Do you have a pet and you don't know if it will be good company for your baby? You may even be considering the possibility of separating from the pet. We are going to try to give you some very simple tips so that our pet is just as happy as we are when the baby arrives.
The arrival of the baby will mean a very important change in our family. And when we have a pet, it is part of the family, so we must also include it in all preparations to receive the baby properly. In this way, it will be easier for you to learn to incorporate the baby as a member of the family.
As the most common pets are dogs, we are going to focus on these.
Before the baby is born
It is important that we are sure that our dog has a correct education and that we have a good control over the animal. If it is an animal that has been in the family for a long time, we will already know how it acts and we are able to control it.
If the dog has just arrived in the family, surely, it will need a training process. Make sure the dog has completed this process before the baby arrives.
Surely the current schedule of walks and meals will not be able to maintain it when the baby is born. A few weeks before, start adapting the tasks you do with the dog to what will be the schedule afterwards. Be realistic, a baby requires a lot of attention and time and The new schedule that you start to carry out is advisable to keep it after the baby is born.
Spend time with your pet
If you have a dog is important that you keep your daily walks. Try to have a couple of 5 or 10 minute moments dedicated exclusively to serving you. Keep in mind that it is important to maintain these moments of exclusive dedication when the baby is born.
Caress him, take care of him, speak slowly and lovingly to him, play with him and his toys, give him massages and everything you know that he likes. It is important that our pet understands that it is important to us and that it is still part of the family.
Let the dog enter the rooms where the baby will be. Let him smell the baby's diapers, clothes, or toiletries. A new smell for him and the sooner he gets used to it the better.
It may be a good time to change some toys of the dog, so that they do not resemble those of the child. In this way we will avoid that, in the future, the dog steals the toys from the child's hand, or that the child wants to remove the toy from the dog's mouth.
When the baby is born
A good option is that, before bringing the baby home, we bring some of their clothes. You can spread them around the house and let the dog smell them.
When you return home with the baby it is time to introduce them. Surely the dog wants to say hello to everyone, especially the mother.
He may be especially effusive, jump up, bark… He hasn't seen you for a few days and in recent weeks he has sensed major changes in you, so now that you are home again, he has to show his joy.
When everything calms down it is time for you to meet the new member of the family.
Let someone else sit and hold the baby so you can supervise and control the animal. If the dog is restless or you are not sure what his reaction will be, it is better to put him on the leash.
Let him smell the baby, he can come closer and investigate. You can react fearfully to the baby. Pet him and speak softly and encourage him to come closer. But don't force him.
If the dog's behavior is inappropriate, growl or threaten the child, scold him and take him to another room. Allow a reasonable time to pass, when the animal is calm, try again.
Don't say words of encouragement, like "okay, calm down" while he's being aggressive. You can understand that we reward you for that behavior.
As a general rule, during the first weeks of the baby's life, when you are alone with the two of them, it is advisable to keep the dog on a long leash. This is based on It is not possible to attend to both at the same time and have the security of being able to repress an inappropriate behavior of the dog.
It is also advisable not to leave the dog alone with the baby at first. Not because he can have aggressive behaviors, but because you will surely be curious and may, by wanting to get too close to the baby, overturn his crib or accidentally damage him.
The experts advise that the dog never sleep in the same room as the baby.
When the baby grows
A moment of relative danger is when the child begins to walk. It is easy for him to fall off and try to hold on to whatever is close at hand. It can scare the animal and cause an accident.
Teach your child how to treat the dog. You must respect their food and their rest.
Keep an eye on the games between them. The baby may not understand the dog's language when he is getting tired of a game or feeling upset.
If your dog is already old, keep in mind that he may have diseases, such as osteoarthritis, that cause him pain. This can make you react fearfully or abruptly.
To summarize: It is as important to educate the dog in how to behave with the baby, as the baby in how behave with the dog.
Little by little both will get to know each other and love each other and they are sure to be partners and accomplices in more than one mischief.
A beautiful post Nati ... I am exaggerating in the reaction, but I think that with exceptions, pets should be taken into account when a baby is 'on the way'. We often talk about pets based on their hypothetical (and often unlikely) danger to children, but as you say, they are part of the family, and they must be taken into account.
I had a cat for 18 years, and I was already at home when my first child was born (almost 12 have lived together), even for a cat (they say they are more independent) it is a big change because before the children the attention of adults It's for them.
Anyway, I repeat that I liked it a lot.
Greetings.
It is an issue that seems very important to me. There are more and more families with pets and it is very sad for me to see how they are abandoned when circumstances change. I think it is essential to treat the animal as what it is, part of the family and educate the baby to respect the pet. I'm glad you liked it. Thank you!!!