If you’re due October-March, are you keeping your newborn away from people until after cold and flu season ends? Are you allowing visitors? Are you avoiding going out in public?

Question

I’m hugely germaphobic and honestly I’m scared to have a newborn during cold and flu season. Is it totally crazy to say no visits from anyone until cold and flu season ends? Or are you just allowing close family? Or anyone, as long as they’re not sick (to their knowledge... of course you can be contagious before you have symptoms...)? Or are you not worried about it because babies have to get sick to develop immune systems anyway......?
And if you are worried about this and planning on trying to keep your newborn away from illness, how long are you waiting to go out in public/have visitors?

Answer

I’m personally not worried about it too much (due mid-October). My partner and I and my parents, who will be around him most often, are vaccinated and while it’s not a sure fire way to avoid colds or flu, it is what it is. If someone is blatantly sick I’ll ask them not to come around, but I know I’m going to need help and adult company and people are excited and already asking when they can come by. I don’t want him to be sick of course, but also refuse to be the mom that can’t let him near germs or he’ll always be sick with no immune system built up (I know there are different schools of thought there, just my opinion based on my experiences).

Answer

It’s ridiculous to try to keep a child wrapped in a bubble, there will always be some kind of sickness floating around that a child can catch. It’s best to practice proper preventives than to never let anyone around your child or never let them out of the house. If you or your husband work are y’all going to change, shower, and sanitize yourselves before walking into the house to avoid anything being spread? It’s just very unrealistic to me

Answer

I'm not worried about it (due January 5th). Baby can get sick any month of the year. People who will visit will either be close friends or family, so I trust that they're all smart and responsible enough not to visit if they're ill. I'm not worried about going out in public either. I mean, it's not like people would get that close to my baby to cough or sneeze on it. Exposing the baby to fresh air is good for the immune system, so definitely planning to go out for walks.

Answer

It is not practical for us to bubble ourselves after the baby is born. I have an young child starting pre-k a month before baby is born and we just have lives to live and things to do. With that being said, we are planning on limiting visitors to our home, we aren’t around family but we have friends who will want to visit which is ok with me, but again just making sure they aren’t sick and that they wash hands and all that jazz. My daughter will be getting into the routine of coming home from school and getting straight into the bath, normal cleanliness stuff for all of us. Then for when we go in public, I just won’t let anyone (stranger or otherwise) touch my baby lol. 
My first was born in December so this is my second flu season baby, and you just have to follow common sense cleanliness and make sure others around you do too.

Answer

only close family will be able to visit. i’m pregnant with twins so they will be born small and i’m not risking it

Answer

I've been due with all 3 of my kids in February and march (due in march with my 3rd) and I've not made a huge deal about sheltering my babies. I mean yes I'm not gonna let someone i know is sick hold my baby but i didnt wanna be too germiphobic with my kids because exposure builds a better immune system. And plus once you have other kids they are usually the ones bringing around the germs anyways. The best thing you can do is just to keep them covered if you go out and make sure everyone practices good hand washing around your baby and ask sick visitors to stay away until they are symptom free other wise i wouldnt get too worried about keeping them in a bubble till spring but thats just my opinion

Answer

Not really worried about it. I plan on getting a flu shot before I have him which will help pass on antibodies to the baby in utero. Breastfeeding will also help support his immune system. I still plan on trying to have as many relatives get the shot as possible but past that there is nothing else that can be done. I'm not to worried anyway. With my oldest I didnt really take him out of the house until he was 3 or 4 months because I was too tired to take him anywhere.

Answer

I keep the car seat covered when out with winter babies but I’d get the worst winter blues if I locked myself away for 6 months.  Babies are born with immunities from us and from our breast milk if we breastfeed, so no reason to be so over the top protective imo.

Answer

I’m not worried about it that much. If someone is obviously sick then I ask not to come over. I took my son to the stores (Walmart, mall, etc) the same week we went home and 2 parties under 6 weeks old & he was born in January lol... I didn’t mind that people came to the hospital and to my house afterwards. Everyone was smart and knew to wash their hands as soon as they came in.. And didn’t try to carry him when he was asleep... He’s only been sick 3 times lol and I think because I didn’t have him locked in the house, or might have helped 🤷🏻‍♀️ 
My daughter will be born November. We’ll be going to family’s house for thanksgiving. So I plan the same, no holding if she’s asleep & just wash hands.

If you’re due October-March, are you keeping your newborn away from people until after cold and flu season ends? Are you allowing visitors? Are you avoiding going out in public?

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