Preparing for baby's arrival
We all want our pets and children to enjoy a wonderful, loving relationship. We cannot assume that our pets will naturally, or easily, adapt to the arrival of a new baby. We need to spend time preparing our pets, the home environment and planning how we will introduce our pets to the baby.
Preparing your home
Preparing your pets for the baby’s arrival
All parents want a wonderful and loving relationship between their children and pets. However, we cannot assume that our pets will easily adapt to the arrival of a new baby. If your family already has a pet it is important to help your pet adjust to the new baby. Dogs and cats are creatures of habit and enjoy routine. It's important to start preparing your pet as soon as you know there will be a new baby in the house. Taking time and effort to prepare your pets for the baby’s arrival will help enable a smooth transition and avoid jealousy and resentment. Our Pet Planner will guide you through these challenges and help navigate the preparation process.
Will a baby affect the time we spend with our pets?
Looking after your baby will greatly impact the amount of time you spend with your pet. It is important to spend time training and preparing your pets to adjust to this change well before the baby arrives.
What changes do we need to make to the environment?
Your baby’s arrival can also mean you need to make changes to your pet’s physical environment. If you are planning to keep your pets out of certain rooms or areas of the house, then start doing this as soon as possible. This is so they don’t associate the new baby with being kept out of these areas. Work out how you can create a barrier to stop your pets from entering these areas.
Helpful hints
Begin new routines as early as possible so your pets are comfortable with them well before the baby’s arrival:- If possible, your partner should take over all pet care duties, such as:
- feeding
- exercise
- play
- hygiene.
- Get your pets used to being alone for chunks of time each day, even when you are home.
- Closing doors to create barriers is not always an option. Some ideas are:
- baby gates as barriers for dogs
- fly wire doors used as internal barriers for cats.
- If you need to change your pet’s sleeping arrangements, make sure their new sleeping area is safe and warm.
- If pets travel with you in the car, you may need to change the seating and restraints to make sure they are safely separated.
Preparing your pets
Is there any pet behaviour we need to modify?
Dogs and cats enjoy routine and are not comfortable with sudden change. Changing your pet’s behaviour is not always an easy task. Be patient and keep practising over time. If you need help, your veterinarian or local obedience clubs are excellent resources.Helpful hints
- Make sure your dog understands and obeys basic commands such as ‘sit', ‘stay' and ‘drop’.
- Teach your pet to relax on a mat by themselves for a period of time.
- Ignore inappropriate behaviours or attention seeking actions such as 'jumping up'.
- If you intend to walk your dog with the baby in a pram, don’t assume your dog will be comfortable with this. Teach the dog to walk by the side of the pram before your baby arrives. Never tie your dog’s lead to the pram.
Grooming your pet
Make sure your pet has been well groomed a few weeks before your baby’s arrival, including:- coat brushing and cleaning
- ear cleaning
- claw trimming.
Organise a health check at the vet
Organise your pet’s regular health check at the vet before the baby’s birth.Helpful hints
- Make sure your pet is up-to-date with their:
- worming tablets
- flea treatments
- vaccinations.
- Research the advantages of de-sexing your pet.
- If there are behavioural issues to address, get advice from your veterinarian.
Organise someone to look after the pets while you are having the baby
Do you have someone to look after your pets while the baby is being born and in the hectic days that follow? Your baby may arrive unexpectedly, even in the middle of the night, so it’s important to plan this well in advance. If it's possible, your pets should remain in their own home, where they are most comfortable and relaxed.Helpful hints
- If someone will be in your home to care for your pets, familiarise your pets with their carer well before the birth. The person should also be familiar with your pet’s routine.
- Make sure you have a good supply of pet food, which covers the hospital visit and the first weeks at home.
- If the pets are being cared for away from your home, by family or friends – make sure they are familiar with the carers and the home where they will stay.
- If your pets are going to a boarding establishment, do your homework well in advance to find a reputable facility. Discuss options for getting your pets to the facility. Keep in mind that the baby may arrive in the middle of the night.
New noises and smells pets will experience
If your pets do not know a baby, there will be new sounds and smells to get used to. Our pet’s sense of smell and hearing is far more developed than ours. Familiarise pets with new smells and noises before the baby arrives. Provide lots of positive reinforcement while introducing these new sounds and smells.Helpful hints
- Play a recording of baby noises in areas where the baby will be most often, so your pets can get used to these new sounds. Increase the volume over time.
