Your pets and your new baby

The AAP says never to leave a small child and a dog alone together. That includes the family dog, and a dog that has never given anyone a reason to worry. A 2013 article in AAP News adds that this holds even when the baby is in a swing. Most bites to young children happen during everyday activity with a dog they know. In children, bites are more likely to be serious, because most are to the head, face or neck. The AAP also says not to disturb a dog that’s sleeping, eating or caring for puppies^{[1, 2]}.

A 2010 study in the medical journal Pediatrics traced Salmonella infections in 79 people to contaminated dry dog and cat food. Nearly half of them were two or younger, and the researchers linked illness in the babies to feeding pets in the kitchen^[3].

The lead author said there was no evidence children got sick from eating the food. She said the likely route was hand to mouth, after touching the animals or dirty bowls. The authors recommend keeping babies out of pet feeding areas, and keeping children under five from touching pet food^{[4, 5]}.

In 2023, CDC investigated another Salmonella outbreak linked to one brand of dry dog food: seven people got sick in seven states, and six of them were one year old or younger^[6].

CDC says children under five shouldn’t handle or touch reptiles or amphibians, or their habitats, and it doesn’t recommend these animals for homes with young children. If you keep one, CDC says not to let it roam freely, and to keep it and its equipment out of the kitchen. Change clothes after handling it, especially before you hold or play with your baby. In a 2026 Salmonella outbreak linked to pet veiled chameleons, every person who got sick was two or younger^{[7, 8]}.

The AAP says it can’t recommend bed sharing under any circumstances. For families who do share a bed with their baby, it says no pets, pillows, sheets, blankets or other soft or loose items should be in the adult bed. Its recommendations for the crib don’t mention pets either way. The general rule there is to keep soft objects and loose bedding away from your baby’s sleep area^[9].

Most of this advice is about what you do, like staying in the room with the dog or changing clothes after handling a reptile. A photograph can’t show that, and the Goosery plan has no items that are only about pets. In the rooms you photograph, with or without a pet, it covers what’s reachable at crawling height, water left standing, and what’s in the low cupboards. Every standard behind the plan is reviewed and signed by a practicing pediatrician.