Baby & Bingo: Introducing Your New Arrival to Your Pet

I have two wonderful, loving, gentle dogs- but I was terrified to bring my newborn daughter home and introduce the fur babies to their new sister.

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Every pet parent I know has felt a splash (or WAVE) of anxiety it when came time to introduce their baby to their fur child. Our cats, dogs, and rabbits mean so much to us… and the thought of everyone clashing was enough to sour my stomach when it came time for introductions.

How can you ease the shock of a new baby and set your pet up for success?

Plan ahead.

If your pup is a little rusty on etiquette, invest in some training courses. Stock up on busy toys and other distractions for your dog. If your dog or cat is a little edgy with loud noises, occasionally play a YouTube video of babies crying to get them used to these new sounds.

Set the limits now. Are you planning to keep the pets out of the nursery? Don’t wait until the baby arrives to make that a rule. Line the empty baby crib with tinfoil to discourage cats from curling up in it.

Always, always, always supervise.

Never EVER leave your baby or toddler alone with your pets. I trust my dogs implicitly, but it’s a disservice to them and my daughter to leave them alone together and put the responsibility for their safety on them. Remind your children to be gentle and kind to your pets. Don’t allow them to climb on big dogs or pull on cat whiskers. Teaching kids and pets mutual respect is the key to harmony.

Before bringing a baby home, invest in baby gates and dividers- for both your baby and your pet.

Take it slow & take it cautiously.

Adjusting to a baby is tough for everyone. Within days of bringing our daughter home, we realized that our dogs were as sleep-deprived as we were. They were up all night with me and napping off and on all day. We also noticed one pup warmed up to our daughter sooner than the other.

Give your pets a little grace. The new human arrives with new sounds and smells and toys (and sometimes those toys strongly resemble dog toys! Ask me how I know…) We sent a hospital blanket home with my brother to get the dogs used to our daughter’s scent, but some say this doesn’t make a difference.

Remember to give your pets some one-on-one love and attention. I found that my postpartum depression (PPD) had me losing my temper more often on the fur babies- and that’s normal. But it’s also a sign that you might need a little intervention because we both know you’d never intentionally lose it on your pets for a minor inconvenience. Patience is weak, sleep deprivation is high, and your pets are in the trenches with you.

For other answers or tips, you can check out social media resources like Dominika Knossalla-Pado, a certified dog trainer, who solely focuses on introducing babies and dogs.

Sources:

• com. “Introducing Your Dog and Your Baby: Tips From Experts.” [Online] Available at:https://www.parents.com/parenting/pets/babies/how-to-introduce-dogs-and-babies/
• American Kennel Club (AKC). “How to Introduce Your Dog to Your New Baby.” [Online] Available at: https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/advice/introducing-dog-to-baby/
• The New York Times. “How to Introduce Pets to Babies.” [Online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/article/introduce-pets-dogs.html

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Audrey Mattevi, Reporting