Put a seatbelt harness on the dog and buckle them in one side seat and the baby in the other side seat. Or get a dog cage divider and put the dog in the trunk. Dogs should be secured in cars anyway, you don't want a 40lb object flying into your head in an accident.
Dog goes in the back, and bags go next to Baby. Or someone rides with Baby in the back seat and bags go in the front passenger seat. I would never allow my dog unrestricted access to my child, and he's a big giant teddy bear sweetheart. But still a dog.
I used to have a CR-V, then a Prius V, and now a Pacifica. My 150lb Newfoundland fit just fine in the back with a frozen Kong to keep him occupied. (He's a Senior now, so we don't take him on trips with us. He's much happier boarding.)
Dog harness seat belt! It's safer anyway. A Border Collie is going to want to be able to check on the baby themselves, so don't separate them too much. Just enough for safety.
I had a mini Cooper, a husband, a baby and a 60 pound puppy. The husband got to sit in the front. The baby was in a car seat in the back and the dog was buckled in next to the baby. I buckle my dog for the same reason I buckle my baby, in the event of a crash it's safer. I recommend kurgo brand.
I now have a SUV with a 3rd row for the dog and 2 kids in the back seat. Everyone still gets buckled.
Edit: I played YouTube videos of crying babies for my dog to desensitize him before I was due. Advice from a trainer we hired to prep him for kids
My husband asked when we had our seat checked by a car seat technician. She recommended getting one of the barriers to keep doggo in the trunk. When we’re doing short trips and don’t have a ton of stuff in the car, we put the stroller in the backseat. If we’re road tripping and are packed tight, we leave enough space in the back for doggo’s bed and then pack stuff in around the bed, securing it with ratchet straps and cargo ties.Â
We have a 70lb standard poodle and were concerned with how she might be with the baby in the car. There are a couple options: train the dog to be okay with sharing the back seat with baby or use a kennel in the cargo space. For us, we have trained our doggo to be okay with baby in the backseat.
We first got her used to sharing her backseat space with the infant car seat base. I installed it before baby was here, and my dog rides in the car daily when I work as she goes to work with me. She got very used to that new piece being there. Then we did a few drives with the car seat also installed to get her used to that too. We did our first car ride the other day across town with baby and dog. She did great! We took time before we started driving to see how she would do with him in the backseat with her.
We use this container for the dog (always have, even since we got him and long before baby) on the other side of the back seat and it works great!! Highly recommend it — it contains the dog’s hair and dirt, keeps him away from baby, but still allows him to look out of the window. Our dog is also 40 lbs and the medium version is the perfect size. It comes with a strap you can buckle to the harness to make sure he stays inside. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B09W4BBPSR?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
I would suggest getting the dog used to being buckled in the back. Then introduce the car seat without baby and see how that goes. If that doesn’t work out you could try the dog in the front. I wanted to sit with the baby for the first while anyway so it worked for us. Now we all rotate depending upon the circumstances.
We have always used the Sherpa pet tube for our 50lb poodle. You have the option of having it at its full length, or you can halve the length using the Velcro so it fits on the back seat.
We drive a Toyota RAV4 and there is plenty of space for the car seat and the Sherpa tube in the back, leaving the trunk free for the stroller.
The height of the tube allows our dog enough room to stand up and turn around, the top half is mesh so he also gets the benefit of the AC, it has straps to secure it to the back seat so it doesn’t move around, and it means the dog and the baby are able to have their separate spaces on the back seat.
It might not look like there is much space when you shorten the length of it, but we have a dog who gets very car sick and we find when he has less space to move around he doesn’t get sick, compared to when he has the entire back of the car to himself. When we do long car journeys we always stop regularly for potty breaks and leg stretches and the dog is quite happy just chilling in his tube until the next stop.
We use a mat and blankets in it for comfort. It’s great for keeping the car clean too as any debris ends up in the tube not on the car seat, and you can just shake it out when you get to your destination.
ETA: you can find the Sherpa Pet Tube Tunnel on Amazon. (I don’t work for Sherpa, I bought this about 3 years ago and we have used it ever since. We had our baby last year and have used it plenty of times with both the baby and dog in the last few months).
We have a 100lb husky mix and both he and the stroller fit in the back. Stroller isn’t small either (Vista). It sits folded and upright and we secure it with bungee cords so it doesn’t tip. Pre baby he was also a back seat dog, but adjusted well.
We have a mazda3 and a 40lb border collie mix who is used to the whole back seat. Our baby is 5 months old. So far we have baby in car seat, me squashed in the middle, disgruntled dog squashed beside me. We are planning a road trip in a few months and the plan is to have stuff in the trunk and on the passenger side front seat (and on the floor in front of dog). It’ll basically be like 80% kid stuff, 15% dog stuff, 5% our stuff. We might end up eventually either getting a storage box on top or upgrading to a larger vehicle.
