There is no doubt that one of the most popular family pets throughout the ages has to be family dog. A well trained dog that is cared for will repay the love and attention it receives many times over.
Cats For Children
Kittens are so cute and cuddly and generally make a great family pet for young children. As the image depicts, many breeds of cats just love contact with humans and being cuddled and petted by adults and children alike.
Pet Birds
There are many different birds that make great pets for children. From the ever popular budgerigar or Parakeet to cockatiels, zebra finches, canaries, and larger birds like love birds, pigeons, cockatoos and chickens.
Fish Aquariums
Next to Dogs and Cats, aquariums are another very popular pet for children to learn how to care for pets. There are so many options available to a parent who is helping their child decide about their new pet and their very own fish aquarium.
Pet Reptiles
Pet reptiles are a great choice if you are restricted on the available room in your home or living in an apartment or unit. They are not the top-rated pets, but they are interesting and fascinating to care for. Once you have learned to maintain their ideal living conditions, they can be a relatively easy and rewarding per for children.
Mice, Guinea Pigs & Rabbits
When anyone says the word “Rodent” there will be many negative reactions. Yet, pet rodents are really popular with children. The thing with pet rodents is that when they are well kept they are nothing like their feral cousins. They are clean and extremely easy to care for. Children love playing and petting their favourite mouse, guinea pig or rabbit.
Home for pets
What type of home do you need for your pet. Is it a dog kennel or a dog cage if you are travelling. Maybe a small or large Avery for you birds or a aquarium for your reptile.
Pet Care & Supplies
When you have the best pet for your children, then you naturally want to provide the best care possible for the pet. The supplies you need including your pet’s favourite food can be purchase online or from your local pet shop or supermarket.
Pet Accessories
Shopping for the coolest accessories for your pet can be a lot of fun. Your purchases can include anything and everything that will help you spoil your pet and make it feel very loved and cared for. However, Pet Accessories should include the many much needed items that are necessary to look after your pet.
Twelve benefits of a child having a pet
There are many benefits for a child to have a pet with the support of their parents and the family. The experience of owning a pet can and should be a positive one for the whole family. It is the parent’s responsibility to ensure that the pet is cared for and treated very well.
When it comes to choosing the best pets for the kids in your family, it is important that everyone is on the same page. Everyone in the family needs to be willing to actively help with the care of the pet.
When you are looking for the best pets for children, you need to have a very clear idea of what is requirement to care for the pet of your choice. Your child should be part of the decision making process. This is a valuable life lesson for them as it teaches them how consider the information the family has and then make a decision.
Having a well cared for and trained pet will help to develop the self-esteem of the child along with self-confidence plus learning to be responsible and trustworthy.
How can your family benefit from having a dog, car, or fish? Here are five surprising ways pets are good for your kids.
- Pets help with learning
- Pets provide comfort to kids
- Pets encourage nurturing
- Pets can keep kids healthy
- Pets build family bonds
- Children who grow up in homes with pets have less risk of developing common allergies and asthma.
- Kids with pets get outside more—to go for walks, run and play—and enjoy all the associated health benefits.
- Emerging readers often feel more comfortable reading aloud to a pet.
- Feeding and caring for a pet encourages childhood responsibility.
- Children with pets display improved impulse control, social skills and self-esteem.
- Sharing the love and care of a family pet forges an additional common bond among siblings.
- Cuddling a pet reduces stress, loneliness and anxiety.
Seven things to consider when choosing the best pet for a child
How should you go about deciding on what pet is best suited to your child and be a great fit for the whole family.
Talking to someone who has considerable experience with pets is a great place to start. Talk to friend or an expert such as a veterinarian to learn the pros and cons of the pet you are considering.
The important things for you to consider include:
1. Life span of the pet. Kids can get very attached to their pets, so you will need to consider your child’s emotional attachment when choosing pets for kids.
2. Space needs. Do you have adequate room (e.g., living space, yard space, etc.) for your chosen pet? You will also need to consider how a pet will grow and if you can accommodate them at their largest adult size.
