For those who spill food and make messes, an animal can be a be practical addition to a family. I personally haven’t met anyone who has adopted one specifically for that reason but it’s a nice “extra”!
My dogs have this habit of sitting at my feet giving me side eyes since they know I don’t like them begging while I’m cooking in the kitchen. I used to tell them “I’m not going to drop anything, you might as well leave” only to promptly drop something for them to happily eat up. I learned not to tell them this anymore and haven't had the issue of dropping food since (go figure)!
Cue the baby and their luck is on the verge of coming back. They now like to sit or lay right next to the high chair while he eats his food. Josh likes to watch them so I don’t mind and sometimes he’ll stick his hand over the edge for them to lick (which they do quite happily and I’m ok with it because it’s one less body part that I have to clean). Even the cats have realized that when the baby is in that chair (his high chair), food is much more possible to snag. Cleaning up after isn’t too bad either since I can just brush the crumbs onto the floor for the dogs to lick up.
So if you don’t already have a pet and now have a baby, maybe consider an animal? I can’t say they’re cheaper than a vacuum but your life is already going to be SO much more messy with that baby. Why not add in one more thing?! It’s really not that much more difficult and they truly are “walking stomachs”.
