Having a pet in the home can expose your toddler to several hazards that you might not think about.
It’s wise to not let your toddler be alone with your family pet for the first couple years of life. Animals are unpredictable and are not always good with children. Many dogs become nervous around a toddler and that nervousness can lead to biting, especially when a toddler begins to try to play with the dog. A toddler will often pull the dogs ears or legs or even taking the dogs toys.
If your family pet is not suited to be around children, you may consider obedience training. There are classes to teach dogs and cats how to live with a toddler.
In most cases, the pet will just need time to adjust to your child. You should supervise their time together and make the introduction gradual. At other time, try to keep the pet separated from your toddler.
A danger that many parents don’t think about is the pet’s food. The water dish poses a drowning hazard as a toddler can drown in as little as one inch of water. Additionally, the bowl of dry pet food is a choking hazard. Make sure that your pet’s food and water dishes are out of your toddler’s reach.
The pet door is another danger that tends to be overlooked. Many pet doors are the perfect size for a crawling toddler to escape. Smaller pet doors, such as ones that are intended to be used by cats, are just the right size for your toddler to get their head stuck in. Make sure that your pet door is locked or that your toddler is blocked from getting to it by a safety gate.
It’s wise to not let your toddler be alone with your family pet for the first couple years of life. Animals are unpredictable and are not always good with children. Many dogs become nervous around a toddler and that nervousness can lead to biting, especially when a toddler begins to try to play with the dog. A toddler will often pull the dogs ears or legs or even taking the dogs toys.
If your family pet is not suited to be around children, you may consider obedience training. There are classes to teach dogs and cats how to live with a toddler.
In most cases, the pet will just need time to adjust to your child. You should supervise their time together and make the introduction gradual. At other time, try to keep the pet separated from your toddler.
A danger that many parents don’t think about is the pet’s food. The water dish poses a drowning hazard as a toddler can drown in as little as one inch of water. Additionally, the bowl of dry pet food is a choking hazard. Make sure that your pet’s food and water dishes are out of your toddler’s reach.
The pet door is another danger that tends to be overlooked. Many pet doors are the perfect size for a crawling toddler to escape. Smaller pet doors, such as ones that are intended to be used by cats, are just the right size for your toddler to get their head stuck in. Make sure that your pet door is locked or that your toddler is blocked from getting to it by a safety gate.
