If you’re traveling to see family or friends this holiday season, and you have a baby, make sure you ask ahead of time about pets. Most people without kids feel like their pets are perfectly safe, but once an animal gets around a baby he can act different. Some dogs and cats will get very jealous of a baby, be scared by a baby, and if your baby is old enough he may be able to grab at and hurt a dog or cat, who in turn may hurt him. Even if a dog or cat doesn’t mean to hurt a baby, even if they’ve never harmed a soul, they could hurt your baby on accident because they’re curious.

The safest bet - if you’re just visiting for a holiday dinner, it’s a reasonable request to ask your family member to put their dog in another room for the visit. A cat is less likely to cause harm, but it’s still not a bad idea to either shut the cat away or keep an extra diligent eye on your baby.

Keep in mind that children get bit and hurt by dogs much more often than adults, so if your family member doesn’t want to lock their dog up you might want to consider going elsewhere. It’s not a mean request on your part to keep your baby safe.