Pro Tips on Handling Kids & Pets in A Small Space

How to handle kids & pets in a small space?

Image by Анастасия Гепп from Pixabay

Living in a small house with kids and pets can be quite challenging. With the responsibilities of raising children while taking care of your pet, it’s easy to get flustered sometimes.

In this post, let’s discover some ways to bring harmony in your home with kids and pets.

1. Optimize your home space

Both kids and pets enough space to move around and play. This will ensure that both have ample room for their development.

So optimizing the space to fit both your kids and pets is of utmost importance. Contrary to popular belief, it’s possible to do so, even if you live in a small space.

Get rid of excess furniture

Let’s face it – we all have extra furniture in our homes that don’t really serve any purpose. While they may be good for the décor of your home, these unnecessary furnitures are eating up floor space. So it’s a good idea to let those go.

Give away the extra furniture, or sell them. There are many good classifieds websites that can help you reach to potential buyers for these items.

And when it comes to buying new furniture, be very mindful about its functionalities.

Again, don’t get things that just look good. Instead, buy things that are necessary and functional.

Don’t hesitate to use the wall space

Instead of putting everything on the floor, utilize the walls to make the most of what you have. You’d be surprised at how much you can do. It even gives your home a unique look!

One example is having wall-mounted cabinets to hold your children’s books and play items. Alternately, you can have wall-mounted resting spots for your pets, such as a cat bed.

Similarly, if you have a television at home, mount it on a wall instead of letting it occupy floor space.

Find a good hiding spot for the mess

All homes with children and pets have one thing in common – there’s a pile of stuff that lies around the floor! As a parent, there’s only so much of tidying up that you can do!

Therefore, take a new approach and find a dumping spot for all your children’s and pet’s toys. Pick a well-concealed spot so that the clutter stays out of sight.

Several conveniently placed baskets could be one way to go. Just make sure to train your kids to return their items to their separate baskets once they’re done using it. And of course, you’ll have to clean up immediately after playtime with your pet.

2. Take Care of the Hygiene Factors

In a home with pets and children, maintaining hygiene essential. Otherwise, both your children and your pet, and you as well, will be at risk of diseases. Not just that – but your home can also look and feel dirty, which is never something a good parent wants.

In order to keep your home disease-free even with kids and pets, adopt the following best practices.

Keep their nails clipped

For both children and pets, long nails can be a big source of germs that can lead to illnesses. Ensure that your children’s nails are clipped at all times.

Similarly, clip your pet’s nails too to ensure that they are not carrying any dirt or gunk around the house.

Implement a hand washing routine

Teach your kids to wash their hands after they have played with or touched the pet in any way. Even if they haven’t interacted with your pet, make it a routine for the children to wash their hands properly to avoid risks of diseases.

This should be specially implemented before every meal. And if you let your dog out, make sure you wipe its paws with baby wipes or a washcloth. This will keep the mud, dirt, and debris out of your home.

Clean up the carpet and floor

If you take your pets out on walks, they carry a lot of dirt back into the house. Combine that with the dirt from your and the kids’ shoes, it’s a lot of dirt that makes your home dirty.

Therefore, it is a good idea to clean your floor every few days. If you have carpets, make sure to clean them with a good carpet cleaner.  This will not only keep your house spotless, but it will also keep it smelling fresh.

Keep litter boxes and pet bowls concealed

Litter boxes and pet bowls are two of the major sources of bacteria and germs. So you should keep them in a place where your kids won’t be able to reach. Besides, keeping them in a secure location would also ensure that there’s no excess dirt from the litter box lying around the floor.

3. Take safety measures

Kids and pets generally make a good combination. And if they have both been with each other since an early age, children tend to form a kinship with their pets. In fact, kids often treat their pets as part of their families.

Pets and the kids love, nurture and protect each other. Yet, accidents can still happen at any time. So it’s important to be vigilant and careful and set some proper house rules.

Tips for creating a safe environment for kids and pets

To prevent undesirable accidents, here are a number of precautionary measures you should take.

• Make sure your children are not allergic to the pet species before you adopt the pet.
• Show your kids how to gently play with the pet.
• Don’t leave the kids alone with the pet. Children often tease pets, and that may result in accidents.
• Involve your children in grooming, feeding and taking care of the pet. This will help them develop better bonds.
• Look out for scratches on your kids that may result from playing with the pet.
• Don’t let the pets lick the kids’ faces, as kids are more prone to diseases than adults.
• Bathe your pets periodically to ensure they are clean.

Final Thoughts

Having a pet teaches children a lot of important life lessons, such as how to value close bonds. Many people want to adopt pets but don’t because they fear the consequences of having a pet and a child in a small space.  

By following the tips discussed, you can also keep your home in great shape while both your kids and your pets grow up in a healthy and affectionate way.

Author BIO

Shawn is a content writer at FeedFond. He’s a doting father not only to his two children but also to his two Golden Retrievers. Check out more of his articles at FeedFond.com.