7 Replies
The answer depends on the child and depends on the pet.I have seen a lot of advice suggesting that a good time to introduce a pet is when the child is 8-10 years when they are responsible to do their own daily chores independently. Pets and young children should always be supervised. Never allow them alone together until the children are old enough to fully understand how to interact safely with animals. We had a pet because my son desperately wanted one and dad thought of teaching responsibility through having one pet- fish. But after a while he lost interest and ended up in daddy washing and cleaning the fish tank without any help and my helper feeding the fish. Be patient enough to settle all the arguments with the siblings on whose turn is to feed and whose turn is to clean. Be careful not to have any argument over pet related chores and don’t threaten to get rid of the pet even if she or he doesn’t do their share.
If you have never had a pet in the household, a good age will be when your child is 5 and beyond (as suggested by this article: http://sg.theasianparent.com/how-to-choose-best-pet-for-your-child/). At this age, the child could understand and learn how to be responsible for the pet. He/she is also capable of cleaning and caring for the pet. In addition, the child is able to differentiate between playing with the pet and not mistreat it. Do refer to the article for some great tips on how to choose the best pet and suggestions on the different types of pets to consider. :)
Since your child has to be responsible for his pet, I would advise that he be more than able to take care of his daily needs (feeding, bathing, changing). A safe age would be around 8 or 10 years old. You will have to be prepared to look after the pet if he happens to lose interest after a while, as a pet is not a toy, but a lifetime companion. Perhaps you could borrow a friend's pet to see how well he adjusts to having an animal in the house.
I think the best age would be when your child is able to take care of himself coz that's really important as only then would he be able to take responsibility of a pet. Responsibility can be instilled in kids in a number of ways such as asking them to take care of their books and personal items. You can also ask the to help you around the house. Gradually when you see that your child is becoming a little responsible, you can get him a pet too :)
Promo terbesar expert care sudah dimulai, diskon hingga Rp.100.000 sedang berlangsung di shopee, ada juga voucher diskon 100% alias gratis bagi bunda yang beruntung. Buruan cek di https://shope.ee/9UfEMMqqTg (id-4117)
I would say start small. Ba is learn and start their own thoughts at a young age. They are moulding. So I would start baby real young.
We introduced our pets (dog + cat) to baby from week 1 - we wanted to ensure that she grew up comfortable amongst animals.