Preparing your pet for a new baby

Before your baby arrives, book a veterinary check to make sure your pet is healthy and up to date with:

• Vaccinations
• Flea and worm treatments
• Any ongoing medications

This helps avoid last-minute issues once your baby is home. Regular worming is especially important, as some parasites can be passed to humans and pose a greater risk to young children.

If you’re concerned about your pet’s anxiety, talk to your vet about options such as species-specific calming pheromones or anti-anxiety medications.

If your routine will change, such as feeding times, walks, or access to certain areas, introduce these changes well before your baby arrives. Sudden changes can be stressful, while gradual adjustments are much easier for pets to cope with.

Prepare dogs by gradually adjusting their activity levels in advance, such as shorter walks and at home enrichment puzzle toys or training games. If your dog has high energy needs, consider arranging help (e.g. trusted walkers or doggy daycare) ahead of time. This is especially helpful for the early weeks after bringing you baby home.

If your home is usually quiet, baby sounds can be overwhelming. Gradually desensitise your pet by pairing baby noises with positive experiences like treats or play. We also recommend setting up baby equipment like cots, prams, and car seats early. Let your pet explore these new objects safely.

Understanding your pet’s body language can help prevent problems. Signs of stress may include:

Moving away, hiding, or trying to escape

• Stiff body posture
• Lip licking or yawning (dogs)
• Tail flicking or flattened ears (cats)

If you notice these signs, calmly create space and give your pet a break. Do not force interactions.

Before your baby arrives, spend time reinforcing good manners and addressing behaviours that could become unsafe, such as jumping up or pulling on the lead.

Teach and reward cues like:

• “Go to bed” or “settle”
• “Leave it”
• Calm greetings
• Walking on a loose lead

If needed, seek support from an accredited, reward-based trainer or behaviour consultant. Starting early is much easier than trying to train while caring for a newborn.

Plan ahead for where your pet will and won’t be allowed once the baby arrives. Sudden loss of access to favourite spaces can be stressful.

Make sure your pet has:

• A comfortable, quiet place to retreat
• Access to enrichment (toys, treats, puzzles)
• For cats, elevated areas away from baby activity

You may also want to have barriers, pens, or crates to safely separate spaces when needed. Keep bins secure to prevent pets accessing nappies.

Your pet will feel more secure if their daily routine stays as consistent as possible. Continue to:

• Feed them at regular times
• Provide exercise and enrichment
• Spend quality time with them

Even small amounts of attention can help prevent your pet from feeling displaced. This helps prevent your pet from associating the baby with stress or loss of attention.

When you bring your baby home, greet your pet calmly first without the baby:

• Make sure your pet is calm and settled before introductions
• Allow your pet to smell an item with the baby’s scent first
• Keep initial introductions quiet and controlled
• Allow your pet to observe from a distance

If appropriate, your pet may have a brief, gentle sniff but never force interaction.

Understanding your pet’s body language can help prevent problems. Signs of stress may include:

• Moving away, hiding, or trying to escape
• Stiff body posture
• Lip licking or yawning (dogs)
• Tail flicking or flattened ears (cats)

If you notice these signs, calmly create space and give your pet a break. Never leave a baby and a pet alone together, even for a moment. This is one of the most important ways to keep both safe.

As babies become mobile, they can unintentionally frighten or hurt pets by grabbing, crawling towards them, or making sudden movements. Ensure pets have areas to escape if they are finding it overwhelming.

Continue to:

• Supervise all interactions
• Teach gentle, respectful behaviour
• Protect your pet’s space and boundaries

Keep toddlers away from pets’ beds, food bowls and toys. Ensure toddlers cannot access cat litter boxes. This avoids them putting things in their mouth that they shouldn’t and avoids risky interactions.

Building empathy and understanding from an early age helps children and pets develop safe, trusting relationships.