Everyone will always have concerns when it comes to the new baby and their fur babies. You always want to make sure that your baby is safe, no matter what, and when it comes to your animals, you can never be too sure how they will react when you bring your new baby home. You want to ensure that everyone gets attention and gets along, but also that when you aren’t looking, that your animal will be good to your baby!
There are a few things that you need to do BEFORE you bring your baby home, and a few things you need to do AFTER you have brought the new baby home. Let’s start with the most important, getting to know how your animal reacts around children. If your animal is great around children, that is one less thing to worry about. However, there are still important things you need to do before you can trust that your baby will be safe with your animals.
Introducing your pet to the baby
One great step to take when you bring the new baby home is to very carefully introduce your pet to your baby! Your pet sees your home as theirs and can sometimes be a bit apprehensive about introducing new things or people into their home. In fact, it can take a few months for an animal to accept new animals into their homes, and the same goes for an infant. Sam Basso, a professional dog trainer and behaviorist in the Phoenix area, said “Make sure that you understand that your animal will not always be as quick to welcome new people or pets into their home so don’t rush it.” This means that you need to make 
sure you take time to allow your animal to get to know your baby, and never leave the baby alone with your animal. A great way to start is by introducing your pet to the baby in a more neutral area. Start by bringing the animal far from their home territory then let your fur baby sniff your newborn’s blanket. This allows them to learn the new smell so you can then introduce them to your child. Once your animal seems more comfortable, you can run through that same scenario again just right outside your house, before you bring baby into the home. That way the animal isn’t overwhelmed and they know they are to expect someone new but they are somewhat familiar with their scent.
Hiding spot for the pet
Giving your pet a place to hide away when there’s a new child in the home is also important. This allows the animal to continue to feel safe in their home but also giving them a place to avoid the new baby if they aren’t quite comfortable yet. Making sure your animal is comfortable is important when introducing the new baby. It allows for the animal to feel more at home while understanding that there is a new addition. A stressed animal is more apt to act out, so give your pet their own baby-free zone. This will also give them a 
place to go when they have had enough play time or baby time.
Give your Pets exercise
Giving your pet plenty of exercise is very important when bringing home the new baby. They will be excited, run, jump, and being hyper can be overwhelming for you, the animal, and most importantly, baby! It is important to remember that your fur baby needs attention too and even though most of your time will be spent with the new baby, you need to remember to continue to care for your animal or they can get jealous and overly focus on the baby and getting your attention. If you are too tired to give your animal play time and exercise time, try finding a dog walker or a neighbor than can spend time with your animal. There are even daycare services for animals that you can use when you are feeling unable to give your animal the attention they need. Remember, a happy animal means a happier home and a happier, much safer baby!
Never leave them alone together
It is extremely important to remember not to leave the new baby alone with your animals. This is because you can never expect how the animal might react to a sound or a movement from the baby. Although your animal might be used to having the new baby home, they may not always be prepared for the new sounds and movements that a baby has. Also, the new baby may want to grab or pull on the animal, and you cannot prepare your animal for things like that so quickly. In fact, it will take a few years before your baby will even know how to act with animals. As babies, they are innocent and do not understand how to act with animals, so until they are taught how to handle or play with your animal, always supervise.
For your fur baby
Another great tip is to make sure that your pet is healthy and fed well. Make sure that your 
fur baby has been to the veterinarian and that they have all of their shots. Also, be sure that your animals have a healthy diet. All of these will be important in order to ensure that your new baby will be surrounded by healthy animals and people. Making sure that your animal is calm and healthy are the most important things to remember when bringing a new baby into the home. Another great idea is a good grooming that includes nail trim and a flea bath.
All of these tips are great to remember when introducing your new baby to your fur babies. Always remember that bringing home a new baby to introduce to your animals doesn’t have to be scary, as long as you follow these tips!
References:
Tamra Sullivan babysafetylife 2019. Tips for Keeping Baby Safe http://babysafetylife.com
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