Children and pets can have a special bond, especially when there is food involved. One mom has posted about the relationship her toddler has with her dog, including how they share their dinners.
Jackie Fox, a mom who shares meal preparation and fitness tips online, shared a video of her toddler and her dog on Instagram. In the clip, her daughter is digging into her food with a spoon, then giving her pet a taste. The dog sits politely next to her high chair, waiting for his turn. A caption reads: “Vet: Your dog gained 10 pounds this year.”
Dogs and children can be great friends and having a dog can help children develop kindness, understanding and respect for living things. Pets are almost as common as siblings in Western households, according to researchers at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. They even found that children get more satisfaction from relationships with their pets than with their brothers or sisters.
Multiple studies have found that pets may play a role in the social-emotional development of children, helping them develop empathy, social skills and confidence. Sharing your home with animals can also help children combat loneliness.
While parents may worry about children picking up germs from their pets, research has also found that kids from pet-owning families spend more time at school than those without animals. They may also have more stable immune systems, according to the University of Warwick study, although the researchers added that parents should take precautions against the risk of zoonotic infections. This is when viruses are transmitted between species from animals to humans (or from humans to animals).
Jackie Fox
Underneath the clip on the viral video, Fox wrote: “To all concerned the toddler did not use the fork after the feeding of the dog!! I know that’s going to be the number one comment. I know I can’t be alone with this!”
Commenters have assured Fox that they have had similar experiences, with one person adding: “My vet actually calls it the toddler ten.”
Another mom commented: “Who uses a different fork than their dogs? Gotta build the immune system.”
Someone else posted: “My baby doesn’t even use a fork! She uses her hand and that definitely does not get switched after it’s been in the dog’s mouth. I just keep reminding myself it builds her immune system and never give her anything that the dogs can’t have. Mom life is hard enough, don’t stress the little things!”
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Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.