Tips For The Correct Behavior When Visiting Babies
Read on, because we’ll explain everything you need to know when visiting a baby.
You yourself as a carrier of microbes
If you plan to visit a newborn baby, consider yourself an outsider entering the family home from the street. Because unfortunately you bring a number of pathogens with you from the outside world.
You must be aware that the outside world is populated by all sorts of microorganisms. They can damage the baby’s immune system because it is still too weak to protect itself adequately from them.
Breast milk not only provides children with nutrients, but also with antibodies. This is how newborns can protect themselves from some intruders. However, breast milk is usually not enough for complete protection.
In order not to get sick, the child needs an environment in the first days of life that is hygienic and as far as possible free of pathogens.
During your visit you can talk to the newborn baby, sing something to him or smile at him … But you should avoid touching the child, kissing him or her and hugging him or her unnecessarily.
Avoid touching his wrists and clothing. Because if you love it, you should take good care of it too.
If you decide to ignore our recommendations, you should at least consider the following measures:
- Wash your hands, forearms and elbows, face and neck.
- Don’t wear highly scented perfumes or deodorants.
- If you are a smoker, allow at least 15 minutes to elapse between your last cigarette and your baby.
More tips for visiting babies
In addition to trying not to fool the child, there are a few other things you should keep in mind as well. For example, we recommend the following:
Do not behave inappropriately
There are some important times that can be very intimate for the newborn child and their family and should therefore be respected. This includes, for example, the sleeping, eating and washing times of the newborn baby and his family members.
So if you want to visit the family in the morning, don’t show up too early. If you want to visit the family in the evening, you shouldn’t be late.
However, lunchtime brings some particular difficulties. At this time, the child is usually breastfed and the family may have a meal together. Family members also like to use this time for a nap. Since the parents often get little sleep at night, this time is particularly important for them.
The same applies to all moments when the child is to be breast-fed or bottle-fed or when the family wants to take care of the household. In short: announce your visit in advance and find out what time is best for your visit.
Show your manners
Show your manners when visiting a newborn baby and their parents:
- Wash your hands and put on clean clothes.
- Try to keep your visit short and don’t stay longer than 20 minutes.
- Avoid speaking loudly.
- Don’t insist on seeing the child while they’re asleep. Remember that sleep is very important for babies. Also, some parents don’t like to just let other people into the nursery.
- Never visit a newborn if you have a cold or are contagious. If it is a family culture or tradition to visit the newborn child, apologize over the phone for the disturbance and postpone the visit to a later date.
- Don’t offer parents to help out with child care. Not even if it’s just a matter of folding baby clothes or putting them in the closet. Wait until the parents ask you for help. If you want to please them, consider doing other household chores like washing the dishes or sweeping and mopping.
- Avoid giving advice to parents unless specifically asked for it. The upbringing and care of parents should not be criticized.
- You should appear alone or in the company of at most one person. Don’t rush to visit your baby for the first time and discuss visiting hours with other friends and family so that you don’t all show up at the same time.
