Introducing a Baby to Your Family Pet

Bringing home a new baby is an exciting event in a family’s life, but it can be a bit stressful for your family pet, and it can also be scary for you to introduce your pet to your baby. There are always concerns about what could go wrong, and it’s best for you to be overprepared.

If you’re getting ready to bring home a baby in the next few months, there are some steps you can take to smooth the transition for your dog or cat, making you and your pet more comfortable in the long run.

Armed with your new knowledge, you can have confidence that your new baby will be safe around your beloved family pets.

Review the Training Basics

Long before you bring the new baby home, it’s important to take the time to review some training basics. You don’t want to be struggling with your dog not wanting to obey you while trying to wrangle a baby at the same time. Keep consistency in your cat’s behavior as well. Try to avoid letting them on tables or counters, even casually, as kitty may take that as an invitation to check out new baby stuff. Easy training aids like Sssscat or something similar can help you establish limits for your cat.

You’ll also want to get some baby gates so that you can separate your new baby from the pets, and vice versa, if necessary. A cat litter box is definitely not something you want your baby getting into, and dog food might be interesting, but it’s not the healthiest choice for baby.

Introduce New Sounds and Smells Early

Before you bring a baby home, get your pets used to the sounds and smells associated with a baby. Get some loud baby toys early on, and let your dogs or cats get used to what they smell and sound like and make sure they know these toys are safe and not a threat. The last thing you want is unnecessary defensive behavior from your animals when your baby is around! You can also introduce dogs and cats to smells like diapers and baby blankets, and you might consider letting them see the baby’s room so they don’t get overly curious when the baby comes home. Let them explore the space first, and they might not find it as fascinating later, when the baby arrives home.

Before you do bring the baby home, let your pets sniff a blanket or clothing item the baby has already used. This way, they have a chance to get familiar with the new smells of the baby without any risks.

Consider a Practice Run

Some professionals recommend introducing your pet to a life-like doll before the baby comes home. This gets them used to associated sounds and movements that are similar to a real baby’s movements. Practice holding the doll in your arms around the house so your pet gets used to seeing you this way. You might even take the doll in your arms or in a stroller for a walk with your dog, so you can work on how they need to behave while the baby is around. This early training will help immensely when the baby comes home. Dogs and cats will already have an idea of how they need to behave around the new family member, and you can worry less.

Of course, an actual baby is quite different from a doll, and there will always be some unexpected issues that come up. Stay calm, and trust that you will be able to handle any issues as they arise. Keep an extra person on hand when you’re introducing your pet to the baby, just in case something happens. You’ll be grateful for the extra help.

Always Supervise

Finally, even after bringing the baby home and having a successful introduction, know that both pets and babies are sometimes unpredictable. No matter how well trained your animal is, new situations with a baby can provoke reactions that you never expected to see. Because of this, it is vital that you always supervise your animals around your new baby. Animals are reacting to the new stimuli of a baby in ways that make perfect sense to them. Understand that these might not make sense to you and be prepared to modify behavior and add additional training to protect your child. As a general rule, you should never leave your pet unattended with your child, no matter how much you trust them.

If you take the time to prepare your pets for baby’s arrival and practice appropriate behaviors early on, you’ll have a much better chance of success when you introduce your baby to the family pets. Do your research and plan the introduction carefully. Introduce new sounds and smells slowly and purposefully. Pets will adjust to a baby in the home if you give them time to prepare!