- If your pet is uncomfortable, reduce the volume and start the process again. Continue this until your pet is relaxed hearing baby sounds.
- Take your pet into the nursery to smell and investigate the furniture and walk around under supervision.
- Let your pet to explore smells by applying lotions and powders on your hand and let them sniff.
Bringing the baby home
Once your pets are comfortable with their new environment and routines, the next step is to make sure their first meeting is a positive experience. Bring home an item of clothing the baby has worn for your dog to smell before you bring the baby home. This is an important step in getting your dog ready for the arrival of the baby. Both humans and dogs share the senses of sight, hearing and smell. While humans communicate mostly through hearing and sight, dogs primarily communicate by smelling.
Research clearly identifies children in the 0–4 age group as most at risk of hospitalisation due to dog attack. There are a variety of strategies to make sure your child is not at risk.
- Actively supervise all interaction between your baby and pets.
- If you can’t actively supervise, then make sure the pet and child are securely separated so there cannot be any physical contact.
- Understanding the potential risks associated with having a baby and pets will reduce the likelihood of accidents.
The first meeting between pet and baby
When you arrive home, it is a good idea to greet the pets without the baby first. A new mother looks and smells different to the last time the pets saw her, when she was pregnant. The pets will be excited to see her.Helpful hints
- Before the baby comes home, offer your pets a sniff of a blanket or clothes with the scent of your baby on them. You should accompany this with positive reinforcement, such as stroking and reassurance. This will help your pet associate the baby with a positive experience.
- Wait until everyone is relaxed and settled before you introduce the new baby.
Introducing your dog to the baby
The ideal time to make the introduction is when everyone is calm and relaxed. If possible, make sure your dog has been well exercised, but not over excited, before the meeting.Helpful hints
- Bring the dog in on a leash.
- Allow the dog to approach mum and smell the baby.
- As part of this process you can unwrap the baby’s feet so that the dog can smell them.
- It is important you gently reassure and positively reinforce the dog with praise and stroking.
- Repeat the process regularly over the first few weeks until the dog’s curiosity factor declines.
- Under no circumstances should you force the dog to meet the baby. If the dog is not comfortable, stop and try another time.
- Seek professional advice if your dog continues to show reluctance.
Introducing your cat to the baby
Cats are less likely to make a huge fuss of the newborn. They may be curious but will investigate in their own time. While feeding the baby, call the cat and allow it to come to you.Helpful hints
- Do not force the cat or restrain it, as this can create a negative association with the baby.
- Let the cat approach and smell the baby.
- You can unwrap the baby’s feet so that the cat can smell them.
- It is important to gently reassure and positively reinforce your cat with praise and stroking.
- Provide the cat with lots of opportunities over the first few weeks, to make sure it’s comfortable around the new baby.
- Seek professional advice if your cat continues to show reluctance.
Maintaining routines
After working hard on any changes to your pet’s routine before the baby’s arrival, it should be relaxed and comfortable with it’s new routine. Maintaining the routine is important as it reassures your pets that all is well, even though there is a new family member. It is important your pets do not associate the baby with being separated or alone. It's a good idea to make sure your pets spend time away from you even when the baby is not around. If you are feeding the baby and putting the dog outside, you can give your dog something to do, such a playing with a toy. A 'Kong' stuffed with treats or something else to chew on can keep your dog happy and occupied.
Helpful hints
- Where possible, spend daily quality time with each of your pets.
- Grooming or going for a walk are great ‘quality time’ activities.
- Sitting on the couch, giving your pet a pat is relaxing for both you and them.
Who else is looking after your baby?
Grandparents, family and friends often help with care of babies and young children. If they have their own pets, make sure they understand 'supervise or separate'. Hopefully they have been preparing their pets for the new arrival too. Grandparents' pets, in particular, may not be used to young children.Helpful hints
- Give a copy of the 'We Are Family' booklet to all caregivers. If a caregiver is coming into your home to care for your child, it is important they are across your routines and requirements – particularly in relation to active supervision and separation.
- If your baby is being cared for in the caregiver’s home, always ask what rules they have in place with their pets. If necessary, advise them to actively supervise or securely separate.
- If the caregiver is not prepared to supervise or separate, find another caregiver.