Choosing an animal for a pet, here are tips and benefits

The image of children playing with their pets, whether they be dogs or cats, does look adorable. Pets can be great friends for children and give them a chance to take responsibility. However, before choosing pets for children, there are a number of things that parents need to pay attention to.

Tips for choosing pets for children

Many children want to have a dog, cat, or other animal. However, choosing pets, especially tame ones, for children is not as easy as buying them clothes every vacation.

Reporting from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, parental involvement, open discussion and careful planning are needed. It is intended that all family members have positive experiences when caring for animals.

Here are some tips that may help parents when choosing a pet for their child.

1. See first the stages of child development

Before choosing a pet for a child, you should first look at the stages of their development. You see, caring for an animal will take up the time and attention of you and the rest of the family, so it is better to wait for the child to mature enough to understand.

Normally, you can wait until the child is 5 or 6 years old. The reason is, younger children may find it more difficult to distinguish animals from toys. As a result, it is not uncommon for young children to provoke animal bites through mistreatment or teasing.

Next, when the child is age and developmentally ready, start chatting with them about the animal's needs and what to expect when caring for it. You may want to start with an article on animal care that helps your child understand responsibility.

If possible, take your child to visit friends or relatives who have pets. Then, let them see first-hand the needs of others when caring for dogs and cats.

2. Ask if you and others are ready

After deciding that the child is age and developmentally ready, choosing animals for them also requires discussion with other family members. This is even more so when this decision is made the first time in your family.

This is because you and the adults in the house cannot give up the child to take care of their pet completely. Parents have the main responsibility in caring for animals, regardless of whether the child agrees or not.

For example, when the child is given a task to feed or walk their dog, you need to make sure that the task is carried out. In addition, parents also need to pay attention to the health of the animals they care for, especially the routine check-up schedule.

Children can help parents care for pets in different ways. It all depends on how old the child is experiencing. In fact, a toddler can also begin to play a role in loving animals when closely watched.

3. Consider diseases that can be transmitted to animals

Children and other family members are ready to accept with open arms, but there is one important thing to check when choosing a pet for a child.

Parents need to consider allergies and diseases caused by animals and how they affect the health of their children.

For example, fur on certain animals, such as dogs, can cause allergic reactions in children who do have a history of allergies. Therefore, when a child or other family member has allergies, such as eczema and asthma, it may not seem like a good idea to adopt an animal.

Meanwhile, almost every kind of animal can be a source of disease and children can be infected. For example, all reptiles can transmit the salmonella bacteria, which causes diarrhea.

However, if the child and other family members maintain cleanliness and health, such as washing hands before and after playing with animals, there is no problem.

4. Choose animals that are small and come from the shelter

In fact, when children start choosing pets for the first time, try to get them to start small. Your child may want to get a dog or other cute furry animal, but the bigger the animal, the more difficult it will be to care for.

If possible, encourage children to start with small animals, such as goldfish. However, when the child is not interested it may be fine to pick a dog or a cat.

You can start looking for and getting advice from other people about good adoption places or animal shelters.

5. Match the personality of the animal and child

After you have successfully selected a pet shelter for adoption, try to adopt an animal that matches your child's personality.

The biggest challenge in finding the first animal for a child is whether this breed is right for your child's character. Experts suggest that parents be realistic in choosing animals in order to create good relationships with children.

For example, very active children need constant supervision, especially when they are near pets rather than children who appear relaxed and calm.

The reason is, the combination that is most difficult and worsens the atmosphere of the house is a very active child having an animal that is timid and nervous.

Parents also need to research the types of animals they will bring home and relate this to the characteristics of their children and other family members. The pets most often chosen are cats and dogs because they can be trained and are easier to "connect" with humans.

Therefore, there are many things to consider when choosing a pet for a child, considering that you will be bringing a living creature home to live with.

The benefits of raising animals for children

After successfully choosing the right animal for your child, of course you don't want to miss out on the benefits of caring for animals.

Children raised with animals generally develop positive feelings towards animals. In fact, it also affects children's self-esteem and self-confidence.

Having a positive relationship between children and pets also helps children develop trusting relationships and communication with others. Pets also make children love living things and develop non-verbal empathy.

Therefore, choosing pets for children should not be arbitrary considering the many benefits that can be obtained from caring for animals with love.