When it comes to introducing your baby to your loved ones, there are few people more important than your pets. The moment your baby and your furry friend (or friends) meet is a big deal, so my partner and I put a lot of time and energy preparing for it. Id like to think our baby realized it was a momentous occasion, at least to some degree, too. In fact, I'll go so far as to say there are a few things your baby thinks when they meet your pet for the first time.
When our son and our dog met, it appeared that our dog was more interested in the baby than our baby was interested in the dog. He was trying to figure out the new smells and sounds, and what exactly this tiny, squirming thing was in my spouse’s arms. Of course, the same could have been said for our son, too. He may have been half-asleep, but surely he was absorbing the situation.
In our case (and thankfully) our dog has adjusted fabulously to having our son in our lives, who’s now a rambunctious toddler. Still, looking back on those first moments will always be amusing to me, because it seemed that neither of them really understood quite what was happening. If they had, however, here’s what I think my son would have been thinking:
"So You're The They Were Speaking Baby Talk To Before I Was Born"
Our dog was on the receiving end of the majority of the attention in the household before the birth of our son. So, yes, I can admit that my partner and I babied him a bit more than we do now. It may or may not have come in the form of baby talk, too.
"I Get Why The Smell Of Your Food Made My Mom Sick"
I mean, pet food never smells good to me, but combine that smell with waves of relentless nausea and you get a recipe for discomfort I am sure my baby could sense.
"Please Don’t Eat Me..."
I mean, as the baby's figuring out this whole food/eating thing, I could only imagine some clarity is helpful. Any creature that looks at you curiously and drools (like our dog) is enough to raise a flag for someone who doesn't quite understand the concept of a domesticated pet.
"...And I Promise Not To Eat You"
I assume some sort of agreement was reached early on because, to date, neither our son nor our dog has tried to eat the other.
"Where Did You Get Such Fluffy Pajamas?"
It's kind of a shame that they don't make fuzzier pajamas for babies. I, for one, would love to dress my baby in clothes as soft and as fuzzy as puppy or kitty fur.
"I Apologize In Advance For Pulling On Your Tail"
Actually, if we're starting a list of things that a baby could pre-apologize to a dog for, let's also add, "for throwing your dog food," "stealing our parents' attention," and "taking your spot as cutest living thing in this house."
"How Are We Going To Tell Our Toys Apart?"
I mean, one of them has soft, colorful toys with bells inside and various textures to grip and touch. The other has, well, the exact same thing. I'll admit, at times there have been brief moments of confusion in our house when it comes to which toys are for which, but for the most part we've managed to tell them apart.
For starters, one has far more aggressive teeth marks than the other.
"We’re Going To Be Best Friends"
I like to think that my son felt this way about most of the people and animals he met in his early days, because they were all my favorites. While he's still a bit young to know for sure if this is turning out to be true, signs are pointing to yes, our dog and our baby were off to a good start.
