Looking at bringing a pet into the folds of your family, but worried about how you’ll balance the equation between your two-legged and four-legged children? Read on for useful tips on how to bring a furry child into your home when you’re already a parent to a human one.
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Communicate, Yet Control
Both your pet and your child will have their own language and ways to communicate with you, and it’s up to you to understand and respond to the same. Also, remember that you are in charge – Maintain a certain level of authority with both to avoid things from getting out of hand.
Be Present
While a baby is a handful, having both a pet and a baby in your home will indeed fill up your day! If you want to play parent to both, it’s important that you be actively present, especially in the first few months when both your pet and your baby are getting familiar with each other. Supervise all interactions between the two in the beginning.
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Choose Your Furry Friend Wisely
Certain breeds, such as Labradors and Golden Retrievers in dogs, are known to be child-friendly and can easily adapt to a home that has a young child in it. However, you should definitely go beyond the stereotype and spend some time with the furry companion you’d like to bring home for your child, thereby relying on personality rather than breed while choosing your pet.
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Training is Essential
Just like you potty-train your child, your pet will need to be trained too. Ideally, your pet should understand basic commands before you bring introduce them to your child as this will make it easier to manage them together. In addition, training your pet in the environment of your home and setting a routine for them will help them ease into your family. There are many reputed canine behaviourists who will not just train your dog, but will also help you understand their needs and behaviour.
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Create A Positive Environment
It is essential to create a happy environment in your home so that both your pet and your child can react positively to each other, especially at the start so that they build a lifelong bond with each other. Give both equal amounts of attention so that neither feels deprived. Good behaviour should be rewarded and any negative actions should be constructively corrected immediately.
Respect & An Involved Routine
Both the human and furry children should be taught to respect each other – neither should consider the other a toy. A pet can become a child’s best friend and vice versa if the right equation is built right from the start. As your child grows, get them involved in your pet’s routine, such as walks and meal times. This will help them grow closer as time passes.
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Children and animals are the two purest forms of life in our world, and having both in your home is truly a blessing. Make sure you open your home to a furry lil one, and watch your family become even happier and more blessed!
KSP Team
Parul Gupta
Mansi Zaveri
