Can Pets and Babies Coexist?

Benefits of Having Pets

As your baby grows and starts making more conscious movements in their childhood, you can list the benefits of having pets as follows:

1. Awareness of Animals and Nature: Your baby gets the opportunity to see that there are beings other than humans, and these beings have different relationships with nature. This can help your baby develop respect for others and learn how to build good relationships from a very young age.

2. Understanding Others’ Feelings: Your baby is already understanding your feelings. However, by looking into the eyes of a non-speaking and helpless pet, your baby can gain the skill to feel the pet’s discomfort and excitement.

In this regard, spending time with animals can have a positive impact on your baby’s ability to understand the feelings of others in later life.

1. Taking Responsibility and Unconditional Love: When your child helps with the care and maintenance of the pet, they realize that they can meet someone else’s needs and experience love. This is essential for your child’s self-confidence.

Three Things to Consider Before Adopting a Pet

We talked about the benefits of your baby growing up with a pet. However, raising a child with a pet is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly.

If you are thinking of getting a pet, we recommend making your decision by considering the following questions.

1. Is Your Child Comfortable with Animals?

   Observe if your child is comfortable around animals. It’s recommended to monitor your child’s behavior in the homes of friends who have pets instead of on the street.

2. Do You Have Enough Space for Both?

   As your child grows, their belongings will spread throughout the house, and every area of the house will become a play area for them. Special places that you don’t want them to touch, like drawers and cabinets, will become their center of attention.

   Adding an animal to this household may increase the chaos, so be sure to decide whether your home is suitable for both.

3. Do You Have Time for Both?

   In addition to the time you need to dedicate to your child, you will need time to take care of the pet. If you have a dog, you need to walk it outside. If you have a cat, you need to change the litter. Most importantly, you need to be prepared for dealing with your pet’s moods and emotions when you are not tending to your child.

What Type of Pet to Choose?

When choosing a pet to coexist with your child, you need to consider a few things:

1. Choose Calm Breeds for a Friendly Relationship: Crossbreeds are generally more patient and calm compared to purebred animals. You can use this preference as a general guideline. However, beyond the breed’s characteristics, you should also consider the specific qualities of the pet you want to adopt. Before comparing it to your child, it might be helpful to learn about the animal’s nature.

2. Male or Female?

   In general, female dogs are considered calmer than males. So, when planning for dogs and babies to coexist, you may prefer a female dog. On the other hand, male cats are usually calmer than females. Keep in mind that when your child and cat are together, trimming the cat’s claws can be useful.

3. Puppy or Adult?

   You should also consider the age of the animal. If you plan to have a cat or dog at home with your baby, you may prefer a puppy or a young animal for them to grow up together and form a special bond.

Introducing Your Pet to Your Baby

It might be a good idea to train your pet to be well-behaved around your baby and to keep the initial meeting short and gentle. Since your child may be excessively curious, it’s also essential to teach them not to harm the pet.

Avoid feeding them at the same time. Keep your pet’s food bowl in a place where your baby cannot reach it to prevent the baby from accidentally putting their hand in the pet’s food.

Make sure that your baby does not have any allergies to pet hair, dander, or feces. Additionally, regular veterinary check-ups are crucial for your pet’s health.

Playtime for Your Child with Pets

Admit it, you can be busy and tired sometimes, juggling with a lot of responsibilities. Playing with your baby may not always be on your mind, especially when things don’t go as planned. So, how is your child’s playtime affected by having a pet at home?

First of all, when it comes to dogs, babies can find ready-to-run and jump partners as they grow. This activity can provide great companionship and make your baby’s playtime more enjoyable.

On the other hand, cats are accustomed to the calm behavior of adults rather than the active and sometimes rough movements of children. So, instead of playing with