Living with Kids and Pets: Keeping a Clean Home

Pets are part of the family. They provide joy after a long, tiring day at work, guard your home from intruders and always make playtime an extra fun time for the kids. But pets can pass on infections and diseases to the family, especially kids. If you have a pet at home, make sure that they are clean and healthy so that your kids are safe from illnesses.

Practise Hygiene

It’s important that you keep your pets clean and well groomed. This is not just to keep the family from catching diseases and infections, but also to ensure that your pet enjoys good health. Wash them with hypoallergenic pet cleaning products regularly so they will not have the odour and skin problems. Schedule a day of grooming and stick to it. If you have a dog, experts generally recommend that you bathe your dogs once a month. Consult a veterinarian, though, if you have dogs that have skin problems.

Part of the pet’s hygiene is frequent nail trimming. If your pet has long nails, your kids may be scratched and wounded. Take your pets to a groomer and have their nails trimmed to ensure the safety of the kids.

Infections from Pets

Pets carry germs and bacteria that can be caught by your kids when they play with them. Dogs and cats may carry roundworms and if ingested, they can impair body organs. When your child touches your pet or helps in cleaning the litter box, tell them to wash their hands after. Toxoplasmosis is an infection, caused by a parasite that may come from getting in contact with infected cat faeces.

Teach Children 

If your kids are still toddlers, it’s better to keep an eye on them when they play with the pets. Remind them as well to wash their hands after touching your dog or cat. Teach them how to care for animals by involving them in washing and cleaning your pets.

Having a pet doesn’t have to mean a cluttered and chaotic home. Practice good hygiene habits on the pets and teach them discipline. Your kids will see what you’re doing and they will learn from you. With this, you can have a clean home, healthy pets and caring kids.