Baby’s room in a home with pets

Those with pets often find themselves with an important consideration on their hands once a baby is on its way and the baby’s room needs to be designed. Many if not most parents don’t want their pets anywhere near the baby while it is still in its most vulnerable state. A select few, however, feel that certain pets near the baby can have a positive effect on it, thus looking to introduce them to the baby as soon as possible and hope for the best.
If you have a pet and are considering whether or not you should ever let it in the baby’s room, there are quite a few things you will want to go over before making your choice. For starters, the exact type of the pet will tend to be the most important thing to consider as different pets will interact with babies in different ways.
Dogs tend to be the most common household pets, but not all canines make a good match for toddlers. Some canines are aggressive and might even threaten to hurt the baby if they are left alone with it for too long. Others are docile but very large and might create a risk of flipping the crib over in an attempt to play with the baby.
Cats are also very common types of pets. While letting one roam around the baby’s room might generally seem like a good idea, there are some dangers associated with it as well. Depending on the type of cat and its general behavior, it might end up scratching or otherwise harming the child, especially if the toddler attempts to play with it and the cat misinterprets this.
No matter if you have a cat or dog, any and all attempts to introduce it to the child while it is youngest should be done under your strict control in order to minimize any potential risks. You should always position the animal in a way that lets you have control over its actions and allows you to quickly remove it from the baby’s vicinity.
Another important thing to consider is the possibility of pets urinating or defecating somewhere in the baby’s room. This would greatly distress the baby and potentially pose significant health risks, adding more reasons why you should never let a pet inside the baby’s room without you being present. Those with birds, in particular, can find them flying over the baby’s crib and relieving themselves inside it, potentially threatening your baby significantly as babies are very prone to illness due to their undeveloped immune systems.
Before you make the decision to let a pet inside your baby’s room, you should also make sure that your baby doesn’t have any allergies as many people are allergic to cats and dogs. If your toddler suffers from such an ailment and you own one of these pets, you might need to redecorate your entire home in order to have better control over where the pet is allowed to go.
With these in mind, a pet can indeed offer positive stimulation to a toddler and can significantly brighten its earliest months and years. Many pets are friendly and will instantly recognize the baby as a part of the family, looking to socialize and play with it as long as they are allowed.
While many babies react to pets positively, some can actually be frightened by them, making them cry and placing them under duress. If this is the case with your baby, or you simply wish to avoid having the pet anywhere near the child, you should look to install an appropriate door as part of your baby’s room decor.
This door should be designed in a way that will keep any pets out at all times, especially stronger ones that are sometimes able to open unlocked doors on their own. However, don’t let this increase the difficulty of you reaching your baby in time should it require your immediate attention, as the baby’s room should always be quickly and easily accessible to both parents.
Also, be mindful of keeping the windows in the baby’s room open. While a breath of fresh air and sunlight can be greatly beneficial to a toddler, open windows can not only allow pets and stray animals to climb into the baby’s room but might also make way for insects that could potentially place your child in danger.