Yes — a blanket or piece of clothing the baby has used can be offered for a calm sniff before homecoming day, and it is one of the kindest, simplest preparation steps you can take. Your dog meets the new smell early, in a quiet moment, so by the time the baby comes home, that scent is already filed under "familiar" instead of "brand new and startling." Pair the sniffing with praise and a small treat, and the scent quietly becomes good news.
Why Scent Matters So Much to a Dog
Dogs experience the world nose-first. A person walks into a room and sees it; a dog walks in and reads it — who was here, how long ago, what they were doing. Your baby will bring an entirely new scent signature into the house along with new sounds and a completely changed routine. Introducing that scent early, in a low-pressure moment, removes one whole layer of novelty from homecoming day. Many hospitals are happy to hand over a blanket or hat the baby has worn, or a partner can bring one home during a visit before mother and baby are discharged.
How to Do the Scent Introduction
Keep it relaxed and brief, and repeat it a few times rather than staging one big event:
- Let your dog discover the blanket on the floor or in your hands — no pushing it toward their face. 2. Allow sniffing for as long as they are interested, then praise warmly and offer a treat. 3. Leave the item near your dog's resting area for a while so the scent simply exists in their space. 4. Repeat once or twice a day for the days before the baby comes home, if you have them. Do not worry if your dog sniffs once and wanders off to check the food bowl. Disinterest is actually a great outcome — it means the scent is already becoming boring, and boring is exactly what you want on the day the baby arrives. A Golden Retriever who yawns at the blanket today is unlikely to be overwhelmed by the baby tomorrow.
What Not to Do With the Scent Item
Skip the temptation to rub the blanket all over your dog, drape it on them, or use it in a game of tug. That turns a calm familiarization exercise into excitement or pressure. If your dog tries to chew, shred, or guard the item, calmly trade it for a treat and move the sessions to shorter, supervised sniffs — resource guarding around baby items is useful information to share with a trainer before the baby arrives, not a disaster. And never use scent work as a test you need your dog to "pass"; it is a courtesy, not an exam.
Layering Scent With the Rest of Your Prep
Scent familiarization works best alongside the other quiet groundwork: the stroller already parked in the hallway, recorded baby sounds played softly during dinner, and your dog's feeding and walking schedule kept as steady as an unpredictable newborn allows. Each small piece lowers the total novelty of the change, and dogs handle change far better in small pieces.
Bringing Your Questions to Kimmy in KinsLe
Scent practice also tends to raise fresh questions as it goes — how your dog reacts to a second blanket, whether a guarded response calls for a trainer, and what the first greeting should look like once the baby is home. Those are worth putting to Kimmy in KinsLe while the sessions are still unfolding, rather than saving them up for the busiest day of all. Working through the answers between sessions lets each next practice round build on the last, so homecoming day brings fewer open questions and a calmer, better-prepared dog. After the homecoming, Kimmy in KinsLe can take follow-up questions about the dog-and-baby introduction and return answers drawn from the KinsLe Answers library.