A newborn's immune system is still developing, so ordinary germs that barely bother an adult can make a baby unwell. The good news is that a few small habits do most of the work. Start with clean hands.
How to wash your hands properly
- Wet your hands with clean running water and apply soap.
- Rub for at least 20 seconds: palms, backs of hands, between the fingers, thumbs and under the nails.
- Rinse well and dry with a clean towel or paper towel. Damp hands pick up germs again quickly.
When soap and water are not available, an alcohol-based hand sanitiser with at least 60% alcohol is a good back-up. If your hands look dirty or greasy, wash them instead.
When to wash
- Before touching or feeding the baby
- After every nappy change and after using the toilet
- After coming home from outside, including from the lift, the market or a clinic
- Before preparing bottles or formula, and before handling expressed milk
- After touching pets, rubbish or shoes
Visitors: what to ask, kindly
Visitors are lovely and also the most common way germs reach a newborn. A short, friendly message before they come helps:
- Please wash your hands first. Put the soap and a clean towel where they can see it.
- Please postpone if unwell. A cough, cold, fever, sore throat, diarrhoea or a rash means visiting later.
- Please check your vaccines. Flu and whooping cough (Tdap) protection among the people around a baby matters, since the baby cannot be fully vaccinated yet. Ask your doctor which ones apply to your family.
- Please skip kisses on the face and hands. Babies put their hands in their mouths.
- Please keep it short, and keep the group small. Crowded rooms in the first weeks raise the risk for little gain.
It is fine to say no, or "come in a few weeks". Your baby's health comes before politeness.
Around the house
- Smoke: nobody should smoke near the baby or in the home. Smoke clings to clothes and hair, so family members who smoke should wash hands and change before holding the baby.
- Pets: keep them out of the baby's sleeping area, wash hands after handling them, and never leave a baby alone with an animal.
- Surfaces: wipe frequently touched spots like door handles, switches, phones and the changing area regularly with a mild cleaner.
- Cooks and helpers: everyone who cooks, cleans or helps with the baby follows the same hand-wash habit, whether it is a family member, nanny or japa. Our nanny and japa checklist has questions you can ask.
When to call the doctor
Call your doctor straight away if a baby under 3 months has a fever of 38 °C (100.4 °F) or above, feeds poorly, is unusually sleepy, is breathing fast or with effort, or just does not seem right to you. Do not wait for it to pass.