I think it depends on the pet. Are you looking for a dog or a cat or something else? Little dogs (like schnauzers, yorkies) are usually not good with little kids, and are easily annoyed and snappy. I'm not saying all of them, but thats the general rule. Bigger dogs like labradors and boxers are good choices as family pets. They are friendly and good natured (again, generally speaking). Also, english bulldogs which i love and want to get one so bad! right now i am thinking about getting a pig for my little girl, sometime in the future.
just keep in mind that you're obviously going to be the one who is doing all the care for a pet, and that puppies require a LOT of care and need training, and you can't leave them alone for extended periods of time... so if you're not at home a lot then that can be a problem. Cats are nice but sometimes don't react to kids well... with kittens i always worry about the 'squishability' factor because of their size. I'm always afraid that kiddo will inadvertantly sit on it or step on it...
A few months ago I got a fish, this gigantic black moor and Aaron has actually really enjoyed keeping the fish, so much so that we got a few more. He feeds them and watches them pretty often. I do all the cleaning of the tank... but i don't mind. Of course, it's not like you can cuddle a fish, but i like having them around.
there are also a lot more options, birds, lizards, rats, ferrets, rabbits... hedgehogs!
I think you should do some research and figure out what kind of pet would best suit your lifestyle...
we have cats and so far they are good with eric. just make sure that they arent aggitated easily because they might bite. also if you get a cat you should probably get its front claws taken out so it doesnt scratch your babe.
Brielle got her kitty when we was 8 or 9 months. She is now 2 and her and the cat are stuck at the hip I swear. They "play" together. The cat sleeps with her,and follows her around everywhere.
So I'm all for a cat. It depends on the cat though,we had a cat before this and it would bite her,and I actually awoke with it sleeping on Brie's face!
Same with me kim. We have our cat Symbaa that's been around since Jaylina was born. He's very protective of her and gentle and doesn't react when she's beating him. They are stuck together all the time and I guess he loves her as much as she loves him! Good luck in the quest of finding the right pet! We have bettas as well (siamese fighting fish) and Jaylina loves to just sit an watch em swim back and forth and luckily our cat doesnt mess with em (course that could have something to do with the fact that one of them bit him the only time he did try puttin his lil paws in the bowl! LOL)
We have a turtle a cat and a dog (and two fish at my moms)
Here are my experiences with each:
Laerin got the fish at my moms a little before she was two. She killed two of them because she would scoot chairs up to the shelf when we were not looking, scoop them out and try to push them around in her baby doll stroller.
We got the turtle about a year ago (she was 2.5) Todd fond it at work. its about an inch from nose to tail. She loves having it. she feeds it everyday and when her friends come over she shows it to them. She gets bored though because she cannot play with it.
Our cat was a stray. She started killing moles and so we started letting her come into the house to eat. now she goes out once a day, hunts what she can, comes in to sleep the rest of the time. Laerin wants nothing to do with this cat. she is boring.
The dog was given to us when he was abour 3.5 weeks (maybe 4) old. Laerin was just shy of 2.5. She did then, and still does, think this dog is the coolest. He is a jack russel terrier, chahuawa mix. He has never snapped at her, he has never done anything. In fact he is extremely protective of her. If Todd and her are rough housing the dog attacks todd. Laerin and the dog (named bear) chase each other around in circles. She loves to take his toys from him and hide them and tell him he is in trouble and put him "to jail!" in his cage.
Just a little insight into the different ideas. Dont get a big dog, or at least i wouldnt recommend it. They grow way faster han your kid, and even though they are big, the do not know their limits.
I don't have any kids yet, but I've got a chihuahua. She is about 1 1/2 years old and I've never had any problems with her around children. My niece is about 2 and she loved playing with the dog the last time we saw her. Chi's are usually less than 5 pounds and usually very well mannered. I have never had Hailey (my dog) bite or nip at anyone other than once when she was talking a treat and missed and nipped my hand. She is content to be by herself playing with her toys or playing with people or the other dogs. Chi's are usually very lovey dogs and love to cuddle and snuggle on your lap. She is trained to pee pee pads in the house and wasn't very hard to train. I think smaller dogs are so much better for kids. plus, the bigger the dog, the more they eat and that can get expensive. Hailey takes about 3 months to eat a 20lb bag of food.
well wehn i was little my mom did the fish thing, but it ended up being more work for her... cleaning the tank and things like that... well anyways... when i was in preschool the class pet was a rat... and i got to take her home for the weekend and my mom really liked them so when i was like 3 my brother and i both got pet rats!! great first time pets- they r clean, pretty self-suficient (sp?) and r actually really sweet!!
i also had a rabbit, and she was great b/c she was litter trained!! and loved to snuzzle!!
i have 2 rabbits ramone & wolly. ramone is very jealous of her b/c i got him before she was born. and wolly is fine with her b/c we got him when she was almost 2. she is pretty good with them. her & ramone "fight" hehe... she likes to tease him. I also have 2 hamsters. she bothers them, but lately she's been better.. it is a lot of work, but she helps me change their cages & feeds them and she loves it! i think it teaches her good responsbility.
