I will start off by saying I am a working mom of two young girls, with a third on the way. We also have two cats and a large breed dog. So, it goes without saying that, at times, our home is more like a zoo. At times, I even question my sanity. My husband, Chad, and I have given up the idea of being as structured as we once were when we were single and now refer to our lifestyle as “organized chaos.” I wouldn’t change a thing!
No, in all seriousness, I have always wanted a large family and pets. Chad and I both grew up with dogs and cats so there was no question in my mind, that as we started a family of our own, our children would also have pets to play a role in their childhood. I am a strong believer that raising children in a house with pets is a fantastic way to teach responsibility, love, respect, and understanding.
However, it’s not always that easy. When we discovered we were expecting our first child, we were very concerned about our pets and how they would respond to a new baby in the house, particularly our dog, Nixie. Since we have always treated our pets like real babies, they were the center of our universe and spoiled rotten! Up to that point, they received 100% of our love and attention. So when we got home from the doctor with our very happy news of a third human on the way, we were also experiencing a very strange sense of guilt. Chad and I were worried that our pets would be upset with us that we were going to have to divide our attention. We didn’t want to disrupt what we thought was an already very happy and structured living arrangement.
It was then that Chad and I decided to educate ourselves in any way possible about how to prepare our pets for a new baby. We wanted to be sure that they were as prepared for the new baby as we were. Then I started to wonder…how could I possibly care for a new baby and my pets at the same time? Would they ever forgive me? Is this even possible? I’m here to tell you that it is!
We decided to face our concerns head-on and we read as many articles we could find about how to prepare your dog for a new baby. You would not believe the amount of information we found! First, it is important that your dog knows how to mind her manners. We consider Nixie to be very well trained, but we decided to enroll her in an obedience refresher class. We also started to slowly desensitize our pets. To do this, we touched and tugged on places they were not used to being touched, like the ears, tail, paws, and face. We also took toys away and stuck our hands in their food bowls to desensitize them. Since children are fast and unpredictable, it’s good that your pet has the chance to “train” for these types of behaviors. We were pretty lucky, because we already had a decent grasp on this since we clip our pets’ nails, clean their ears and teeth. However, it never hurts to over-prepare. If you’re worried about how your pet will react, it’s not a bad idea to get help from a professional trainer. Your veterinarian may be able to give you great advice about how to prepare your pet for a new baby.
We were sure that we gave all of our pets individual attention every day and they each had a space they can call their own. We created “off limits” areas for the kids. Those are places that each of our pets have that that the children aren’t allowed to be. This gave our pets a feeling of security and gave them the needed rest from the crying, running, and chaos of everyday life. Nixie, our dog, has her kennel, and each of our cats have a bed and a cat tree. Likewise, we slowly started limiting the access they had to the baby’s room, including the crib. We even went as far as playing recordings of a baby crying for the pets and carrying a doll around with us in the weeks before the baby was born in order to allow our pets to adjust to our future addition. We also found that having our pets around other babies was also helpful. Our friends who had a newborn of their own would come over to our house for short visits, which we would gradually increase in length. This helped our pets get used to the smell, sounds, and movements of a newborn. The most important thing to remember is that no matter how well behaved your pet is and how much you trust them, NEVER leave your pet in a room with a child unattended. Accidents can happen with the most trusted pet.
Babies are such a life changing event, but it wasn’t long after our oldest was born that we realized that just because we added a new baby into our lives, didn’t mean that we love our pets any less. Looking back, I have to laugh a little bit. We got ourselves so worried and in all honesty, all we had to do is educate ourselves, have patience, and take it day by day. When it comes down to it, isn’t that what we have to do in most things we’re involved with?
