A new baby in the family is a cause for celebration and joy. Every family member and every friend vies for the privilege of seeing the baby, blessing him, and holding him for a few minutes. This was normal and quite harmless until a few months back. With the changing times, it is our duty to keep up with the safety precautions to keep our little ones safe.
It is given that the visitors must wash their hands with soap thoroughly before holding the baby and even being seated. Ensure that they do not kiss your baby on her face but only on her feet. Keep your baby as covered as possible when being held by visitors. This sleeping cum carry bag is something mothers swear by – It is easy for you to give her to another person even when she is sleeping, without disturbing her.
Remember when our grandmothers would hang neem leaves, lemon & chillies, and even tender mango leaves saying that these are auspicious and bring luck? Well, these have naturally antibacterial properties and the ability to keep negative energy at bay. Most of us would not have the interest or time to get this done and hence we have disinfectants – thanks to modern science, it is even available in the form of sprays. Regular use is recommended to keep germs away.
In India, it is customary for elders to bless the newborn by placing money in his palm. Ensure that this does not happen as the notes can contain way more germs than we can imagine. Sanitizing anything that enters the baby’s room must be made compulsory and no one will take it personally that you are sanitizing their gift before accepting it as they are aware of the current situation.
Keeping fresh masks and gloves handy would be a smart thing as most of the people may have travelled and their masks may contain germs and would want to use gloves just to be safe. So wearing a fresh mask before visiting with your baby would be safe even if your baby plays with the mask.
Make sure that the visitors are not in the room when you’re feeding your baby and that they are not sick or showing any symptoms of Covid. When the baby is sleeping, it is best not to disturb her sleep. It is best to avoid any and all visits until the vaccines at 2 months have been given. Keeping the visitors and the visiting time to a minimum would be the better choice.
Whenever possible, try to introduce your baby to your family and friends virtually and when the visit is in person, ensure that all the precautions necessary are taken to keep your baby safe. You are not overdoing the preventive measures, you’re just being a smart and concerned parent. There is no such thing as being “too safe” when it comes to the health of your baby.
