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The responsibilities that come with owning a pet begin before you even bring one home. From what you’ll need to make them comfortable to the things you’ll need to keep them safe, preparing a new addition to your family takes a lot of thought. Sound familiar? Most of the steps in protecting pets also coincide with protecting babies, the importance of which every parent knows.
“The good news is that many techniques for protecting children can also be used as protection for pets,” Katie Hastings, a licensed veterinary technician and current regional director of nursing for the Veterinary Emergency Group, told Motherly. . “Baby gates work wonders while training and puppy pads can also be used in arts and crafts projects.”
Although it may seem stressful, you can make it a fun family day to prepare for your new furry friend by delegating tasks to everyone in the household and using it as a way to bring your child to life. picking up those pesky legos or whatever. small toys.
Here are seven tips to avoid the stress of welcoming your new pet when you have young children at home.
1. Make sure there are no loose cords around the house.
Do you remember when your baby put everything in his mouth? Pets are no different, especially if you’re bringing in a teething baby animal, just like an infant and toddler. The trailing cords are meant to be chewed on, which can have bad results. These days, even toddlers have devices that require a charger, so you’ll want to make sure these items charge in an elevated location where a pet can’t reach.
According to PetMD.com“Possible complications of electrical cord bite injuries are fluid accumulation in the lungs (pulmonary edema) and high blood pressure in the arteries near the lungs (pulmonary hypertension)”, and “there have been reports of animals developing cataracts – an eye abnormality – after such injuries.
2. Put away small toys and anything the pet might try to eat or chew.
“Make sure any small toys that can be ingested are picked up,” Hastings says, noting that this rule isn’t just for the first day you welcome your pet. Day in and day out, you want to make sure you eliminate choking hazards by constantly picking up things that seem desirable for your furry friend, including small baby items such as pacifiers and socks.
According to PetMD.com, common choking hazards small pets include “chew toys, balls, rawhides, bones, sticks, etc. – basically anything smaller than the trachea or the back of the throat can get stuck.”
3. Check your indoor plants.
“Make sure any houseplants you might have aren’t poisonous,” Hastings shares, as animals often try to munch on greenery. Thanks to the ASPCA, you can find a list of poisonous plants hereso make sure these poisonous strains are out of the house before you bring your new pet home.
4. Pull the cabinet latches.
Little paws and curious minds can try to get into your cabinets, so be sure to invest in quality locks to keep them out of areas that may contain cleaning supplies, food, or medicine.
5. Put away objects that can fall and break.
Lamps, candles, glassware and other household decorations can be easily knocked over by paws or even a wagging dog’s tail. In homes with young children, you might have a head start by having them placed up high already.
6. Check small spaces.
Thoroughly investigate all small places in your home where your pet may crawl to make sure there’s nothing dangerous waiting for them, including under beds and cribs. If you plan to let your pet roam freely in your garden, check that the gates cannot be opened and that there are no holes under the fence that a small animal could squeeze through.
7. Designate an area for children’s snacks and snack time.
Gone are the days of grabbing a granola bar and leaving the wrapper on the couch. Make sure your kids know that any food they don’t finish or any container with a snack needs to be put away. Before bringing a pet home, get your kids used to eating at the table if they’re used to dropping on the floor for a quick snack.
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