Free book helps families introduce pets to babies

Too often, young families relinquish a pet when the first baby comes, fearing harm to an infant. But there are ways to prepare the pet for a safe introduction to children, and a gentle transition in a family’s attention when a new child takes center stage. A new book called Pet Meets Baby is available in a free download from American Humane Association to help families safely introduce a new baby or new child to a pet, and a new pet to their children.

Pet Meets Baby can help keep families and pets together with practical tips for how to prepare the pet’s possible re-location to another room; how to encourage careful first introductions; how to understand when a pet becomes stressed; and what to do so that children and pets can grow up together and form strong bonds.

In addition to downloading a free booklet, American Humane Association invites readers to fill out a simple survey online to share how they integrated pets and children into their homes. People who fill out the short survey will automatically be entered into a sweepstakes to win one of several prize packages from Animal Planet’s “It’s Me or The Dog,” and a national ambassador for American Humane Association.