this is a problem for you to solve (not a fault of the kid), and it is such a problem that it keeps repeating itself, and you need advice in how to solve it, then there is much more going on here with your skills as a parent, than anything else.

I hope she doesn't have access to prescription medication, alcohol, guns, etc. If you can't control dog food, that kid is in trouble under your care.

[Just_Another_Lemming]

Jake, I have to spread it.

THANK YOU!

[hheath541]

I just have to clarify, before the OP thinks I have experience that I don't, that I don't have any kids. I don't even want any kids. ALL of my childcare experience is from seeing how friends and family raised their kids, and occasionally watching my niece and nephew. I've never even lived with a child under the age of 10.

[mrshodges]

[QUOTE=Avasean;2465342]
It's a tap on the mouth, I don't HIT her. JESUS!
I can't believe you people think that a tap on the mouth is WRONG![QUOTE]

That is hitting. How would you like it if I "tapped" you in the mouth for saying such a stupid thing? I bet you would call it hitting then.

[august2010]

If your child who is only 15 months old keeps eating the food from the dog bowl , and your dog has a continuous food bowl. Maybe the parent who is much older and has more common sense should get rid of the continuous dog bowl, have a set feeding time for their dog and put your baby in a play pen or somewhere where the baby can't get to the bowl while the dog is eating... duh.. I mean seriously, are you really that air headed? You spank your baby?