If you’re a first-time parent, one of your top concerns would be making sure that your home is childproof. For example, it means that padded corners, stairs with safety barriers, and chemical products and sharp objects are out of the child’s reach.
But what if you keep pets or animals at home? We’re not talking about a fish in a tank, but more of the likes of cats and dogs.
Aside from having to discover that your baby is allergic to animal fur, there’s also the possibility of your baby getting scratched or bitten – regardless if it’s intentional or not.
As parents, of course, you will always choose your child’s health and safety. But what about your furry companion?
In this article, we will talk about the different issues surrounding having a new baby at home with pets around.
What are the common domestic pets in Singapore homes?
A typical Singapore family usually lives in a two-bedroom and one-living room apartment. Living space is a premium and ensures a high level of contact between family members and household pets.
Statista asked respondents back in 2018 what family pets they have at home. And here’s the data that they got.
So what does this mean to you as a first-time parent?
If you’re a dog owner, you need to make sure that your dog is not the type of breed that is aggressive to strangers. You also need to make sure that your dog has a bit of obedience training for you to control his/her action when the baby is around.
If you are a cat person, you might want to ensure that your baby is not in constant contact with your feline friend. Cats are very moody creatures. One moment they can be very interested and loving; the next minute, your baby might end up getting scratched.
We’re not trying to say that you should get rid of your pets. You need to set rules when it comes to how much access your pets have to your child.
By limiting interaction between your little bundle of joy, and your pets, you lessen the chances of a curious nibble from your four-legged friends.
Can babies be around pets?
Technically yes, but we don’t recommend it.
Unlike humans, animals have no hands. And for them to satisfy their curiosity, they might nibble or scratch a baby while they investigate it.
As loving as their intention may be, this can lead to cuts or bruises for our baby. And that is something no parent would want to happen – regardless of how much he/she loves the pet dog/cat. Your baby is the foremost priority.
And there’s also the issue regarding health problems due to pet-related infections and illnesses like:
Campylobacter infection – which can cause fever, abdominal pain, and diarrhoea.
The infection comes from the campylobacter jejuni bacteria that can reside in the intestinal tracts of birds, hamsters, cats, and dogs.
Babies up to preschoolers are prone to this bacteria.
Toxocariasis – an illness brought about by the roundworm Toxocara that resides in both cat and dog intestines.
When an infected cat or dog defecates, eggs from the worm can come into contact with spaces where your child might be playing.
If your curious child ingests the egg, it will then hatch within your child’s intestine – with its larvae spreading to other organs. This can lead to your child having swollen lymph nodes, rashes, liver enlargement, wheezing, coughing, and fever.
Of course, one can argue that this boils down to hygiene, and that is indeed true. However, we do sometimes miss a spot when cleaning.
So can babies be around pets?
If you already have a pet, and since there’s no way for you to never to leave your child’s side, then make sure that you can limit its interaction with your baby.
Now, if you don’t have a pet and are planning to get one – while having a new baby around – we strongly suggest that you don’t.
Would my pet be jealous of my baby?
This question is an often asked question that falls under the category of “there is no way for us to answer that.”
That is because pets are living creatures with a mind of their own.
Take dogs, for example. There are 340 dog breeds all over the world, each with their temperaments.
Dogs and cats are pack animals. And for them to accept a new member to the pack, they need time to adjust and welcome the family’s latest addition. That means that you will need to socialize your child with your dog to hasten the “familiarization” process.
But a dog being a dog, it doesn’t know what the rules are in terms of interacting with young children. If you own a Labrador, it might end up rough playing with your baby – which can lead to scratches and bite marks.
Cats, on the other hand, are mostly indifferent but can also be very possessive at times. Cat owners will attest to this as there are times that they end up asking who the real pet and master is.
So in terms of pets being jealous, of course, it is an absolute possibility.
And that is why we recommend making necessary steps to ensure that your child is not overly exposed to your pet – at least until after several months.
Regardless of whether your pet becomes jealous or not, the vital aspect here is to allow your pet to slowly accept the addition of a new baby into the household.
Remember, they were your original “firstborn”.
Is pet hair bad for babies?
There are two answers to this health question.
First, if your baby is allergic to pet hair, then of course it is.
Second, a theoretical study published in Journal Microbiome stated that exposing a child early on to pet hair will eventually lead to immunity. And that the process can even help with the development of the child’s immune system.
From our end, we believe it’s a case-to-case basis.
For the record, we are not medical health professionals. And the only advice we can give you is from our own experiences when we had our firstborn – and a pet dog around the house.
So to be safe, please contact a medical health professional and have your baby assessed for possible allergic reactions to inhaling pet hair.
Do pets need to be trained to be around a baby?
Absolutely yes!
Animals, in general, are creatures of habit. If you noticed, your cat or dog would usually press for food around a specific time. Animals don’t know how to read a watch, but rather because it’s built into their system to ask for food during their usual feeding time.
And when it comes to the safety of your baby, being able to tell your dog to stop a rough play can save your child from a few unintentional love scratches.
Trying to tell a cat to stop is an entirely different story, though. It is possible but improbable.
Where can I send my cats and dogs to become “baby safe”?
Here are several pet training centres that you can take your dog or cat to.
Perfect K9 Dog Training
The centre owner is Doris Lam, a pet trainer with nineteen years of experience under her belt.
Aside from the reward method, she also incorporates health, relaxation, and healing techniques in her training method.
The training centre is open from Monday to Sunday (9:00 am to 10:30 pm) and provides individual and group classes.
Woofie
Woofie is one of those dog training centres that you would hear from a fellow dog owner.
Though they are a newer name in the industry, they have quickly made a name for themselves based on the countless positive feedback from former clients.
The centre specializes in obedience and behavioural training conducted by competent trainers.
They are open daily, from 9 am to 9 pm.
The Cat People
The Cat People promises a holistic approach when it comes to training your feline friend.
Not only will they work on the behavioural aspect of things, but they can also work with you to create a conducive and safer home for your cat.
What we like about their approach is that they also address the problems we talked about earlier regarding health and limiting interaction between baby and pet (especially if your pet is a cat).
Safety barriers recommendations
No home is entirely childproof, as children will always find ways to hurt and land themselves in the hospital emergency room. But there are ways to minimize these accidents by using protective tools and barriers.
Here are some of them:
Safety Gates
Safety gates prevent your baby from accidentally falling down a flight of stairs or are used as a way to block access to individual rooms or areas. It can also act as a barrier between your child and a pet dog.
Door Knob Covers
A knob cover is a device that you cover over a doorknob. It prevents anyone without the key to said device to turn the doorknob. It can limit children’s entry into rooms with doorknob covers, thus limiting their interaction with pets.
Note: Make sure that you have the keys to the knob cover handy in case of an emergency.
Conclusion
Having children and pets around the home can sometimes cause stress, but it can also be a source of fun memories.
To ensure that there will be more fun memories than traumatic ones, a little bit of planning and safety protocols should be implemented.
We hope that we could provide you with useful information on how to create a healthy and safe home environment for both your baby and pet.
If you want to share your knowledge about the topic, please don’t hesitate to send us a message or leave a comment below.
Have a great day, and we will talk again in the next article.
