Ideal Pets For Young Children
The benefits that children get from having animals nearby as they grow up are more than proven. They not only teach them to respect, love and be responsible, they can also prevent allergies and illnesses. These are some of the ideal pets for young children that you can consider if you want to expand your family.
Ideal pets for young children
Having pets in the home is beneficial, and many scientific studies have proven that having a dog helps lead a less sedentary lifestyle, that people with cats are less likely to have heart problems, and overall spending time with animals increases. the release of serotonin, the hormone that causes a feeling of well-being.
However, not all animals can have fun with small children at home. Each specific family has its own needs, but generally young children are less skilled, control their strength worse, and have less patience than adults.
Therefore, as ideal pets for young children, animals that don’t need a lot of attention or special care are best recommended. There are animals that require little attention and can be happy living with small children and adults.
We must not forget that a pet should not be the sole responsibility of children. The little one can take on some tasks, to learn about responsibility or routines, but an adult should always be the animal’s final caretaker. Also, when children and pets interact, for safety, they must always be supervised by an adult.
1. Fish
Fish are classic pets among children: they take up little space, as they must live inside an aquarium. These are animals that require little care: after properly conditioning the aquarium, you only need to worry about feeding them and keeping the water clean.
Fish, for this reason, are one of the ideal pets for young children: they can take care of feeding them and be responsible for knowing how much food they have left. Cleaning, being a more complicated process, must be done by an adult.
2. birds
Birds have a similar situation because they need little attention: as they usually live in a small space and clean themselves, they need little care. However, there are birds that require more interaction than others, and as the cage needs cleaning, they can be considered a little more advanced in young children’s responsibilities.
3. Insects: an anthill
Having an anthill at home can be an educational and uplifting experience for young children. Ants need very little care : from time to time you need to give them some food and moisten their environment. The rest they do alone.
It doesn’t take much responsibility to care for an anthill, but it does encourage patience in young children: the results of watching them grow and build the anthill take weeks, although it’s worth the effort.
4. Hamster
Hamsters are often among the other ideal pets for young children. These rodents are independent, so they don’t require much. The maintenance and care of their cage is also simple and they can be given a varied diet, which young children can provide.
However, we must keep in mind that hamsters are very fragile physically: children who do not control their strength should not remove the rodents from their cage, as they can injure them unintentionally. It is also worth remembering that not all hamsters are sociable and many may not want to be picked up or petted.
5. Dogs
Despite all these previous animals, the animal par excellence in homes is the dog. The responsibility for the care of a dog cannot fall to a small child: he must go out in the street, he must be educated by an adult, his diet must be supervised…
However, the dog is a great teacher for young children: they are patient and playful, but also empathetic and, in their own way, responsible. They are great communicators and can become great friends with the kids in the house.
Every dog has a different personality, but in general not all dog breeds are suitable for living with small children or in very busy homes: among the breeds that tend to adapt better are Labradors, Britons and pointers.
Pets can be great teachers for young children: they force them to follow routines and be responsible and patient. Also, they can be great companions and friends to the little ones in the house.
