Can My Newborn Baby Be Close To The Pet?
All parents who have a pet are concerned about the closeness that our baby may have with the furry ones in the house. Keep reading and find out about all the provisions you must have so that your spoiled ones can live together.
In this post we will focus on how to approach the coexistence of dogs and cats with the new baby, this being the domestic animals par excellence.
How the dog or cat can be integrated into the new dynamics of a family with a newborn is one of the most frequent questions during pediatric consultations, in which the doctor will always recommend caution when they are about to introduce the new member of the family. family to the furry four-legged.
And is that before having children, pets are the center of our attention, the spoiled of the house that in one way or another may feel displaced with the arrival of a baby to the family.
Parents should closely supervise the approaches between baby and pet
Baby and pet: progressive approach
If you want to continue giving love and attention to your puppy without harming the baby’s health, keep the following recommendations in mind:
Although it would be wonderful if our pet and the baby get along well from the first moment, there are many risks that we must avoid during the first year of the child’s life.
- As masters of the pet, we must objectively analyze whether it is a quiet, aggressive or peaceful animal. This will be decisive when we get to bring him closer to the baby.
Both veterinarians and pediatricians agree that the best way to present the pet to the baby is by holding it in your arms and allowing the animal to get closer little by little, since it will surely want to sniff it.
- After these first moments, you can allow the dog to stay close to, but not in, the stroller or the baby’s crib, always under your supervision.
- A golden recommendation is to analyze what the reaction of the puppy or kitten is, when the baby cries, this gesture can tell you if your pet is nervous or, on the contrary, remains calm with the child.
- It is recommended that the spaces where the baby eats and rests are far from the pet.
- After six months of age, when the baby can grasp things with his little hands, rest assured that he will seek to stroke the pet.
There is no reason for you to forbid him to play with him, as long as you are careful to wash his hands immediately after contact, since children often put their hands in their mouths.
- Once the child is a little older, from 12 to 18 months, you can let him interact much more with the puppy, you will see that he will be the best support to entertain the baby.
Advantages of having a dog at home
Expert allergists point out that the presence of an animal in the home, especially canines, can help strengthen the immune system of children.
By generating microbes called endotoxins in the environment that will deal with the agents responsible for developing asthma and respiratory conditions.
However, it is necessary to take into account that there are exceptions and that, in this sense, it is possible that our baby is vulnerable to the presence of pet hair because they cause dermatitis, allergic rhinitis or conjunctivitis.
For this reason, the recommendation to seek a gradual approach must be followed to the letter.
In this way, we can warn if the baby has an unfavorable reaction every time we bring it closer to the pet, and if so, we must immediately consult the pediatrician.
If we do not notice any irregularity, we can continue to increase the frequency of the approaches and shorten the distances between the child and the furry one.
Of course, it is a good idea to separate the spaces from each one. We can allow them to play, share and cuddle, but when it comes to the space in which the baby eats or rests, it is important to keep it away from the pet, at least for the first three years.
If no allergic reaction has been detected in the baby, there is no reason to keep it away from the pet. On the contrary, you can teach them both to interact, to share a common space such as the living room, the garden and above all to respect each other.
