Does your little one love to be around your dog or bird or iguana? Does he/she likes to cuddle and pet the cat or guinea pig or hamster?  Do you think having pets around teach your baby or toddler to be humane, i.e. learning respect for creatures among other virtues? Or maybe you're better off without them?  Let us know your thoughts - yes, no, maybe whichever your heart tells ya.  Insights will be greatly appreciated. 

My daughter is only 7 months old but she is very entertained by watching our two dogs.  She smiles and laughs at them all the time and follows their movements with great interest.

I think pets are important to children as they teach the children how to be gentle and pets give them a chance to love living beings other than people.  When they are old enough, children can also learn responsibility by taking on some of the care of their pet(s). 

The best benefit to having a pet may be that the child has some "one" they can confide in any time; someone who won't tell their secrets  :)

Sandra Athron wrote:

My daughter is only 7 months old but she is very entertained by watching our two dogs.  She smiles and laughs at them all the time and follows their movements with great interest.

I think pets are important to children as they teach the children how to be gentle and pets give them a chance to love living beings other than people.  When they are old enough, children can also learn responsibility by taking on some of the care of their pet(s). 

The best benefit to having a pet may be that the child has some "one" they can confide in any time; someone who won't tell their secrets  :)

That's a lovely insight. Pets are bestfriends, I agree. You said your baby watches the dogs.  Do you allow her to play with them at this time?

Nina Sy wrote:

Sylph Chang wrote:We adopted a chinchilla this January, and Ever, who was 18 months old at that time, was enchanted by his soft, adorable appearance, and his hilarious, acrobatic antics.  He came pre-named, "Whiskers," but Ever couldn't pronounce the word "chinchilla," at the time, and started calling him "Choodly-da-da," which has been his name ever since!

He was friendly and adventurous from the beginning, and would hop on her lap for a few seconds, only to hop off again, when she would try to hold on to him.  Over the months, she has grown to understand his ways, and learned how to entice him to come to her by offering him treats, rather than trying to grab him, as she used to do.  

Just last week, she realized that if she lay down on the floor, face down, and put her head down, he would climb on top of her back, and make his way up to her head, where he would snuffle in her ears, and nibble them gently.  She giggles like crazy when he does this, and tries to hold still, so as not to frighten him away!  I think he has made a wonderful addition to our household, and to our family.

Your little one sure is having a great time and learning fast to care for it.  Isn't that amazing!  Chinchillas are like hamsters, right?  Were you ever anxious that it will bite?

They are native to the Andes mountains, and are kind of like a cross between a squirrel, a rabbit, and a mouse.  They are about the size of a soccer ball, and bounce all around and run up the walls.  He's a real little ball of energy!