Should I Let People Hold My Newborn Baby

If you are new to being a parent, you will know how stressful it can be. You suddenly have this mini human in your hands that you need to defend from the big wide world. It is a tremendous responsibility. Amongst other things, you need to figure out what you should or should not allow for your newborn. There are so many conflicting opinions that it is sometimes difficult to know which way to turn. 

One of the many concerns that new parents have is when to allow family and friends to hold their precious ones. The first two months are when newborns are most susceptible to germs as their immune system develops and grows. After that, they absorb the world around them like a sponge and constantly absorb new information as the days pass. 

If you are one of these new parents, then read on as we discuss everything around germs and when you can allow guests to cuddle your newborn. The main thing to remember is that there is no right and wrong answer. So instead, let your intuition guide you.

Can Family and Friends Hold My Newborn?

So, although you may constantly be stressing over whether or not people can hold your newborn, the most straightforward answer is that yes, they can hold your newborn. However, if you are worried about it, ask your guests to wash their hands before picking your baby up. Also, if one of your guests smokes, ask them to wait 20 minutes before picking your baby up to ensure that all of the harmful toxins do not pass onto your child.

If anyone of your guests has a cold or flu or is vomiting, do not allow them to hold your baby. These germs can quickly be passed onto your baby and can be harmful. As mentioned before, babies are the most susceptible to germs in the first two months of their life, so you may want to limit who visits you to cuddle with your baby.

Tips on How to Ensure the Safety of Your Newborn:

We have put together a few tips for you to read through that can clear some of the confusion around the first few months of your newborn’s life and when in close contact with others:

1. Basic Hygiene In Public Places:

If you need to take your newborn to the store, then there are a few ways in which you can limit close contact with unwanted germs. One way you can do this is by covering your baby’s stroller with a lightweight cover or wearing your baby around you instead. In addition, if people approach you and ask you to hold your baby, you can definitely say no without feeling bad. After all, you are the protector of your newborn and are responsible for keeping them safe.

2. Basic Hygiene at Home:

If you are having guests over, then, by all means, have a few guidelines that they can follow. For example, ask them to wash their hands when they walk into the house. Also, ask them to take their coats off and keep electronic devices away from the baby. Did you know that mobile devices carry 10 times more bacteria than public toilets? The last thing you want is for these germs to crawl onto your newborn.

Furthermore, you may still want to keep specific hygiene procedures in place since the pandemic, as it has not been completely wiped away. If you are extremely worried, ask your guests to wear masks and use hand sanitizer.

3. VIP List:

If you want to allow people over to your home to visit your baby, you can think of the people closest to you and your family. Having a baby is such an exciting time, and the last thing that you want to do is keep your baby from the world. However, those early moments in your newborn’s life are important too and can give you a little break for a few hours while your guests hold them.

4. To Kiss or Not to Kiss:

As you may have already experienced, giving your new baby kisses is an urge you cannot always control. However, it is a natural instinct, and I guarantee your guests will want to give kisses too. If this happens, you can ask your guests to provide tummy and feet kisses, as these are the safest.

5. Teaching Others How to Hold Your Newborn:

This may be one of the most important things you can educate your visitors on if they have never held a newborn before:

• Always support the neck and head of a newborn (a newborn’s head is exceptionally soft on top as the skull is still developing) when picking them up.
• Make sure your baby’s head is resting against the chest of the person picking them up.
• Slide your hand from the newborn’s bottom to the neck to support their neck once again
• Ask children or elderly people to sit down when holding your newborn
• Never hold your newborn with a hot drink in your hand.
• Never hold your baby while cooking.

So, to summarize, there are no right or wrong answers when it comes to letting people hold your newborn. The decision lies solely with yourself, your partner, and what you feel comfortable with. Never worry about offending anyone. This baby is yours to cherish and look after, so you have the right to say no. 

There are a few things that you can do when out in public with your newborn, such as using a cover for the stroller or carrying your baby. Furthermore, when you have people over to visit, limit the number of people to the ones you are closest to. As your guests wash their hands and kiss only the tummy and feet.

Lastly, educate your guests on how to safely hold your newborn if they have never done so.

Savor every moment you have with your newborn and allow others to enjoy those moments with you if you feel comfortable enough to do so in a safe way.

Happy parenting!