For lots of people, pets are like their children. It\u2019s easy to lavish them with attention and love \u2013 after all, they\u2019re just so darn cute! But as any parent knows, once real offspring are involved, the amount of attention you pay your pet shifts dramatically. To avoid stressing out your pet and inspiring \u201csibling\u201d jealousy between your human baby and your fur baby, check out these tips.<\/p>\n
Preparations for the new addition to the family should begin months in advance \u2013 as soon as you know the new baby is coming. Ignoring bad behavior or simply being unprepared can lead to big-time headaches once the baby arrives.
\nAs you\u2019re preparing, start acclimating your pet to the sights, sounds and routines of the family.<\/p>\n
To avoid unnecessary stress or fear for your pets, it is important to approach this step carefully. When introducing any animal to a new baby, choosing a quiet, familiar location is key.<\/p>\n
If you are introducing a cat to a new baby, allow the cat to approach the baby on their own terms. Hold the baby in your arms and allow your cat to approach. Do not force the cat and baby to interact \u2013 if Kitty doesn\u2019t want to meet baby today, that\u2019s OK. This will allow your cat the opportunity to reconnect with you and see the new addition to the family.<\/p>\n
When introducing a dog to a new baby, have a leash on your dog and bring them\u00a0into the room. During the introduction, speak in a calm, happy voice, which will show your dog that this is a fun event, not a stressful one.<\/p>\n
Throughout the exchange, read the body language of your pet. If you see your pet becoming stressed or anxious, stop the interaction and try again at another time. By repeating this sequence multiple times, the stress levels will decrease for your pet.<\/p>\n
After a successful introduction, it is easy to feel confident that your pet can handle being alone with your baby. Unfortunately, even the gentlest of pets can become too excited or aggressive with an infant. It is highly recommended never to leave pets alone with babies or when baby is sleeping. Since babies are unable to move away or turn their heads, it can become a serious problem if pets try to cuddle with them.<\/p>\n
When animals have had limited exposure to kids, it can be difficult to predict how they will respond to the new baby. While many animals will quickly become familiar with the new addition, some may find babies frightening or unpleasant.<\/p>\n
Anxiety can most easily be identified in pets as behavioral changes. The most commonly identified signs include:<\/p>\n
Additionally, cats may also exhibit:<\/p>\n
If you suspect that your pet is stressed out and your baby is the cause, create a safe zone for your pet and play or exercise with your pet regularly.<\/p>\n
To establish a safe zone, designate an area in your home for your pet to escape to in times of high tension. Providing your pet with a favorite treat or toy, and visiting your pet often, helps to successfully create a safe zone.<\/p>\n
While finding the time and energy to play or exercise with a pet may be difficult during this demanding stage of parenthood, ensuring that your pet has a short one-on-one period with you will help alleviate stress. As you are working this into your schedule, avoid establishing a specific time for your one-on-one period. While doing so may make it easier for your schedule, it may cause more anxiety for your pet if this playtime is skipped for any reason.<\/p>\n
Remember, introducing your pets and babies to each other does not have to be a difficult or stressful process. Through early preparation and by following these easy tips, your baby and pets will be fast friends for life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For lots of people, pets are like their children. It\u2019s easy to lavish them with attention and love \u2013 after all, they\u2019re just so darn cute! But as any parent knows, once real offspring are involved, the amount of attention you pay your pet shifts dramatically. To avoid stressing out your pet and inspiring \u201csibling\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5544,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Best Friends Furever: Introducing Your Baby and Your Pets | Diamond Pet Foods","_seopress_titles_desc":"For lots of people, pets are like their children. It's easy to lavish them with attention and love \u2014 after all, they're just so darn cute! But as any parent knows, once real offspring are involved, the amount of attention you pay your pet shifts dramatically.","_seopress_robots_index":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[158,278],"tags":[184,120],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2943"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2943"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2943\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13221,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2943\/revisions\/13221"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}