'You never want to allow your baby to just go up to the dog': Mom films her crawling baby getting into her French Bulldog's personal space and asks the canine community for help; the response becomes a guide every dog-owning parent needs

Author image for Ayala Sorotsky
Ayala Sorotsky • Writer and Editor
Jul 12, 2026 6:45 PM EDT

Pets are always their humans' babies, even when actual babies enter the picture.

I have two babies of my own - a cat and a baby. You know, the human kind of baby. But my cat was there first. She's the older sister, and just like an older human sibling - she's had her own difficulties with accepting her baby sister into our growing family. Now, when it comes to our pets - cats, dogs, or otherwise - there are plenty of guides and methods to introduce them to a newborn who's about to enter the door. And I've used them all with my cat - for example, my mom transferred clothes my baby wore in the hospital to my cat's favorite nap places, so she's familiar with her smell before we bring her home.

But newborns don't stay in a potato state that long, and there are quite a few years before they understand language (like, "pet softly, stop grabbing the fur") and develop enough muscle control to actually be gentle. So what can pet pawrents, who are also parents, do in all this time in between? That's a big question many parents have to deal with, unprepared, once their baby's and pet's desires start clashing. Just like one mom on r/DogAdvice describes: her baby becomes more mobile - crawling, grabbing, touching - and that's a big problem for her French Bulldog. I get it, my baby is in the same stage, and I bet she's going to start walking in a couple of months - and my cat is running out of safe places. But at least my cat can jump to higher places. I'm not sure a dog can do that.

But luckily for this one mom, the online canine community is always up and ready to help dog pawrents in need. Dog people are the best, really. They know that by lending a hand to a dog pawrent in need, they actually help a dog. And what's better than helping your favorite animal? And honestly, I think every pet pawrent, who's also a parent, needs to read this comment section - because it's actually quite a robust guide for how to deal with this baby-pet clash, and avoid potential calamity.

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    Curious about how my dog feels about my son Advice
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    My son just started crawling last month and loves to play with his brother (my 3yo frenchie). I always monitor them together,
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    but I was just curious what his body language says here. He has never even come close to biting or hurting my son, but I just want to
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    know what to look out for when they are together. Any advice is appreciated! He just
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    laid down in his bed after this video after we played fetch and got some pets from baby before my son found something else to do.
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    NiceUsername_Avail Definitely remove the baby and enforce personal space. Dog is avoiding eye contact with the baby, shifting away, lip licking, and looking to you for help. He is not enjoying the interaction
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    simplyMi Dog is not enjoying the attention/interaction from the baby. Licking lips, looking away and looking at you in hopes you'll help.
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    Look up Ladder of Aggression to study dog stress signals and I highly recommend looking up Dog MeetsBaby, or better yet signing up for their classes to implement good prevention and training tips.
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    Friendly FYI, you never want allow your baby to just go up to dog. Gates are recommended as your baby is crawling! Dog is very tolerant now, but with continued unwanted interaction from the baby, dog may lunge and bite.
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    worthelesswoodchuck OP Thank you so much this is exactly what I was looking for, I will do my research! Thank you!
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    AnonymousBirds22 It's so refreshing to see an OP receptive to requested advice, thank you for being so pleasant OP! This is a good resource and also note that your dog's demeanor around / towards your baby may change as the baby evolves (crawling faster, walking, running, making new noises, etc.) so stay vigilant.
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    Fuzzy FrogFish Also never allow a child to invade the dogs own spaces like crates or beds. Dogs need their own spaces
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    Different Tale_7461 u/worthlesswoodchuck explained it perfectly! Your dog is a very good boy, but, once you know what to look for, is clearly telling you he's not comfortable. It's really important you allow your dog to have a protected space that your baby can't get to, where he knows he won't be bothered.
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    Clitasaurus Tex I have concerns about those little lip twitches. That is the start of defensive growling. Some dogs do not give a lot of warning after that lip twitch. Your dog is staring at you and imploring you to help out but may decide to correct the baby themselves if they don't feel like they have your support.
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    Emergency-Letter3081 This is his safe spot. Never let anyone disturb him there. This a really nice dog, he is really uncomfortable but tolerates it.(for now)
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    shortnsweet33 Agreed, until kid is old enough to learn "leave dog alone when dog is on his dog bed" then it's up to OP to keep them separated when the dog is on the bed. You want the dog to learn he has a safe spot where he won't be bothered and it's also how you prevent a sleep startle incident if the dog was snoozing.
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    cwgrlbelle What a sweet puppers! And the way that he's looking at you says he's trusting you to handle your hairless raccoon. But yes, as others have said, he's giving you all the signs saying he's uncomfortable.
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    DeskEnvironmental Never let a child and a dog play like this. Always make sure theres an adult between the two and make the interaction brief.
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    It is cute to look at, but the dog is very uncomfortable and even the nicest dogs bite. Personally I don't allow children younger than 8 near my dog.
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Babies dogs guide baby kids parenting advice personal space mom parents
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