When it comes to family life, there’s always going to be a lot that you need to focus on. As a mom, your life can be super busy, in particular. After all, you’re trying to keep the house in shape, looking after everyone’s schedules, taking care of yourself, and still trying to manage a career and social life. It can be a lot! But that doesn’t mean it all needs to fall on your shoulders. In fact, there’s a lot that your family can do to help. Even if you’re used to taking charge and doing the bulk of the work–after all, it does come naturally to us–delegating the workload is always going to be good for you. And when your children start asking to get a pet, this will become very clear to you! Whether you’re a natural animal lover or not, having a pet can be a great thing for family life. However, it’s understandable that you may be apprehensive when you already have a lot on your plate. But the trick here is to make sure that you’re prepared and you have a plan of action. So, to help you do exactly that, we’re going to walk you through some pointers on how you can take the best care of your pets as a family.

First of all, you need to ensure that you are making this a family effort. Let your children be involved and encourage them to learn more about animals and what care they need. Make sure that you’re including them every step of the way. That way, when the time comes for them to do their chores, they’ll already know what they need to do for their new pet.

Before you commit to anything, or at the very least before you bring your new pet home, you need to make sure that you’re doing your research first. You need to know what you’re getting yourself into with your chosen pet. Even if you think rabbits and hamsters are small and won’t require much thought, they still need a lot of care. So, make sure that you’re prepared and understand what care you need to provide as a family.

Before you pick up your new pet, you have to make sure that you have everything they’ll need. If you’re looking into getting a small animal, make sure that you look at small pet supplies from Moony Paw before you bring them home. Having food, treats, bedding, and toys for them is essential. For a dog or a cat, you may even need walking equipment, a crate, and more. Again, your research will point you in the right direction for the specifics of what you need.

The next thing for you to do is to make enough spare for them. If you have a small animal like a rabbit or a hamster, you will need somewhere to keep their hutch or cage. You may also want to have a run or a space for them to be free. For dogs and cats, you’ll need beds for them. If you have any boundaries about where you do and don’t want your pets to go, you’ll also want to work out how you can establish them.

Then comes the chores. Of course, if you have a family pet, it falls under the responsibility of everyone. While you may not trust shall children to do certain jobs, you can still delegate tasks. From older children taking on cleaning out and refilling water bowls and pouring food for small animals to going on family dog walks together, there’s a lot that everyone can take on to make it a team effort.

It’s also important to remember that caring for your family pet goes beyond the physical things you do for them. You also need to make sure that you’re bringing them into your everyday family life. Including them in cozy evenings in front of the TV, playing in the garden, or even making sure that you’re spending time getting your small animals out daily and letting them have a run about and play.

Your new pet is going to be a part of the family, so why not think about including them in every area of your life? While you may not be able to bring a fish on vacation with you, there are plenty of pet-friendly vacations you can take. Your small animals will be able to travel with you easily, and many hotels and restaurants now cater to dogs. It’s all about adjusting your outlook and finding solutions that will fit you all.

This is something that you’ll want to do before getting your pet, just to make sure that you’re protected. Even if you think that it won’t happen to you, if your pet gets sick, you may have huge vet bills to pay out for. Making sure that you have the right level of cover for your pet insurance can help with that.

You’ll also want to make sure that you bring them into your everyday schedule. If you’re particularly worried about being able to stay on top of their care and appointments, scheduling it will help. Rather than feeling like you now have more to do, everything will be scheduled in as part of the routine.

Finally, you absolutely need to make sure that you’re enjoying the entire process. Ultimately, bringing a bet into your life is something you choose to do. It’s something that is meant to add value, so see it that way! Make sure that you let yourself enjoy the journey and not get too caught up in the idea of life being hectic. After all, life is what you make it–so if you think it will feel chaotic and hectic, it will! Instead, focus on the joy and love of it all, and your experience will be very different.