The family pets may have adapted fine when you brought your newborn home, but all that can change when your baby starts crawling and invading the animal's space. This can be particularly hard for older – and in many cases, grumpier – dogs and cats. How can you establish peace between the animal kingdom and your baby's expanding world?

Gene Carozza finds himself in the midst of that challenge right now. The Boston-based family has two dogs, including an elderly canine, and a cat. Carozza's daughter, Leah, is now 2 1/2 years old, which means she wants more than anything to interact with the furry family members.

"Jessie is a 6-year-old female Border Collie, and is playful, highly intelligent and great with kids," Carozza says. "Charlie is an approximately 13-year-old rescued male, who's a mix of German Shepherd and Rottweiler. He suffers from hip dysplasia, poor hearing and eyesight. He's mean looking, but has a sweet personality and doesn't bite, but he can be temperamental at times. And finally, Max is a male 6-year-old shorthair cat we rescued."

With all these paws underfoot, Carozza pays special attention to where food dishes are kept and when feedings take place. "I also installed child-safety gates and put down doggie mats in strategic places so the dogs would rest in places where my daughter would be less likely to trip or step on them."

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