Expecting a baby in a house with pets. What changes?
Having a baby is a life changing event for the parents indeed.
How would such a change affect your pets?
While there is anecdotal evidence that cats and dogs may know that a baby is on the way, this doesn’t mean they have any concept of what is to come.
It’s is important to prepare them for this big change. So parents-to-be need to consider what their new life will look like – from a pet’s perspective.
Preparing for the New Arrival
You can easy the transition for your pet when the newest family member comes
Baby sounds
Cats and dogs are very sensitive to newborns’ cries, so you might gradually get them accustomed to the sound by playing Youtube videos of babies crying once in while (they exist and work!), or invite friends with kids to visit your house, adapting your pet to life with children. It’s important to socialize your cat or dog with other children well beforehand.
You are no longer the only child, furry one
If your pet is used to being the center of your universe, back off a little bit before the baby is born. That gives your pet the opportunity to become more independent and let’s be honest, after the baby is born, you will be occupied with your baby and your attention for your pet would be divided, specially during the first year, when the baby demands more of your time.
So the sooner you start adapting the new change, the better for your pet.
Introducing the baby
As usual, your pet will be excited to meet with their owner who was away for a while. This excitement is not healthy for dogs or for their first meeting with the baby. So, ask someone to wait with the newborn while you greet your dogs. Pet them a lot and calm them down. After the euphoria, you can introduce the new family member.
You want your dog or cat to have a pleasant association with the baby’s smell. So try placing a blanket or a sock with your newborn’s perfume on the pet’s bed or under the food plate.
For cats, it is important that they don’t associate the arrival of the baby with loss of space or affection. So, if the animal can’t freely access the baby’s room after the child arrives, it is ideal to get it used to this limitation even during pregnancy.
It is important that every time the dog or cat is close to the baby and demonstrates a calm behavior they will be rewarded. There’s nothing better than affection and snacks to understand that, if they are close to the baby, they must remain calm.
Routine
Trying to keep your pets’ routine as normal as possible in the early days can help reduce their stress levels. During the very early days, walking the dog might seem like an impossible task, so it might be worth asking friends and family to help you on that.
If you are still worried about your pet’s behaviour, seek advice from a specialist on animal behavior who can advise on the best way to make bringing home a new baby as great as possible for your pets.
Life as a Family
Don’t feel guilty about no longer having as much time for your pet
Many families hire a dog walker or put him in daycare a few days a week. Regardless, don’t feel guilty. Most pets do adjust well, there’s just a change in terms of how much time they receive. Pets live for today. They won’t feel the difference between the time you are giving to them now and the time they used to get with you in the past. Just remember, your pets need to be loved and need to be around people, but they don’t need someone focused on them 24/7. When you get settled into a routine with your newborn, then you can dedicate more of your time and energy to your pets again.
This text was based on my experience with families with pets that I have photographed and articles from parents.com and theconversation.com .
Tags: cupclick, family and pets family and pets, Babies and pets, photographer yyc, photographer calgary, family photographer Calgary, Calgary lifestyle family photographer, Parenthood, Babies, domestic pets, Animal training
