Pets & Babies

Introducing your pets to your newborn can be a very delicate task and it is crucial how you handle it so that no one gets hurt (babies OR pets!).

Anyone who knows me, knows I love all animals, very very much, and it breaks my heart to see and hear about people shunning their pets when their children are born.

At home we are quite lucky as both of our dogs aren't much taller than a 30 centimetre ruler and neither of them weigh much more than a pea, so physically there isn't much they can do to harm the baby. But mentally - the baby can harm them very much, unless handled correctly.

If you have a bigger pet/dog who is used to being 'your baby' and being inside with you and being the centre of your attention, it's even more important that you take care of business, starting prior to the baby coming home.

Tips:

Start to enforce rules around the home. No jumping on couches, beds or any other type of furniture uninvited, and definitely no jumping up on laps when you walk through the door. This is really important for cats who we know like warm spots - no doubt you will find them in the babies bassinet or cuddled up in a blanket. A pet should not be allowed to sleep with your child. Creating a calmer atmosphere where your pets know you are the boss is very important. Give them a special somewhere that is ''their spot'', and get them used to being there. This may be a little harder for cats, but can certainly be achieved with dogs.

I was told a great tip - carry a doll around the house and treat it like I would our baby, to get my dogs used to another love in my life, and something else having my attention. I can imagine if my neighbours saw me carrying around a phone book wrapped in a blanket I might look like a lunatic - but I'm definitely going to try this.

Familiarity as well as smell is very important for animals. When the baby is born & you are still in hospital - have your significant other, or a family member take home a blanket that the baby has spent the day wrapped in, and put it in your pets bed. This will allow them the opportunity to become familiar with the babies smell, I was also told that brining home used breast pads will be helpful also. Gross. But may be worth trying.   

Get them used to a crying baby sound. I don't know how useful this is but perhaps try playing a crying baby on YouTube from your phone. 

Don't yell at your animals for making noise when your baby sleeps, or if they bark and wake the baby up. They don't understand what they would have done wrong - and though you may be running on 24 hours with no sleep, pets aren't aware of that. 

Get your pet used to being touched in annoying places - like the tail, ears, nose, paws and most importantly - near the mouth. No doubt when those little hands have grown, you want your pets to be able to handle the constant attention they will probably get. Start doing this immediately - play with their favourite toy or give them treats while you do it to make the experience enjoyable and not irritating for them.

Remember when your little one comes along that your pets still look at you as though you are their whole world (and you are - you feed them, care for them, love them and they love you unconditionally). They don't understand what is happening, you must be patient and continue to be loving and caring towards them whenever you can. They need special attention from you, they need to be walked and cuddled and played with. They are not humans, they don't understand English and can't have things explained to them. Jealousy is unfortunately very common, and you don't want your pets running away (which has been known to happen - sorry to the bird my Mum and Dad had when my bro was a baby, he lost his mind after not being able to sit on my Mums shoulder every day and he escaped from his cage - never to be seen again!) Try and make the experience enjoyable for everyone, and they will grow to love your baby as much as you do. 

Another important thing to remember is if you have a doggy door or cat door - make sure your child isn't able to fit through it. And if they can, lock it up while baby is exploring, and be very careful & mindful of this.

Last but not least, if you don't think you can do this on your own - do some research and get a trainer! There are behavioural specialists who can take the guesswork out of preparing your animals for a newborn. 

Good luck and remember, love your pets!