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The months leading up to the arrival of your twins are filled with plenty of planning and, if you're me, several checklists of things that should be done to ideally promote smooth sailing in what we were expecting to be an exciting yet chaotic time filled with family firsts on a steep learning curve.
One of the things on the Must Do list was preparing the four-legged members of our family for the impending arrival of two new family members who were, obviously, going to be taking up all of the time that would normally be spent snuggling our fine felines.
We wanted to tackle this before we just showed up one day with two crying babies because we knew they would be very interested to investigate the strange, new things we'd brought into the household...
We wanted to tackle this before we just showed up one day with two crying babies because we knew they would be very interested to investigate the strange, new things we'd brought into the household, and we wanted them to be as comfortable as possible before this monumental change took place.
Fortunately, we'd had relatively recent experience with major introductions a couple of years before, when we went from a one-cat household to a two-cat family.
We had planned ahead for that situation, too, so we took some of our tricks from that scenario and put them to work before we brought our babies home.
We didn't know what to expect when our newborn twins would finally meet our longtime pets, but we hoped with all of our hearts for the smoothest transition and outcome.
We didn't know what to expect when our newborn twins would finally meet our longtime pets, but we hoped with all of our hearts for the smoothest transition and outcome.
In the end, things went wonderfully, but it did take some time for everyone to acclimate and feel at home with the new living situation.
Based on our experience, here are five tips for introducing your fur babies to your human babies.
Five tips for introducing your pets to your newborn twin babies
1. Don't spring the change on yours pets without warning
Domesticated pets are creatures of habit. They like their routine and sudden change puts them on high alert. You want your animals to feel comfortable with what is going to be a huge change, so plan to give them as much time as you can to warm up to the idea that change is coming.
Set up any major baby items ahead of time and get them into place weeks, if not months, in advance, so your pets have a chance to investigate, sniff things, and get comfortable with the idea of having them around.
This way, you're not suddenly rearranging your home AND bringing two new babies into the mix. That would be too much at once and can be stressful to your pets.
You want them to be as relaxed as possible, so that they see this as a positive experience. This will give them a proper chance to get acclimated to the idea of change before they officially meet the two newest members of your family.
Just be sure to keep things clean...we threw extra blankets in the bassinet and then made sure to give everything a thorough cleaning before our babies slept in it.
2. Introduce the new smell of your babies to your pets before they meet
If possible, you want your pets to have a chance to get used to your babies' smell before you bring them into your home (and into what your pets currently view as their domain).
Our twins were born premature and needed to spend some time in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), so we had some time to bring receiving blankets to the NICU, swaddle our babies in them for lengthy snuggles, and then bring those blankets home to place on the couch where our cats like to nap.
We immediately brought them over to the blankets, so they could check out all of the scents right away. Within minutes, they were rubbing their heads and bodies all over the blankets, claiming the newly scented blankets as things that belong to them and welcomed them into the home.
When our twins came home from the NICU, our cats were greeted with their already-familiar scents.
If your twins don't arrive early and are able to come home right away before you have a chance to do a slow introduction of scents, try to let your pets lay on or smell the receiving blankets you've wrapped the babies with throughout the day at home.
Try to do this when they're in an area where they feel relaxed. Slowly approach them with the blankets and let them choose to stay with it or leave. If they leave, they will likely come back before long to investigate it when you're not around to watch.
Gerber Newborn Infant Receiving Swaddle Blanket Five-Pack
This is a five-pack of receiving blankets by Gerber for swaddling your newborns. The cotton-flannel blend is soft on your babies' sensitive skin. These blankets are a great way to introduce new scents to the pets in your home.
3. Take it slow and follow your animal's lead
You might want the introductions to be over with right away, but good things take time. Don't rush this phase, and follow your pet's lead on pacing. Keep in mind, every animal has a different temperament.
You could have one pet who is the most patient in the world, and you could have another who wants their space and will warn your babies when they want space. These same pets may seek out your newest additions as they feel more comfortable and want to interact with them more.
Let your animals observe your little ones from a safe distance. They will probably want to check them out while they're sleeping, when things are quiet, feel safe, and don't seem to pose a risk or danger.
The unknown sounds and unpredictability of human babies can be scary and foreign to animals.
Knowing the babies are sound asleep can help your pets feel more secure in finding out more about these interesting, new creatures, so they can feel more comfortable getting to know them.
Let them sit or nap as close to your babies as they want to (read: as close as you, as parents, are comfortable with).
4. Set boundaries within your home
Your pets need to recognize that there are areas that will be off-limit—at least while the babies are small and are strengthening their immune system.
Close off the babies' territory in a way that they feel welcome but know it's primarily the babies' area and not theirs (i.e., they can't sleep in there at bedtime). For example, your bedroom or their nursery would be your twins' domain.
In the early days, our cats liked curling up with all of us while we read bedtime stories, but then they knew it was time to skedaddle when it was time to transfer our babies to the bassinet and turn the lights out.
We also closed off certain doorways with pet-friendly gates, so that we could open and close those doors to allow access to different areas as events warranted.
These gates were incredibly handy for ensuring everybody had a designated area and stayed safe while our babies grew and while our pets got used to their newest companions.
Carlson Extra Wide Walk Through Pet Gate with Small Pet Door
This gate by Carlson has a small door your pet can walk through when it's opened. It allows you to close off certain areas and keep your babies safe, while giving your animals access to different rooms, as needed.
And while you're at it, these wall protectors are a game-changer. I wanted to make sure we didn't do any damage when installing the safety gates, so we used these protectors to prevent any marks from the pressure-mounted gate.
Wall Nanny Baby Gate Wall Protector
The Wall Nanny protects your walls from damage when installing pressure-mounted safety gates on stairs or in doorways. They are available in black, white, brown, or gray.
When our twins moved into their own cribs in their own nursery, we would keep the door to their bedroom fully shut, but whenever one of us would go into the nursery for the overnight feeds, one of our cats would sneak into their room to curl up on the floor next to their cribs.
This became such a predictable and continuous event that I started calling that cat the Night Nurse, and we'd have to make sure to scoop him up and carry him out of the room with us once the feeds were over.
5. Groom your pets before any up close and personal meetings
When it's time for your babies to meet your pets, make sure to groom them ahead of time, trimming any nails before your animals get up close and personal.
If things don't go as you'd hoped, it's better to have soft paws than sharp claws.
Of course, supervise every interaction between your pets and your babies very closely, and always make sure you're within reach, so you can intervene immediately, should things go awry.
These methods can lay the foundation for a strong bond
You need to prepare the four-legged members of your family for the impending arrival of two new family members who are going to be needing all of the snuggles from their mom and dad.
Tackle this before you bring your babies home. Your pets are going to want to investigate anything strange or new.
Following these guidelines will go a long way to making sure the animals in your household are as comfortable as they can be before such a monumental change takes place, and this level of comfort and trust can lay the foundation for a strong bond between your pets and your children as they grow older together.
How did you introduce your pets to your newborn twins and how old were they when they became comfortable around each other? Let us know in the Comments section below.
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