Free pdf booklet "Pet Meets Baby!" from American Humane Society

I, like most parents of real babies and fur babies, remember the day we brought our first child home from the hospital.  Having had a c-section, and struggling with the stairs, I wasn't the one who actually carried the baby over the threshold, but I was the first one to go inside.  Our dog, Philly, had been missing me since I spent about 4 days in the hospital.  She was a little wound up because my in-laws had also come to welcome home baby.

But, we decided that I would go in first to get her calm enough that she wouldn't be barking the baby awake.  Before that great event, though, my husband had gone home with a onesie she'd been in so that he could let Philly sniff it to her heart's content.  Maybe letting her get a whiff of eau de bebe would mean that she wouldn't mind this new creature invading her space.  As it turned out, Philly was very protective of our daughter and everywhere that baby went, she was on the heels of the person stalking off with our daughter. 

If you're wondering how you can introduce your pets (cat, dog, rabbit, etc.) to a new person in your home, be it a baby or a toddler if you're adopting a pet, check out the Humane Society's "Pet Meets Baby!"  It's free to download and full of good information.  In addition, you can share your tips for a smooth meeting and enter to win prizes in a contest.  If you enter, I'd love it if you'd share your tips here!