Thanks everyone for your stories and input. I would like to get her a little dog or guinea pig. Fish didn't work well for me either when I was younger. I think Amile would LOVE any pet I get her! I would get a cat but my b/f is allergic.
We have a turtle a cat and a dog (and two fish at my moms)
Laerin got the fish at my moms a little before she was two. She killed two of them because she would scoot chairs up to the shelf when we were not looking, scoop them out and try to push them around in her baby doll stroller.
That's kinda cute(exept for the fact it killed the poor little fishies) it reminds me of something my neice would do!!
Crazi-mama, Is your bf allergic to all cats or just certian types?
We have a turtle a cat and a dog (and two fish at my moms)
Laerin got the fish at my moms a little before she was two. She killed two of them because she would scoot chairs up to the shelf when we were not looking, scoop them out and try to push them around in her baby doll stroller.
Crazi-mama, Is your bf allergic to all cats or just certian types?
He thinks he is allregic to a certain type (like Persians) but he just stays away from all cats just to be safe.
Rats are awesome, hamsters... I had a hamster that I loved... lizards are cool, but they can carry salmonela so they're not good for little kids. Guinea pigs are nice but they can scratch, we had to trim our guinea's nails constantly because they were like little needles. I looooooooove cats, we've got two right now that Maddie LOVES (she's 14 months). She's giving one kisses right now.
I disagree about the big dogs thing. I have a golden retriever who is three years old. She is SOOOO attention needy (she's an emo dog... hehe) so when you come home she jumps on you and cries and cries and cries cause she loves everyone... But when a little kid is around her senses just switch. She sits still and let's them pet her. When people are around who are a lot taller she jumps on them because she wants them to pay attention and they are so high up. Of course it depends on the dog but labs and goldens are both REALLY family friendly dogs. Whoever said the thing about the food is right. My dog eats alotta food... she loves fresh mozzrella. We spoil her. Haha.
He thinks he is allregic to a certain type (like Persians) but he just stays away from all cats just to be safe.
I had my one cat for 4 years,and when my daughter was born she was allergic to him. He was a long haired persian mix. He had to go after that :( And then we got our short haired cat and she has no problems. Alot of people with cat allergies are allergic to long haired breeds.
Rats are awesome, hamsters... I had a hamster that I loved... lizards are cool, but they can carry salmonela so they're not good for little kids.
Lizards do not "carry" salmonela except rarely. They have to catch it and oftentimes it makes them ill. However, hamsters and other small furry animals often carry it with no symptoms so it is VERY important that your child always wash his or her hands after handling them. Children are MUCH more likely to catch salmonela from small and furry animals since they "look" cute.
I did a huge amount of research on this before I bought my lizard and I worked in a pet store for a couple years :)
I have one kitty who lives with us, and two puppies who stay at my dads house (one is not potty trained.. our house is full of carpets, there's is not, so it makes more sense to keep him there until he's trained).
The kitty is pretty tolerant of Trey, and Trey loves it. He's smacked Trey a couple of times if Trey started getting rough, but he never uses his claws, even on us, he just does little hand taps to remind.
The other two dogs, one is a bischon shihtzu and is entirely terrible with Trey. Not mean, but way too excited, it scares Trey, and he insists on jumping all over Trey licking every last part. He's only 2 years old, so hopefully the hyperactivity wears off as he gets older and we take him into our house.
The other one is an 8 year old cocker spaniel/husky/weiner dog mix, and she is just amazing with kids. She has an awesome temperament, she's hyper and fun with adults, but whenever a kid comes around, she gets loving, cuddly, super tolerant and protective. One time Trey started pulling on her eyelid, must have hurt, and she just sat there. She's medium sized, which I think is perfect, cause yeah small dogs tend to be way too excited, and snappy, but she's not so big as to scare Trey.
