· Infants Infants are not ready to take care of themselves.
An infant can definitely not handle or take care of any pet.
If you have a family pet, you need to formally introduce the infant to your pet.
If you bring home a pet soon after the birth of the child, you should also formally introduce your infant to your pet.
Observe their interaction.
You should gradually increase the length of time they spend together.
Your pet may try to lick your infant.
This is OK, but not too often.
Just make sure the infant's hands are clean.
· Toddlers Toddlers are mischievous and curious.
Your toddler will probably pull your animal's fur, limbs, and even tail.
Teach your toddler how to safely play with pets.
Some pets are very docile and can handle a little rough playing, but some pets do get angry and aggressive.
Observe the playtime between the toddler and pet.
You should also make sure your child doesn't play with your pet's toys, food dishes, water dishes, or litter box.
· 3-5 years 3-5 year old children are beginning to learn empathy and responsibility.
If you don't have a pet already, guinea pigs are great beginner pets for your children.
Guinea pigs like being held and rarely bite.
Children can also learn responsibility by helping take care of the guinea pigs.
· 5-10 years Children this age have inconsistent attention spans.
A child this age is better with small pets like goldfish.
Teach your children about responsibility.
Give your children's chores like cleaning cages, filing water bowls, and cleaning toys.
This is an opportunity for you to help your children develop good pet care habits.
· 10-13 years Early teens have a good capacity for responsibility.
They are usually ready for more difficult pets like dogs or cats.
Your child should be responsible for handling feeding, walking, and cleaning.
Children this age are reliable, but you should still check that everything is done correctly.
Have your children participate in any pet training classes your pet does.
Pet training classes can be a good learning experience for your pet and child.
· 14-17 years Teens this age are busy with school and various activities.
They may not be willing to make the time to take care of the pets.
Low maintenance pets such as birds and fish are great for teens for this age.
Teens are also old enough to take on full responsibility of any pets.
You may still want to supervise occasionally.
If you adopt any dogs or cats during this age, the pet will probably stay at home when the child moves out.
This is important to point out in case you don't want to have to take care of any pets.
An infant can definitely not handle or take care of any pet.
If you have a family pet, you need to formally introduce the infant to your pet.
If you bring home a pet soon after the birth of the child, you should also formally introduce your infant to your pet.
Observe their interaction.
You should gradually increase the length of time they spend together.
Your pet may try to lick your infant.
This is OK, but not too often.
Just make sure the infant's hands are clean.
· Toddlers Toddlers are mischievous and curious.
Your toddler will probably pull your animal's fur, limbs, and even tail.
Teach your toddler how to safely play with pets.
Some pets are very docile and can handle a little rough playing, but some pets do get angry and aggressive.
Observe the playtime between the toddler and pet.
You should also make sure your child doesn't play with your pet's toys, food dishes, water dishes, or litter box.
· 3-5 years 3-5 year old children are beginning to learn empathy and responsibility.
If you don't have a pet already, guinea pigs are great beginner pets for your children.
Guinea pigs like being held and rarely bite.
Children can also learn responsibility by helping take care of the guinea pigs.
· 5-10 years Children this age have inconsistent attention spans.
A child this age is better with small pets like goldfish.
Teach your children about responsibility.
Give your children's chores like cleaning cages, filing water bowls, and cleaning toys.
This is an opportunity for you to help your children develop good pet care habits.
· 10-13 years Early teens have a good capacity for responsibility.
They are usually ready for more difficult pets like dogs or cats.
Your child should be responsible for handling feeding, walking, and cleaning.
Children this age are reliable, but you should still check that everything is done correctly.
Have your children participate in any pet training classes your pet does.
Pet training classes can be a good learning experience for your pet and child.
· 14-17 years Teens this age are busy with school and various activities.
They may not be willing to make the time to take care of the pets.
Low maintenance pets such as birds and fish are great for teens for this age.
Teens are also old enough to take on full responsibility of any pets.
You may still want to supervise occasionally.
If you adopt any dogs or cats during this age, the pet will probably stay at home when the child moves out.
This is important to point out in case you don't want to have to take care of any pets.