The idea of combining pets and babies is intimidating and stressful for some people. Many couples choose to get a dog or cat before they have kids so they can “practice.” While this seems like a great idea, raising babies is nothing like raising pets, just saying. So what do you do when you actually decide to bring a baby into the mix?
Our “little” pet family
I love animals and have ever since I was a kid. I even wanted to be a large-animal vet for a long time. But ultimately, I realized there was no way I could handle seeing animals in pain on a daily basis. So I channeled my love of animals into building the mini zoo that exists in our house. My poor husband didn’t know what he was getting into when he married me. We currently have three dogs and two cats—just two animals shy of the legal limit in our city.
We acquired all of our pets prior to having our son. While I was pregnant, we worried a lot about how they would adjust to a new baby in the family.
Pets are your babies until you have babies; then they become just your pets.
A friend of mine once told me, “Pets are your babies until you have babies; then they become just your pets.” When I heard that, I thought, Surely that won’t happen to us. Our pets are too important! Fast-forward to seven months ago when we brought Little Man home from the hospital. It was then that I completely understood what my friend meant. Even though I love my animals dearly, there is nothing that compares to the love I have for my son.
I was worried about how that change in focus would affect our pets. I didn’t want them to resent our baby, so we took some steps to ensure that Little Man would have a good relationship with his furry friends.
Prepare pets for your new baby
If you are expecting a baby, it’s important to prepare your pets for the new addition. There are a lot of new sights, sounds, and smells associated with a baby. So it’s a good idea to get your animals ready as best you can.
Cats
Cats are generally pretty chill when it comes to babies. They are already indifferent to everything anyways (at least mine are). To prepare our cats, we played sounds of babies crying so they would know what to expect. When we brought Little Man home, they didn’t really seem to care a whole lot.
The one things I was really concerned about was crib and bassinet safety. Cats love warm, soft places, and I was worried that they would want to sleep in the baby’s crib and accidentally smother him. So we set up the Pack ‘n Play about a month before Little Man was born and lined it with aluminum foil. The foil makes noise when the cats step on it, so it deters them from even getting in to begin with. When we brought Little Man home, we didn’t worry at all about the cats bothering him in his sleeping areas.
Dogs
We were significantly more concerned about how the dogs would react to the new baby. We have three dogs: Hank is a beagle/basset hound mix; Jethro is a dachshund/bully mix, and Magnolia (Maggie) is a miniature dachshund. We got all of them as puppies (under a year old), and they comprise our own little pack. They were our main focus for a long time, so we were pretty concerned about how this whole thing would play out. I was especially worried about Maggie because she’s a mama’s girl, and I thought she would feel really jealous of the baby.
We knew when we got married that we eventually wanted kids. So from the time they were puppies, we tried to get our dogs used to having their ears tugged, feet touched, and generally comfortable with being bothered. They actually really enjoy it!
As it turns out, they were pretty protective of me while I was pregnant and enjoyed watching the baby kick through my stomach. I think they knew something was happening and they seemed alright with it. In addition to playing the crying baby sound effects, we let them hang out in the nursery with us so they got used to the smells.
While we were in the hospital, my husband went home to check on the dogs and took a piece of the baby’s clothing home for the dogs to smell. They were familiar with his scent before we even came home.
Introducing pets and babies
There were a few things I would have done differently when we brought Little Man home from the hospital. We left in the evening, so we were tired and stressed. Our dogs were understandably super excited to see us, and they mostly got in the way while we tried to get everything settled. The quiet introduction I imagined went out the window and I ended up yelling at my husband to put them outside while I figured out how to get the baby to nurse at home for the first time.
Next time around, I plan to leave the dogs outside until we get everything settled in. I suggest waiting until the baby is asleep before letting them in so they have a chance to greet you. Then, once the baby is awake, you can introduce them while they are a little calmer. Let them smell the baby’s feet and look at his face, and always supervise any interaction between pets and babies. Don’t let your fur babies lick your human baby’s face or hands because they can transfer a lot of germies to your little one.
As I mentioned, I was a little worried with how our dogs, especially Maggie, would react to Little Man. Turns out, they loved him from the start. Maggie even jumped up on my lap to snuggle with him and laid her head across his body to protect him. Now that he’s a little bigger, he really enjoys being on the floor with the dogs. He loves to pet Hank and Jethro, and we are teaching him to be gentle because he gets so excited and tries to grab them.
Benefits of raising pets and babies
I think it’s really special to have pets and babies together because they can grow up as friends. Our dogs all love Little Man and I am confident they would protect him if he ever needed it. I look forward to teaching him more about how to treat animals and can’t wait until he can romp around in the yard with them.
Children who are around animals from birth are naturally less likely to be afraid of them as they get older. They know the right way to touch them and when to give them their space. Kids who are around animals are also less likely to develop allergies to our fur babies.
Don’t stress out mama! You can absolutely have the best of both worlds with pets and babies. It takes a little patience and consistency, but your baby can grow up with some amazing memories with his furry friends.
Want more safety tips? Check out this post: Crib Safety: What Every New Mom Needs to Know. And for more info on pet safety (especially dogs), visit ASPCA.
