Tip 1.  Invite any friends you have with small children to come visit.  This will allow your pet to slowly become acquainted with the behavior that small children have.  A small child varies from an adult in so many ways, from sounds, smells, movements, and even how they interact with the pet. 

Tip 2.  Discourage pets from jumping into the crib, or onto the changing table or other baby only areas by using double-sided sticky tape for several months before the delivery.  This gives plenty of time for even the most stubborn pets to learn new habits. 

Tip 3.  Ensure your pet is well trained, this is especially important for dogs.  You do not need a dog in your house that is untrained.  Basic obedience commands are an absolute necessity with commands to include for sure being sit, down, stay, speak, and quiet.  Other commands can be included once these basics are well covered.

Tip 4.  If your pet is not used to it, start acquainting them to nail trims.  Many injuries occur because pets accidentally scratch young children.  To help reduce this risk your pet needs to be adjusted to nail trims to keep them nice and tidy. 

Tip 5.  Unless you plan to breed your pet, have them spayed or neutered.  This helps your pet to avoid health problems with the reproductive system, as well as pets who are spayed or neutered tend to be calmer and less inclined to bite or growl. 

Tip 6.  Allow your pet to become accustom to the sounds and noises of a baby.  This is especially important for dogs, who tend to bark at strange noises.  In turn, the barking from the dog can stir up the baby, and you could end with a vicious cycle of noise.  Play a CD or tape of a baby crying, the swing swinging, or anything that is baby related that will occur in your normal routine.  This will allow your pet to learn the sounds and become calmer when they do occur.  

Tip 7.  Install a sturdy baby gate at the doorway of your baby’s room.  This will keep your pets out when you are not able to supervise.  While your pet and child will interact, you want to always be able to monitor their interaction.  A good baby gate will keep them separated until you can watch them. 

As you can see with careful planning it is possible to allow your pet to easily learn how to adjust to the changes that will soon be taking place.  With so many stress factors that will occur after the birth, you want to ensure everything goes as smoothly as possible.