When a new baby arrives in a family, everyone feels excited to see it and hold it. However, this can be daunting for new parents who are just learning all the ropes and want to do everything to keep it safe. 

Redditor ZombieTemporary1283 was completely comfortable with allowing her disabled brother to hold his 6-month nephew. They ensured that he was sitting down and that other people were with them in case he got overwhelmed. However, at one function, some woman noticed him holding the baby and started yelling at him, saying he was going to hurt it. This caused a whole situation that ended up with the lady getting slapped.

Scroll down to find the full story and a conversation with Kristen Cook, MD, a board-certified pediatrician, who kindly agreed to answer a few questions about safety measures and babies.

Holding an infant requires additional safety measures, which this disabled person perfectly adhered to

Image credits: RDNE Stock project / Pexels (not the actual photo)

However, a disabled person holding a baby didn’t sit well with this one woman and she ended up causing a scandal over it

Image credits: Carlos Santiago / Pexels (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Liza Summer / Pexels (not the actual photo)

Image credits: cottonbro studio / Pexels (not the actual photo)

Image credits: ZombieTemporary1283

Even though full-term infants are pretty resilient, they are still vulnerable to certain risks

Many new parents hesitate to let other people hold their babies to protect them from germs and potential accidents. And not without reason, as even though full-term infants are pretty resilient, they are still vulnerable to certain risks.

Since newborns can’t yet hold their heads on their own, it’s important to ensure they’re held properly, especially in the first few months. Therefore, some parents might want to avoid letting young children or people who haven’t done it before carry their baby around. When their heads aren’t supported and their face is trapped against something that blocks their airways, they can find breathing difficult. 

There’s also the worry of germs because babies don’t have as strong an immune system as older children and adults. Thanks to it, they are more likely to suffer more severe consequences from getting infected. One way to boost their immune system is through vaccination. However, the needed vaccines are only given around the 2-month mark. 

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Kristen Cook, MD, a board-certified pediatrician, told Bored Panda that essentially, there’s no single best time or date to visit a newborn for the first time. “I counsel the families in my medical practice to do what feels comfortable for them. If they would like visitors, let them come. If they would prefer to be alone with their newborn for a week, or even a month, that is fine too.”

Some boundaries should be established with friends and family when visiting the newborn

If the new parents want to be left alone for some time in their baby bubble, they’ll need to establish some boundaries. However, having the boundary talk can be difficult, as the last thing the parents would want to do is offend family, in-laws, or friends in any way. Cook recommends exercising these limits during pregnancy so they don’t come as a surprise after birth. 

Then, “Reach out to family and close friends and let them know your preferences,” she says. “Anticipating potential requests will help set boundaries and may prevent unwanted guests. Be honest with friends and family members, and please do not allow anyone to shame you into having an unwanted guest in your home. If that fails, I tell the families in my medical practice to blame me! Tell family members and friends that the doctor said no to visitors,” she advises. 

When parents decide that it’s the right moment to let close family or friends hold or touch their child, they can still ask them to adhere to some precautionary measures. Cook recommends, “It is best that visitors wash their hands for at least 15 seconds prior to holding the newborn. Anyone who has symptoms of an acute illness, such as fever or a new-onset cough, should not be allowed to visit until the symptoms resolve.

Anyone who has a history of recurrent cold sores should not kiss the newborn. No one should smoke any tobacco or marijuana-containing products around the baby. If they smoke outside, they should change their clothes before getting close to the newborn. Ideally, parents and all visitors would be up to date on immunizations (including influenza and COVID-19), as this can prevent the newborn from contracting a serious, and potentially fatal, illness.”

She concludes by saying, “Please remember that it is a gift and not a requirement to allow people to visit your newborn. Do not feel like it is your job to entertain family and friends who come over. Your house can be messy, you can be in your pajamas, and that is okay! Finally, if a visitor asks to help you in some way, such as feeding the baby or washing your dishes, please consider the offer. It takes a village to successfully raise a child.”

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