Splitting the question by the child's age
'Children' is too broad a word for a useful answer about a dog this small. With children of roughly school age and up — steady on their feet, able to follow instructions, capable of reading a dog's signals — a Maltese is often genuinely good company: playful, affectionate, and keen to be included in everything from garden games to reading time. With babies, toddlers, and exuberant preschoolers, the same dog is at risk himself. He weighs little, his legs and ribs are fine, and his experience of a young child is of a large, loud, unpredictable being who falls, grabs, and hugs hard. Good with children, then, is conditional, and the condition is mostly the child's stage.
The risk runs toward the dog first
Families usually ask whether the dog might harm the child, and any dog can snap if hurt or cornered. But with a Maltese the more likely first injury is to the dog: a broken leg from being dropped or fallen on, damage from a squeeze around the middle, or chronic fearfulness from being chased and grabbed daily. Fear is where bites are born — a small dog who cannot escape and has learned that growling is ignored eventually uses his teeth. Protecting the dog's sense of safety is therefore also the child's protection. Judge honestly whether your household can guarantee gentle handling on the children's tired, excited, difficult days, not just their best ones.
Interaction rules that keep both sides happy
Set the pattern from the first meeting. The dog approaches the child, never the reverse at speed; greetings happen with the child seated on the floor and treats scattered or delivered from an open palm. No picking up by young children — cuddles happen at ground level with the dog free to leave, and leaving always ends the game without pursuit. Teach the specific signals together: a turned head, lip licking, yawning, or walking away all mean give him room, and praise children lavishly when they spot and respect them. Games should suit his size — hide-and-seek with treats, gentle fetch with a soft toy, trick training — rather than wrestling or chase.
What daily supervision really looks like
For the first months, an adult is present whenever dog and children share a room, not as a formality but actively watching body language on both sides. Baby gates and a pen give the dog child-free rest without banishing him from family life, and his bed sits somewhere he can watch without being in traffic. School-age children can take supervised jobs — filling his water bowl, combing one side during a story, scattering his dinner — which build the careful habits you want. If a household's reality is chaotic, minimally supervised play among several young children, a Maltese will spend his days stressed, and a sturdier, larger breed will serve everyone better.
Adopting a Maltese into a home with children
When the dog comes to you as an adult, his history with children is the most valuable information you can obtain — whether he sought them out, tolerated them, or has never met one. Ask the rescue or previous owner directly, arrange a calm, brief first meeting on neutral ground, and let the relationship build over days rather than staging an overwhelming welcome. Keep the notes from that history with his records as he settles, because if he is ever rehomed again the next family will ask the same question you did. KinsLe Transferrable Profiles keep exactly that account — his experience with children, his signals, and the rules that worked — attached to the dog himself.