If you are looking for just the right pet for your child, here is a short guide to aid you. As your young one goes through different life stages, he or she will be prepared to take on more and more responsibility. You will want to tailor your pet choices to your child's understanding of pet care and gentleness. When you have an infant, he or she cannot take care of a pet at all. If you have a pet at this time, make sure to introduce it to your baby carefully.
If you have a dog or a cat, you will want to supervise their interactions with your infant. Sometimes a cat may try to snuggle up next to your child and block his or her nose and mouth with its fur. By watching your pet and baby carefully, you can make sure that nothing tragic happens to your child or to the pet. When you have a toddler, you may discover that he or she is violent with your animals. Often toddlers are curious and will tug on a cat's tail or yank on a dog's ear. You should not purchase a young animal, such as a puppy or kitten, during this stage of your child's growth, because the fragile animal might be harmed.
If you have a pet and a toddler, teach him or her to be gentle and to pet the animal with great care. Keep little hands away from the pet food, water, or litter box. Also, if you have caged animals such as birds, rabbits, rodents, or reptiles, try to keep your toddler out of reach of the containers. When your child is between three and five, this is a good time to introduce him or her to the responsibilities of being a pet owner. Instead of purchasing a puppy for your 3 to 5 year old, start small. Buy him or her a guinea pig, rabbit, or hamster. These small animals are relatively low-maintenance and are normally gentle. You can teach your child how to change the food and water and let them watch as you clean out the animal's cage.
When your child is between 5 and 10 years old, this is a great time to get them animals like gerbils, rats, or fish. Kids these ages normally have inconsistent attention spans and don't have the ability to give the time that is needed to raise a high-responsibility pet like a cat or dog. They can learn how to care for these contained animals as a part of training for a bigger pet later on in life. When your child is a pre-teen, between 10 and 13 years old, he or she may be ready for a cat or dog. By this time, your kids have probably learned how to feed their smaller animals. They can now clean up after, feed, brush, and exercise a larger animal. If they prove to be responsible, then they should be a great pet owner.
When your child becomes a teen, you will want to evaluate how busy he or she is and whether or not he or she will be leaving for college. Some teenagers spend much of their time out of the house, and then move to another state when they graduate. If this is the case with your teen, you may want to hold off on purchasing a pet for him or her, or you could buy fish or a bird instead of a cat or dog. These animals don't need as much time and attention. A dog or cat requires playtime, exercise time, and training time, all things that a busy teenager may not be able to provide. As you pick out the right pet for your child, take into account the types of animals he or she likes. Also, make sure that you will be able to afford the animal, along with the food, grooming, and veterinary costs that will accompany your new responsibility.