- Fertility home
- Fertility Calculator
- Fertility
- Infertility
- Ovulation & Pregnancy
- Planning
- Baby Names
- Miscarriage
- Blog
featured articlesCalculate your most fertile days
more >>- featured articles
Find the perfect baby name
more >> - featured articles
Expert tips for finding the right pediatrician
more >> - Toddler home
- Behavior
- Development
- Health
- Daycare & Education
- Recipes & Nutrition
- Activities
- Gear & Products
- Blog
- Formulas for Success
featured articlesHow tall will your kid grow up to be? Try our height calculator to find out
more >>- Child home
- Behavior
- Development
- Health
- Daycare & Education
- Recipes & Nutrition
- Fit Generation
- Activities
- Gear & Products
featured articlesMust-know tips for raising a happy, healthy family
more >>- featured articles
How healthy is your kid’s lunch? Calculate the nutritional value now
more >> - featured articles
Sign up to get holiday recipes, crafts and stress-less tips delivered right to your inbox
more >> - Gear home
- Toys
- Books
- New Mom Essentials
- Baby Essentials
- Kid Essentials
- Mom Must-Haves
- Computers & Video Games
- DVDs
- Music
How tall will your kid grow up to be? Try our height calculator to find out
more >>- Mom home
- Health & Fitness
- Work & Family
- Relationships
- Single Parents
- Beauty & Style
- Relax & Recharge
- Money & Saving
featured articlesSign up to get recall alerts, recipes, parenting secrets and more delivered right to your inbox
more >>- Dad home
- A Day in the Life of a Stay-at-Home Dad
- Famous Dads on Fatherhood
- 20 Cool Dad Tattoos
- 19 Super-Fun Free Apps for Dads
Video: The most hilarious dads on the playground.
more >>
answers
Ask a question
Answer Categories
Answer Disclaimer
*DISCLAIMER
Parenting.com's Answers are provided by members of our community. While your fellow moms and our editors have plenty of great advice to offer based on their experience, it is not a substitute for professional medical help. Always consult a medical professional when seeking medical advice.
Parenting.com's Answers are provided by members of our community. While your fellow moms and our editors have plenty of great advice to offer based on their experience, it is not a substitute for professional medical help. Always consult a medical professional when seeking medical advice.
How many pets are too many for a newborn?
How many pets are too many for a newborn?
My sister is 5 months pregnant and she lives in a two bedroom apartment ( around 1000 square feet) with 5 cats, 2 dogs and her partner. All the animals are well behaved and trained but have never interacted with small children. My parents and I am very concerned because she categorically rejects the possibility of getting rid of any of the animals (they're her children, if you know what I mean).
Is this something I should do something about? I would never forgive myself if anything happened to the baby due to negligence T.T but I also understand my sister has the right to raise her child as she sees fit. How much of a health concern could this be? Her apartment is really clean and all animals make "their business" in appropriate places. However, you can tell 7 animals live there by the smell.
Any advice will be dearly appreciated
answers (2)
Ultimately, this is her decision. Anything you do (like calling animal control) would result in a huge rift in your relationship with her. While I do understand that is a lot of animals in a small space, it's just not your place. The fact that the animals haven't interacted with children is not really an issue at this point. When my first child was born we had two cats and a young dog, none of whom had ever been around children. All three adored my daughter and watched over her. Since my pets were treated as family members, they understood that our new baby was theirs to take care of as well. (I'm actually sad right now, because our "mama cat" went missing a few months ago and our next baby will never know her.)
The bottom line is that if the apartment is clean, there are no health issues to worry about. Studies have actually shown that having pets during the first year of life actually reduce the occurrence of allergies and asthma in children. Caring for pets teaches kids responsibility and helps babies learn how to control themselves (with hitting, etc.).
I forgot to add, the only concern would be how the animals behave after the baby is born. Any that show aggression need to be watched very carefully, and I would never leave a baby alone in a room with a dog. If either of the dogs show aggression, your sister needs to talk to an animal behviorist right away to learn how to stop the aggressive behavior before it gets dangerous, and/or she needs to think about finding a new home for the dog(s). In my experience, cats who don't care for babies/children will keep to themselves and will not attack. (Unless, the cat is just downright vicious/crazy.)
Your sister and her partner will also figure out very quickly that it is difficult to juggle the attention needs from a baby and from pets. That may change her mind and may make her think about finding new homes for a few of the animals. But, they may also be able to handle it all.










