6 Best Pets for Kids

Every kid wants a pet. And it’s hard to say “no”! Adding a new family member can fill your home with many joyful moments. It is also an excellent opportunity to teach your kids about the value of responsibility and let them learn a few other valuable life lessons. Nevertheless, finding an animal that can be compatible with your child’s nature can be challenging.

When choosing the right animal for your kid, you should consider a few key factors. For example, you need to think about the average lifespan of the animal you want to buy and its temperament. Also – are they lively, hard to clean after, do they interact? To make your decision easier, we made a list of the most suitable pets for kids. Here are the best animals you can invite to your home.

Dog

Here is a classic – a puppy probably accounts for most of your child’s sighs and pleads, right? And yes – it’s a huge responsibility. The walks, the cleanup, the grooming and the socialising. Often, a new puppy will need training. There are several places you can get puppies. Places like a humane society or a pound are only some of them. Often, animals are left there and wait to be adopted into a “forever” home. You can also adopt from a rescue (specific breeds often have rescue societies that help unwanted dogs and puppies). If you are set on a specific breed because of its temperament, this is a good place to start.

If you’re looking for a breeder, make sure to look for reputable people who are passionate about the breed and don’t run puppy mills. These are usually defined by family-style care, training, certifications of all the right shots and deworming. There are companies like Euro Puppy that create a community for different reputable breeders in one place, and can help your family with obedience training and socialization.

Whenever you get a purebred dog, make sure their attributes are what you want and that the dog is child-friendly. There are some that don’t deal well with small kids. Having said that, a dog is most likely to become your child’s best friend. Yes, getting your child to clean up after them and take them on regular walks is sometimes an uphill battle, but the lessons are well worth it.

Hamster

Your little one can own a pet without having to worry about being bitten or scratched. Hamsters are quiet animals that don’t demand a lot of attention from their owners. However, unlike other small animals, they are a bit difficult to tame. A young child might not be able to handle them properly, which can lead to some complications. These pets are not very suitable for very small children because they need a gentle grip.

Hamsters don’t have to be trained or handled all the time. They don’t have to be very active and they can be left in their cage for hours until you decide to let them out. Their lifespan is not very long (usually up to two years), which means that your kids won’t have a lot of time to get attached and will have to learn how to say “goodbye”.

The clean up involves cleaning up the cage about every week and a half, although hamsters are relatively clean and usually make themselves a “toilet space”.

Fish

Most kids love watching fish in an aquarium. It is an excellent opportunity for them to observe the behavior of some different species and study their appearance. Fish are a great addition to any household because they are easy to care for and don’t require a lot of attention. Their lifespan is relatively short (usually up to three years), so you might want to get a few of them to keep your kid busy and interested in fish-keeping.

If you are looking for a quiet pet that your child can keep on its own, then you should consider adding a fish tank to your home. Your kid can take care of the fish by feeding them and cleaning the tank once every few weeks. Nevertheless, it is better not to get some common fish species because they might be hard to care for. The best option is to buy some tropical or goldfish species.

The clean up can be complicated, and your kids might need your help with tank cleaning.

Lizard

Kids find a lot of joy in watching small reptiles moving around their living room. These animals usually like spending time in their containers and aren’t very interactive. They’re great pets for a calm, serious child who likes to observe nature. A lizard can become a popular addition to your kid’s bedroom if it has its own comfortable environment.

Even though lizards are easy to care for, your kid may not be able to handle them properly. It is better to supervise your child when he or she handles the lizard. In this way, you will make sure that your kid doesn’t cause any serious injuries.

Snake

Snakes are very popular among kids mainly because they have an interesting appearance and they are simple to care for. Some species of snakes can reach up to two meters in length, which makes them the perfect companion for older kids.

If you want to get a snake as a pet for your child, then you should definitely get him or her a young snake with a relatively short body. You should also teach your kid how to handle reptiles. The young snakes are usually easier to tame, which means that your child won’t have problems handling it. However, younger snakes require more care than other animals on this list and you should probably spend an hour per day taking care of their enclosure.

Some snakes eat mice, so get ready to explain the circle of life to your kid, as you defrost mice (yes, a lot of people get frozen mice at pet stores and have to keep them next to their Ben’n’Jerry’s – if you’re not up for that, make sure you get a snake with different dietary needs.

Turtle

These reptiles are great additions to any household because they are easy to care for and they don’t require too much attention from their owners. They can live for many years and don’t require too much space which makes them an excellent choice for kids with small living places. However, turtles might be aggressive sometimes, so it is better not to get them as pets for very young children.

Even though turtles are small enough to be easily handled by kids, they require lots of care. They need a comfortable environment that allows them to move around freely and it is up to your kid to make sure that the turtle stays healthy and happy. You should spend lots of time teaching your children how to clean the tank and take care of the turtle before you let them get one of these pets.

Cat

If you want your child to learn how to take care of something, then you should consider getting him or her a cat as a pet. Cats are easy to take care of and they don’t require a lot of attention from their owners. They also won’t cause any problems around the house because they are very clean animals and they like spending most of their time grooming themselves.

A cat has relatively long lifespan (usually up to 15 years), which means that you won’t have to buy another pet for a very long time. Nevertheless, if your child is still very young, then you should probably keep looking for other options because cats might be too difficult for him or her to handle properly. Even though cats are friendly toward children, they can scratch them if they are not properly trained at an early age. And sometimes it’s not even “raising them” – it depends on the animal’s personality.

Conclusion

Pets are always a perfect choice for a kid – but as a parent, you need to be ready to teach them patience, kindness and how to take care of their new friend properly. A pet is a huge responsibility – that’s why sometimes, it’s ok to get a goldfish and work your way up from there. Even if your child is 100% ready for a pet, you need to be even more ready than that – after all, you’re taking care of someone who is just learning how to take care of someone else.