For those of us who have pets, they are really like an extended and integral part of our family.
We care for them like they were our own children and we want nothing more than for them to be happy and well-adjusted when the new baby arrives.
While some pets will take to the newest member of the family with ease, others will have a hard time accepting that our attention must now be split to other family members.
Here are three ways that you can help your pet become more acclimated to not only the new baby but also to the idea that they must share their space with another.
1. Mimic
Your animals are used to being the center of attention in your house, and that’s obviously going to change once you bring your baby home.
Veterinarians recommend doing things that will mimic what you will do with your baby.
Think things like holding your baby, feeding your baby, placing your baby in their crib, and using a stroller.
These actions can be done by holding a doll or a rolling up a blanket to act as the baby.
If you really want to get into it, you can purchase a doll that cries and makes baby sounds so that your animals can acclimate themselves to the sounds they will soon hear.
There are even CD’s available with baby sounds on them that you can play at various times
throughout the day so that your animals can hear first hand what a baby sounds like.
It’s as if you’ll be getting a head start on creating the new normal for your pets and this will help them ease into what’s to come.
2. Baby Scent
After you deliver your baby, have your partner bring home a blanket or clothing that was worn by your baby.
This piece of clothing will have your baby’s scent on it.
Let your animals thoroughly investigate the article of clothing and become familiar with this new smell that will be entering into their lives and daily routines.
Leave the article of clothing out in the open where they can get to it repeatedly so that their
sense receptors can investigate the smell whenever they want to help them become acquainted with it.
This will help your pets be more calm of what’s to come and not feel so strange to them once you bring your new baby home.
3. Be One Step Ahead
You know your pets and their behavior, so take that into consideration when it’s time time to start introducing them to the idea of a new baby and for when your baby will be coming home.
If you will be changing any rules, start the change early enough so that your pet isn’t surprised and reprimanded for something they won’t necessarily understand right away.
Never forget that animals are, by nature, unpredictable and they, like us, react to situations and stimulants differently when they are new and strange.
Our animals will be naturally curious as to this new addition you bring home and you should let them become acquainted in the safest way possible.
Don’t leave your animals alone with the new baby without your supervision, don’t ignore your pets once the baby arrives, and always include your pet in your daily activities with the new baby as you have done in the past.
Once your animals grasp that this newest addition is a family member, things will fall back into place and the normalcy will return to the household.