3. Care requirements and needs. Talk with your veterinarian about the care requirements for each pet you are considering. Can your family share pet care tasks in a manageable way? Are you financially prepared to take good care of the pet?
4. Health care costs. All pets require veterinary care. You will need to make sure there is a veterinarian in your area that can help with your chosen pet.. You will also need to make sure that you are financially ready to take on a pet’s health care costs.
5. What does your child want and expect from their pet. Do they want an active pet like a dog they can walk and play with in the backyard or park, or a cute and cuddly one like a rabbits and cats. Perhaps they would prefer a “cool” pet like a reptile or snake.
6. Consider your child’s personality. Is your child calm enough to handle a more fragile creature? You have to consider the pet’s needs and your child’s ability to respect those needs.
7. What are you going to do if your child cannot care properly for the pet or loses interest in the pet? The pet must be cared for properly. Do you have the capacity to take on all responsibility for the pet’s care or will you find the pet a new, loving home?
What are the Best Pets for Children between 4 and 8 years of age?
Most children in this age bracket will ask their parents if they can have their first pet. Here are two popular choices to consider.
Budgerigars or Parakeets
Budgies are known to be very affectionate, and they respond well to regular, gentle handling. They can be trained learning lots of words. This means that your child can actively engage with them in a fun, cool and unique way.
Your child needs to be able respect the size of these small bird and learn how to handle them very gently. Teach your child how to interact with their pet as budgies will not do well with children who handle them roughly or act unpredictably and startle them frequently.
Children can easily learn and help out with the everyday care of their pet.
Geckos
If you are comfortable with lizards in your home, then a fun, really cool and unique pet to consider.
Children will love a gecko because if they are handled correctly, the gecko will happily sits on there in your hands or maybe the child’s shoulder.
Gecko can be easily handled and can have some quirky characteristics, making them an interesting pet. You will need to teach your child to be gentle with them. A young gecko will need time to adapt to their living situations before you can start conditioning them to be handled. This can take a few weeks.
What are the best pets for children aged between 8 to 11 years?
There are many to choose from, but a couple of my favourites are:
Rats and Mice
They might suit everyone as some of us are a bit squeamish about the idea of having such rodents as a pet in the family home.
However, they do generally they will bond really well with your child. Once they have settled in and socialised they are affectionate and love interacting with humans. They are a social animal and do like to have a mate in their cage.
Children can easily be involved in the caring of their pet rat including feeding, watering and cleaning of the cage under supervision. They should also be involved in creating toys and activities for the rat.
Guinea Pigs
Guinea pigs generally enjoy being around humans as they are very social animals and will actively engage and interact with you. They are willing to sit calmly in a child’s lap and will even vocalize their excitement when their favourite human is around. They like to be handled and petted.
There is a wide variety of guinea pig breeds to choose from, so your family can find one that fits what you are all looking for in a pet.
Older children can certainly take responsible for the care, feeding and maintenance including brushing the guinea pig to maintain its coat.
What are the best pets for children aged between 12 to 15 years?
There are some obvious choices for older children who have shown that they understand how to care for a pet and responsible enough to be allowed to be the primary carer of the pet
Cats and Dogs
These pets live for many years and generally will become an integral part of the family.
Particularly dogs, require a lot of care and attention, therefore more time is needed to provide for them. This is where older children and teenagers can work with the family to provide the appropriate love, care and maintenance of the pet.
Often these pets will make a family “complete” and provide an opportunity for the whole family to be involved.
Rabbits
Rabbits can be considered to be low maintenance but they are more suited to older children who are responsible and understand the needs of the pet. Rabbits are a very social animal and love to spend a lot of time in the company of their family playing and being petted.
Rabbits also like to spend time out their cages. Older children should be capable of supervising their pet during this time so that they remain safe.
You need to provide a safe “home” so that your pet rabbit is not attacked or harmed by other animals.
Reptiles
If your child would like a unique pet reptiles like the Bearded Dragon is a great choice for older children who have learnt what it takes to look after a pet.
Beared Dragons like being held so your child can be actively engaged with their pet.
Please keep in mind that they have special requirements and require UV lighting and temperature controlled atmosphere.