How to Choose the Best Pet For a Child?
Are you wondering what kind of pet is best for your child?
Children begin to ask for a dog, cat or bunny at the age of 3-5 years. Experienced careers, preschoolers and parents say that the age of about 5 years is a great time to familiarize the child with a new household member. The child is then old enough to understand what it means to look after another creature. Having a pet can encourage responsibility and empathy at any age.
The Pros and Cons of Getting a Pet?
Toddlers who grow up surrounded by dogs, cats, or other smaller or larger creatures are often more empathic and learn from a young age to be responsible for another living being. Adopting a pet that a child can also help take care of can help to build confidence and compassion in a child. Training your pet can be a lesson in patience and can help your children learn how to be gentle and understanding. Animals also have a therapeutic effect and can help to reduce stress. However, there are few things you need to consider and think through as not every pet will be suitable for a toddler.
It is worth considering the obstacles that will appear when caring for a pet.
Extra responsibility and expense (consider the veterinary costs of owning the type of animal you are looking at)! Is there a veterinarian in your area that can help with your chosen pet?
Consider your child’s personality
Do you have the right amount of space, house or apartment? Furniture, the degree of heating of the apartment, the time you can spend on walking, feeding, and playing. These factors significantly affect the choice of a pet.
Another important thing you need to consider – does anyone have allergies at home? This is one of the most important points that will influence the decision to have a pet. Allergies to cat, rabbit or other allergies are an important aspect to think about before making your final decision.
A dog or cat is the most popular pet, so there is a high probability that our child will ask for such a pet. Dogs are great companions, but you must remember that caring for them also requires a lot of time.
What pet to choose?
Rabbits might look sweet and cuddly but they are not too sociable. They don’t like noise and do not like to be hugged and squeezed. They can feel cornered, get stressed easily and start attacking and biting. Bunnies have very fragile bodies so small kids can actually easily hurt them. Another thing that is worth knowing, rabbits can get very lonely so it is advised to keep them in pairs.
The best home for a bunny is with an older family who have time, patient and understanding.
Birds – they are ideal pets for those who cannot devote enough time to dogs or cats.
Finches and canaries are the best choice for house with small children. They are easy to care for, they require minimal grooming and you don’t have to spend much time playing with them. Pet are very sociable. They can get attached to their owner as much as dogs or cats.
Such pets are also good options for people who live in small apartments.
Some birds require a large cage and proper housing equipment. Before you release them from the cage the entire room area needs to be made bird-safe (e.g. covering windows and mirrors, blocking gaps behind furniture, covering electric wires). Birds can be noisy; they bite and require well picked food that gives them proper nutrition. Most birds, same as rabbits should be kept at least in pairs otherwise they can become depressed or anxious.
Those who think about having a parrot as a pet should consider several factors. The owner of a parrot must have time to bond with her, because parrots need attention and attachment.
Fish is also a popular choice of a pet. Arranging an aquarium and observing the underwater world can be fun for the whole family. Feeding and caring for fish are easy tasks, so many children will be able to do this by themselves. This can teach your kids responsibility, kindness and compassion.
Not surprisingly, therefore, psychologists very often recommend parents to buy an aquarium and fish as an effective method of home therapy. Studies and experiments have been carried out in dental offices. Doctors pointed out, young patients felt less fear of surgery due to observation of fish. Research also confirms the development of creativity and sensitivity caused by looking after fish.
For those who have problem with falling asleep the water sounds produced by aquariums provide a soothing environment that can help some people relax and fall asleep quicker.
Watching the fish swim around the fish tank is also a wonderful sensory activity for children with autism.
Such animals are a good choice for those allergic to fur. However, the aquarium requires a lot of space, and water should be changed regularly.
Turtles will be a good choice if you want to teach a child not only responsibility for someone’s life and health, but also that different species of animals need different living conditions. Not all types of turtles are the same, and once you decide to adopt a turtle, you’ll need to find out which species is most appropriate for you and your family.
Such animals are not ideal pets for small children but they can make good pets for older kids.
Although the turtle is unlikely to cuddle, it is undoubtedly a unique pet. We can spend long hours observing his behaviour and kids can learn quite a few fascinating things about them.
When you decide to breed a turtle, you must consider big costs at the very beginning when preparing the appropriate terrarium.
Turtle care is laborious and time consuming if we want to create proper development conditions for them.
Turtles are very demanding and quite delicate animals.
Do not buy turtles if you do not have time, place and knowledge for them. Turtles don’t show any signs of illness. They can die suddenly and the owner will not realize that the animal was unwell.
Another thing to keep in mind is that turtles carry many different pathogens. Most turtles carry salmonella, but also other bacteria or viruses that can be dangerous, especially for children under 5 and to babies. Therefore, let’s make sure that if your kids are in contact with the turtle, they should thoroughly wash their hands later. Let’s teach children hygiene rules to minimize the risk of contracting animal-borne diseases.
Guinea pig is recommended by many people as the best first pet for a child!
Buying a hamster or guinea pig is very often an alternative to adopting a dog or cat. Yes, rodents take up less space, are relatively inexpensive to maintain and have little social needs, but this does not mean that the rodent is a low maintenance animal. In particular, it is unacceptable to buy a rodent with the thought that a few-year-old child will learn responsibility on it, taking care of it alone or that it will be a kind of live toy for the child.
Guinea pig lives quite long, even 8 years, it is rarely aggressive, although can be moody. They love to sleep under a blanket or duvet, responds to their name, and get used to it very quickly, showing their unique character. Such pets are suitable for children from 5 years of age.
Because it is a typical herd animal, we must ensure contact with humans or choose two pigs, preferably females. They can be released from the cage to explore the room, but always under the watchful eye of someone in the house.
Guinea pigs, unfortunately, like to nibble on cables and other room equipment.
It is important to know such pets also require regular visits at veterinary office .
