Hi there. I do know that there are several helpful posts regarding this issue and if anyone is a pro about bringing babies into households it has to be me.
My first berner, Spencer was 1.5 years old when my son came home. I swear he knew I was pregnant the whole 9 months. He would never leave my side and always acted like I had some weird odor. He would lay his head on my big belly. When Anthony was born, the nurse immediately wrapped him in a blanket complete with birth by-products. When he was taken from us to get cleaned up, the nurse threw the soiled blanket at my husband and said, "Here, give this to your dog." My husband did just that, brought it home and Spencer sniffed and sniffed it. Two days later when we came home, I entered the house first (without baby), gave Spencer lots of love, got down on the floor with him, with big kisses. Then entered baby. All without a hitch. Other than having your dog get familiar with the new odor, the biggest suggestion that I have for an easy transition is to make sure the dog doesn't feel displaced in anyway. Spencer was always left to feel like he was part of our family. He was never yelled at for being close to the baby. He was never sent outside because of the craziness of visitors and crawling lessons. I let him be near Anthony, lick him, nuzzle him, supervised of course, and he made that baby his own. He slept by his crib. He helped teach him how to walk. He provided copious amounts of fur for his binky and thus aiding in his now absence of allergies. He watched him (eagerly) try out new foods and to this day he is such a gentle giant that it reminds me daily of why we chose this incredible breed. Since Anthony's birth, we have added another berner, Elwood, to our family. Now, much to our pleasant surprise, we are also adding another baby to our family. We are due at the end of October. So again, we will go through the familiar routine of integrating a new baby into our growing family of both humans and canines. Best of luck with the birth. Laura & Anthony Caprara sons Anthony 2.5, Spencer (4) & Elwood (19 months)
