Finding out that you’re pregnant may bring you feelings of excitement and anxiety. However, if you are a pet owner, you might find yourself nervous and worried about how your pet will get along with your new baby. Kidovations Educational Experience, an expert provider of child care in Statesboro, Georgia, offers the following suggestions to help prepare your pets for the coming of your baby:

• Gradually change your pet’s routines.
  Before your baby even arrives, make some gradual changes to your pet’s routines. For instance, change the time when your dog gets walked or where they sleep. By changing their routine before the baby arrives, your pet will not associate the change with the baby. Also, consider going through your baby’s routine before they arrive (i.e. feeding, changing, walking with an empty stroller) – seeing you do these activities will help your pet get used to it as well.
• Play some baby sounds in your home.
  Play various baby sounds (i.e. crying, laughing, gurgling, etc.) in your home for increasing periods of time so that your pet can adjust to the new sounds before your baby arrives.
• Introduce “baby smell” to your pet.
  Introduce your pet to baby smell by letting them sniff the new stuff you’re buying for the baby (i.e. lotions, powers, diapers, etc.). Once the baby is born, consider bringing your baby’s clothing or blanket home and allow your pet to sniff it. This will help them identify and get used to your baby’s scent.
• Establish new rules.
  Weeks, or even months, before your baby arrives, make sure to establish the new rules that you want your pet to follow. For instance, establish when they are or aren’t allowed inside the house.
• Decrease the amount of attention that you give to them.
  Once your baby is around, you will probably be spending less time doting on your pets. To help them adjust, gradually spend less time with them before your baby arrives. It may be tempting to shower them with “last minute” attention, but refrain from doing so. Your pet may just feel confused when you spoil them one minute, only to suddenly stop it when the baby comes home.

These are just some suggestions from your friendly preschool in Georgia. If you can think of anything else to help your pet adjust, make sure to do them. It will definitely help everyone – you, your family, and your pet – adjust.