Um, yeah, we have three dogs and a cat. It is great. We have a lot of room, though. The dogs are all muts that were rescued. I am a big advocate for the shelter animals. The cat also came from the shelter. They are great with the kids and my kids love them. What would life be like without them? Oh, we had two dogs before kids. They totally adjusted well to the kids then we got the other dog and cat. One big happy family.
I think it depends on the pet. Are you looking for a dog or a cat or something else? Little dogs (like schnauzers, yorkies) are usually not good with little kids, and are easily annoyed and snappy. I'm not saying all of them, but thats the general rule. Bigger dogs like labradors and boxers are good choices as family pets. They are friendly and good natured (again, generally speaking). Also, english bulldogs which i love and want to get one so bad! right now i am thinking about getting a pig for my little girl, sometime in the future.
just keep in mind that you're obviously going to be the one who is doing all the care for a pet, and that puppies require a LOT of care and need training, and you can't leave them alone for extended periods of time... so if you're not at home a lot then that can be a problem. Cats are nice but sometimes don't react to kids well... with kittens i always worry about the 'squishability' factor because of their size. I'm always afraid that kiddo will inadvertantly sit on it or step on it...
A few months ago I got a fish, this gigantic black moor and Aaron has actually really enjoyed keeping the fish, so much so that we got a few more. He feeds them and watches them pretty often. I do all the cleaning of the tank... but i don't mind. Of course, it's not like you can cuddle a fish, but i like having them around.
there are also a lot more options, birds, lizards, rats, ferrets, rabbits... hedgehogs!
I think you should do some research and figure out what kind of pet would best suit your lifestyle...
we have cats and so far they are good with eric. just make sure that they arent aggitated easily because they might bite. also if you get a cat you should probably get its front claws taken out so it doesnt scratch your babe.
We started Liam with the fish - getting him used to the idea that you have to feed the fish everyday. He helps me clean the tank too!
We were thinking of getting a dog this year from the shelter, but decided against it after we put new floors in our entire place!
Brielle got her kitty when we was 8 or 9 months. She is now 2 and her and the cat are stuck at the hip I swear. They "play" together. The cat sleeps with her,and follows her around everywhere.
So I'm all for a cat. It depends on the cat though,we had a cat before this and it would bite her,and I actually awoke with it sleeping on Brie's face!
Goodluck on the pet search.
Same with me kim. We have our cat Symbaa that's been around since Jaylina was born. He's very protective of her and gentle and doesn't react when she's beating him. They are stuck together all the time and I guess he loves her as much as she loves him! Good luck in the quest of finding the right pet! We have bettas as well (siamese fighting fish) and Jaylina loves to just sit an watch em swim back and forth and luckily our cat doesnt mess with em (course that could have something to do with the fact that one of them bit him the only time he did try puttin his lil paws in the bowl! LOL)
I was thinking along the lines of cats. My sister suggested guinea pigs or fish. I looked up some things on guineas and they are small and so CUTE!
Guinea Pics
They ARE cute!
We have a turtle a cat and a dog (and two fish at my moms)
Here are my experiences with each:
Laerin got the fish at my moms a little before she was two. She killed two of them because she would scoot chairs up to the shelf when we were not looking, scoop them out and try to push them around in her baby doll stroller.
We got the turtle about a year ago (she was 2.5) Todd fond it at work. its about an inch from nose to tail. She loves having it. she feeds it everyday and when her friends come over she shows it to them. She gets bored though because she cannot play with it.
Our cat was a stray. She started killing moles and so we started letting her come into the house to eat. now she goes out once a day, hunts what she can, comes in to sleep the rest of the time. Laerin wants nothing to do with this cat. she is boring.
The dog was given to us when he was abour 3.5 weeks (maybe 4) old. Laerin was just shy of 2.5. She did then, and still does, think this dog is the coolest. He is a jack russel terrier, chahuawa mix. He has never snapped at her, he has never done anything. In fact he is extremely protective of her. If Todd and her are rough housing the dog attacks todd. Laerin and the dog (named bear) chase each other around in circles. She loves to take his toys from him and hide them and tell him he is in trouble and put him "to jail!" in his cage.
Just a little insight into the different ideas. Dont get a big dog, or at least i wouldnt recommend it. They grow way faster han your kid, and even though they are big, the do not know their limits.