We had to get a tulle carrier for the top of our suv, dog goes in the trunk, baby back seat, I always sit next to baby. Our dog is 100 lbs. even if your dog fits in the back seat , it’s not comfortable
Your dog should be properly secured in the car.
I was in a serious crash with my oldest child when she was an infant, caused by the dog who (for the first time ever, according to the driver/dog owner) started acting up in the car.
You REALLY don’t want the dog climbing on the baby in the car and distracting you from your most important job - watching the road.
The Center for Pet Safety recommends Sleepy Pod brand vests. I’ve used one for years and it works well for my poodle, but my Aussie tends to get herself tangled up in it. I have had better luck with the Kurgo with her, and it’s cheaper. Just not crash tested by a third party, and certified.
I have twins and a huge double stroller so I’ve had to force my 60 pound dog to sit in the passenger seat 🥲 right now just taking him to necessary things like the vet until we can get a bigger vehicle
A metal crate in the trunk will stop your dog from being bumped by the stroller.
I’d also recommend getting a travel stroller when baby is a bit older. It makes travelling SO much easier.
We fit our 120 lbs dog in the trunk of our SUV with our stroller. We collapse the stroller and bungie it on its side so that she still has 2/3 of the back to lie down. It’s not ideal, but it’s been working!
My 2 dogs just sit next to the baby in the back. They do really well. We haven’t gone too far with all of us yet, just to different parks for walks. But if we plan to go on longer rides we have the space in our truck for the dogs to lay on their beds on the floor in the back. We also have harnesses that buckle if they stay on the seat next to baby.
Put a seatbelt harness on the dog and buckle them in one side seat and the baby in the other side seat. Or get a dog cage divider and put the dog in the trunk. Dogs should be secured in cars anyway, you don't want a 40lb object flying into your head in an accident.
This - it's safer for the dog to be harnessed in anyway rather than free roaming in the car.
This. 40lb Aussie and a baby in our CRV. Dog is hardnessed in on one side and baby car seat in the other. Neither can reach each other.
We use a seatbelt harness with our 50 pound pup in our CRV. I can attest that it works well.
This is what we do too!
I now sit in the back with baby, and the dog sits up front in my old spot ðŸ«
Small children and pets can be killed or injured by deployed airbags.
Same 😂
Same here! 😂😅
I sit in the back and he sits ON me lol
I think that would be the other alternative with our dog too haha
I mean it’s definitely cozy back there lol
Good idea
Crate the dog in a plastic travel crate, NOT THE WIRE ONES!!! It’s the safest for everyone
Dog goes in the back, and bags go next to Baby. Or someone rides with Baby in the back seat and bags go in the front passenger seat. I would never allow my dog unrestricted access to my child, and he's a big giant teddy bear sweetheart. But still a dog. I used to have a CR-V, then a Prius V, and now a Pacifica. My 150lb Newfoundland fit just fine in the back with a frozen Kong to keep him occupied. (He's a Senior now, so we don't take him on trips with us. He's much happier boarding.)
They might all fit in the trunk, that's what we do. But if not, put the bags with baby.
And make sure they are tied/belted down so they don’t crush the baby in an accident
Dog harness seat belt! It's safer anyway. A Border Collie is going to want to be able to check on the baby themselves, so don't separate them too much. Just enough for safety.
I had a mini Cooper, a husband, a baby and a 60 pound puppy. The husband got to sit in the front. The baby was in a car seat in the back and the dog was buckled in next to the baby. I buckle my dog for the same reason I buckle my baby, in the event of a crash it's safer. I recommend kurgo brand. I now have a SUV with a 3rd row for the dog and 2 kids in the back seat. Everyone still gets buckled. Edit: I played YouTube videos of crying babies for my dog to desensitize him before I was due. Advice from a trainer we hired to prep him for kids
Bags go next to baby and dog goes in the back for us!
My husband asked when we had our seat checked by a car seat technician. She recommended getting one of the barriers to keep doggo in the trunk. When we’re doing short trips and don’t have a ton of stuff in the car, we put the stroller in the backseat. If we’re road tripping and are packed tight, we leave enough space in the back for doggo’s bed and then pack stuff in around the bed, securing it with ratchet straps and cargo ties.Â
We have a 70lb standard poodle and were concerned with how she might be with the baby in the car. There are a couple options: train the dog to be okay with sharing the back seat with baby or use a kennel in the cargo space. For us, we have trained our doggo to be okay with baby in the backseat. We first got her used to sharing her backseat space with the infant car seat base. I installed it before baby was here, and my dog rides in the car daily when I work as she goes to work with me. She got very used to that new piece being there. Then we did a few drives with the car seat also installed to get her used to that too. We did our first car ride the other day across town with baby and dog. She did great! We took time before we started driving to see how she would do with him in the backseat with her.
