Pets are crucial in families. Apart from being a superb addition to families, they are also essential in teaching our kids some necessary life skills like responsibility and compassion.

There is no exact age for a child to get his or her first pet, but there are some signs that would need to be observed before getting them their first pet.

Most kids develop the love of animals when they start to talk, even when they haven’t had the chance to live with one yet.

Introducing a pet to your kids and bringing them into your home before some specific signs can cause several complications to your kids and even the pets themselves. So, how do you know if your kids are ready for a pet?

Your kids are comfortable around animals:

Kids are known to have natural fears for animals and introducing a pet into the home without checking how comfortable they are with these animals is risky.

Some parents feel getting a pet is good in order to cure your kid’s fear of animals, but it doesn’t cure that fear, instead it creates unease and makes them begin to feel unsafe in their homes. It could result in injury and subconscious fear of animals.

You can take your child to visit shelters and other families with a pet to check their interest and get them familiar with pets.

Your kids don’t have allergies:

Some kids are known to have allergies to individual animals; most of these kids are allergic to animal furs. If your child has these allergies then a fish, guinea pig or turtle is more suitable for them.

It would not be right for you to get your child an animal they love, and you have to re-home them because of allergy issues. To avoid a situation like this, you can start by exposing your kids to the same breed of these animals before getting one home.

Your kid shows respect to animals:

It is one thing to show no fear of animals; it is another thing to know how to handle them. Showing signs of respect and love is an important character kid should show when they are exposed to animals. It is necessary that they understand boundaries and won’t hurt the animal.

Your kids are committed to the idea:

When kids are little, it is normal for them to keep changing their minds all the time. So it is required that you have a lot of conversations with them about getting a  pet and on which pet to get to ensure they are on board before purchasing the pets.

Your kids can handle necessary tasks:

It would be difficult as a parent to do all the chores when kids don’t get involved in any activities. Another important indication is that kids are ready for their pets are once the kids are already dressing themselves; they pack up their toys and also do other chores like load the dishwasher.

It is vital for kids to be able to feed their pets and also get involved in some cleaning exercises.

Your Kids have a lot of energy:

Before considering the choice of getting a pet, it is necessary to understand the strength of your kids. Some kids are so much full of energy, then getting them a matching animal that requires a lot of exercises is a great idea. You can get them companions like dogs.

You might have other experiences or tell-tales on signs that kids show when they are ready to get a pet, you can leave them as comments below.

Author Bio:

James is a passionate blogger & content marketer at Singapore tuition. In free hours and on weekends, he enjoys playing with Tommy (his beloved dog.)

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