I don't have any kids yet, but I've got a chihuahua. She is about 1 1/2 years old and I've never had any problems with her around children. My niece is about 2 and she loved playing with the dog the last time we saw her. Chi's are usually less than 5 pounds and usually very well mannered. I have never had Hailey (my dog) bite or nip at anyone other than once when she was talking a treat and missed and nipped my hand. She is content to be by herself playing with her toys or playing with people or the other dogs. Chi's are usually very lovey dogs and love to cuddle and snuggle on your lap. She is trained to pee pee pads in the house and wasn't very hard to train. I think smaller dogs are so much better for kids. plus, the bigger the dog, the more they eat and that can get expensive. Hailey takes about 3 months to eat a 20lb bag of food.
well wehn i was little my mom did the fish thing, but it ended up being more work for her... cleaning the tank and things like that... well anyways... when i was in preschool the class pet was a rat... and i got to take her home for the weekend and my mom really liked them so when i was like 3 my brother and i both got pet rats!! great first time pets- they r clean, pretty self-suficient (sp?) and r actually really sweet!!
i also had a rabbit, and she was great b/c she was litter trained!! and loved to snuzzle!!
i have 2 rabbits ramone & wolly. ramone is very jealous of her b/c i got him before she was born. and wolly is fine with her b/c we got him when she was almost 2. she is pretty good with them. her & ramone "fight" hehe... she likes to tease him. I also have 2 hamsters. she bothers them, but lately she's been better.. it is a lot of work, but she helps me change their cages & feeds them and she loves it! i think it teaches her good responsbility.
Thanks everyone for your stories and input. I would like to get her a little dog or guinea pig. Fish didn't work well for me either when I was younger. I think Amile would LOVE any pet I get her! I would get a cat but my b/f is allergic.
That's kinda cute(exept for the fact it killed the poor little fishies) it reminds me of something my neice would do!!
Crazi-mama, Is your bf allergic to all cats or just certian types?
He thinks he is allregic to a certain type (like Persians) but he just stays away from all cats just to be safe.
Rats are awesome, hamsters... I had a hamster that I loved... lizards are cool, but they can carry salmonela so they're not good for little kids. Guinea pigs are nice but they can scratch, we had to trim our guinea's nails constantly because they were like little needles. I looooooooove cats, we've got two right now that Maddie LOVES (she's 14 months). She's giving one kisses right now.
I disagree about the big dogs thing. I have a golden retriever who is three years old. She is SOOOO attention needy (she's an emo dog... hehe) so when you come home she jumps on you and cries and cries and cries cause she loves everyone... But when a little kid is around her senses just switch. She sits still and let's them pet her. When people are around who are a lot taller she jumps on them because she wants them to pay attention and they are so high up. Of course it depends on the dog but labs and goldens are both REALLY family friendly dogs. Whoever said the thing about the food is right. My dog eats alotta food... she loves fresh mozzrella. We spoil her. Haha.
I had my one cat for 4 years,and when my daughter was born she was allergic to him. He was a long haired persian mix. He had to go after that :( And then we got our short haired cat and she has no problems. Alot of people with cat allergies are allergic to long haired breeds.
Lizards do not "carry" salmonela except rarely. They have to catch it and oftentimes it makes them ill. However, hamsters and other small furry animals often carry it with no symptoms so it is VERY important that your child always wash his or her hands after handling them. Children are MUCH more likely to catch salmonela from small and furry animals since they "look" cute.
I did a huge amount of research on this before I bought my lizard and I worked in a pet store for a couple years :)
A fish.
I have one kitty who lives with us, and two puppies who stay at my dads house (one is not potty trained.. our house is full of carpets, there's is not, so it makes more sense to keep him there until he's trained).
The kitty is pretty tolerant of Trey, and Trey loves it. He's smacked Trey a couple of times if Trey started getting rough, but he never uses his claws, even on us, he just does little hand taps to remind.
The other two dogs, one is a bischon shihtzu and is entirely terrible with Trey. Not mean, but way too excited, it scares Trey, and he insists on jumping all over Trey licking every last part. He's only 2 years old, so hopefully the hyperactivity wears off as he gets older and we take him into our house.
The other one is an 8 year old cocker spaniel/husky/weiner dog mix, and she is just amazing with kids. She has an awesome temperament, she's hyper and fun with adults, but whenever a kid comes around, she gets loving, cuddly, super tolerant and protective. One time Trey started pulling on her eyelid, must have hurt, and she just sat there. She's medium sized, which I think is perfect, cause yeah small dogs tend to be way too excited, and snappy, but she's not so big as to scare Trey.
Um, yeah, we have three dogs and a cat. It is great. We have a lot of room, though. The dogs are all muts that were rescued. I am a big advocate for the shelter animals. The cat also came from the shelter. They are great with the kids and my kids love them. What would life be like without them? Oh, we had two dogs before kids. They totally adjusted well to the kids then we got the other dog and cat. One big happy family.