Babies and Pets: Preparing Your Dog or Cat and Keeping Baby Safe

The one firm rule

• Never leave a baby or young child alone with any pet, even a gentle, familiar one, even for a minute. Most dog bites to young children come from a dog they know, often at home, and are to the face and head.

Before the baby arrives

• During pregnancy, have someone else change the cat litter if you can, or wear gloves and wash hands well, to lower the risk of toxoplasmosis. Daily scooping helps.
• Vet visit: vaccines, parasite control and any health or pain issues addressed. A pet in pain is more likely to snap.
• Training: practice sit, stay, down, leave it and go to your bed. Consider a trainer if your dog jumps, guards food or toys, or is nervous.
• Change routines early. If walks, feeding times or where the pet sleeps will change, start weeks ahead, so the pet doesn't link the changes to the baby.
• Set up boundaries: baby gates, a pet-free nursery, and a quiet retreat for the pet.
• Sounds and smells: play recordings of baby cries at low volume; let the pet sniff baby lotion and, once the baby is born, a blanket they've used.

Introductions

• Greet the pet first, without the baby, after time away.
• Let the pet sniff the baby briefly while calm and on a leash, with one adult holding the baby and one handling the pet. Praise and reward calm behavior.

Everyday safety

• Sleep: pets out of the baby's sleep space; keep the nursery door closed or gated. A crib should hold only the baby (see the safe sleep guide).
• Food and water bowls out of a crawler's reach: kibble is a choking risk and water bowls are a drowning risk.
• Litter boxes and pet waste out of reach. Wash hands after handling pets, and keep the baby's hands and toys away from pet food.
• Flea and tick products: follow the label, and keep the baby off treated pets for the time the label says.
• Reptiles, amphibians and backyard poultry often carry salmonella. The CDC advises children under 5 not to touch them or anything in their habitat.

Reading a stressed dog

Lip licking, yawning, turning away, showing the whites of the eyes, a tucked tail, stiffening or growling all mean "give me space." Move the baby away calmly. Never punish a growl; it's a warning that helps prevent a bite.

Teaching gentle touch

• As babies grow, guide their hand to stroke the pet's back gently with an open palm. No grabbing ears, tails or fur, no hugging, and no approaching a sleeping or eating pet.

Allergies

• Growing up with a dog or cat may lower the chance of some allergies; evidence is mixed. Rehoming a pet before the baby comes isn't usually needed for allergy prevention.

When to check in

• Mention it at a checkup if your baby has frequent rashes, wheezing or stuffy breathing that seem to link with pet contact.
• Any animal bite or scratch that breaks a baby's skin should be seen by the pediatrician the same day. If a bite causes severe bleeding or serious injury, call 911.