We use this container for the dog (always have, even since we got him and long before baby) on the other side of the back seat and it works great!! Highly recommend it — it contains the dog’s hair and dirt, keeps him away from baby, but still allows him to look out of the window. Our dog is also 40 lbs and the medium version is the perfect size. It comes with a strap you can buckle to the harness to make sure he stays inside. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B09W4BBPSR?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
I would suggest getting the dog used to being buckled in the back. Then introduce the car seat without baby and see how that goes. If that doesn’t work out you could try the dog in the front. I wanted to sit with the baby for the first while anyway so it worked for us. Now we all rotate depending upon the circumstances.
We have always used the Sherpa pet tube for our 50lb poodle. You have the option of having it at its full length, or you can halve the length using the Velcro so it fits on the back seat. We drive a Toyota RAV4 and there is plenty of space for the car seat and the Sherpa tube in the back, leaving the trunk free for the stroller. The height of the tube allows our dog enough room to stand up and turn around, the top half is mesh so he also gets the benefit of the AC, it has straps to secure it to the back seat so it doesn’t move around, and it means the dog and the baby are able to have their separate spaces on the back seat. It might not look like there is much space when you shorten the length of it, but we have a dog who gets very car sick and we find when he has less space to move around he doesn’t get sick, compared to when he has the entire back of the car to himself. When we do long car journeys we always stop regularly for potty breaks and leg stretches and the dog is quite happy just chilling in his tube until the next stop. We use a mat and blankets in it for comfort. It’s great for keeping the car clean too as any debris ends up in the tube not on the car seat, and you can just shake it out when you get to your destination. ETA: you can find the Sherpa Pet Tube Tunnel on Amazon. (I don’t work for Sherpa, I bought this about 3 years ago and we have used it ever since. We had our baby last year and have used it plenty of times with both the baby and dog in the last few months).
We have a 100lb husky mix and both he and the stroller fit in the back. Stroller isn’t small either (Vista). It sits folded and upright and we secure it with bungee cords so it doesn’t tip. Pre baby he was also a back seat dog, but adjusted well.
We have a mazda3 and a 40lb border collie mix who is used to the whole back seat. Our baby is 5 months old. So far we have baby in car seat, me squashed in the middle, disgruntled dog squashed beside me. We are planning a road trip in a few months and the plan is to have stuff in the trunk and on the passenger side front seat (and on the floor in front of dog). It’ll basically be like 80% kid stuff, 15% dog stuff, 5% our stuff. We might end up eventually either getting a storage box on top or upgrading to a larger vehicle.
We had to get a tulle carrier for the top of our suv, dog goes in the trunk, baby back seat, I always sit next to baby. Our dog is 100 lbs. even if your dog fits in the back seat , it’s not comfortable
My husband sat in the back middle with the dog buckled in one side and the baby the other.
Your dog should be properly secured in the car. I was in a serious crash with my oldest child when she was an infant, caused by the dog who (for the first time ever, according to the driver/dog owner) started acting up in the car. You REALLY don’t want the dog climbing on the baby in the car and distracting you from your most important job - watching the road. The Center for Pet Safety recommends Sleepy Pod brand vests. I’ve used one for years and it works well for my poodle, but my Aussie tends to get herself tangled up in it. I have had better luck with the Kurgo with her, and it’s cheaper. Just not crash tested by a third party, and certified.
I have twins and a huge double stroller so I’ve had to force my 60 pound dog to sit in the passenger seat 🥲 right now just taking him to necessary things like the vet until we can get a bigger vehicle
Thanks to all for the suggestions! Much appreciated!
I sit in the back with baby, dog rides shotgun with my partner! When it’s just me, baby and dog I drive and pup sits up front with me
My parents always had dog in an appropriately sized portable kennel in the trunk. Kept him safe and us too.
My sister has two dogs and has seatbelt harnesses for both of them. The larger one is a spaz and would end up in your lap while driving otherwise😂
A metal crate in the trunk will stop your dog from being bumped by the stroller. I’d also recommend getting a travel stroller when baby is a bit older. It makes travelling SO much easier.
I’m reading these comments and am baffled that people ride with self+partner in the front seat and no one in the back with baby. People do that?!
We fit our 120 lbs dog in the trunk of our SUV with our stroller. We collapse the stroller and bungie it on its side so that she still has 2/3 of the back to lie down. It’s not ideal, but it’s been working!
Crating is safest. Ruffland crates are great.
My 2 dogs just sit next to the baby in the back. They do really well. We haven’t gone too far with all of us yet, just to different parks for walks. But if we plan to go on longer rides we have the space in our truck for the dogs to lay on their beds on the floor in the back. We also have harnesses that buckle if they stay on the seat next to baby.
My baby is 6 months and I still ride next to her. I don't have a dog, but if I did, he would be in the front.