Asked to wash hands before handling newborn baby?

[AliciaJohns]

I am genuinely asking here. I went to see a friend the other day who has a week old baby. Her dh said (very politely) "would you mind washing your hands before you pick him up?"

I wasn't offended, just confused as I have never been asked to do this before nor would it have crossed my mind to ask people to wash their hands before handling my son!

My hands were clean by the way, in case you think they were caked in mud or something!!

Is this a bit weird? Or am I??!

[moondog]

It's a good idea.
I asked people to do it and am not remotely uptight 9well ok, but just a wee bit). MW suggested it.

[S1ur]

I think its okay to ask people to wash hands, with really little ones. It isn't the mud so much as the cold germs you picked up from coughing earlier.

My mw advised us to. Of course we did with PFB and didn't ask with NSO but people did anyway.

Not essential but not weird either

[AliciaJohns]

Really? I did get annoyed with people coughing near ds when he was tiny but the hands thing just never occurred to me. Mind you I always forget to wash his hands before he eats. It's a good job he's so bulletproof I guess.

[zippitippitoes]

oh dont they recommend that now i thought it was tgo stop that viral infection

[champagnesupernova]

I have always offered to wash hands before handling a baby - you never know what's on yer hands from the car door handles, public transport etc but I am a bit ocd about that kind of thing.

What is a NSO?

[Oliveoil]

I have never been told this by a MW and wouldn't ask people to either

you are handling a babygro at the end of the day are you not?

not poking fingers in his mouth

[SheherazadetheGoat]

better hand hygene reduces sickness. i remember being treated like a freak when asking people to wash their hands. it was januayr/february we had all had colds and i was just sick of people wiping their big snotting hands over my precious baby. i try and wash my hands before handling a wee baby.

[Twiglett]

yes it's weird

even if moondog says she did it, still weird

[kerala]

Our doctor told us to ask people to do this as dd had an eye infection at 2 weeks. She was a month early. I was embarrassed to do it but DH very protective and demanded everyone that came within 1 foot of her scrub up.

[SheherazadetheGoat]

oo people do shove their fingers into babies mouths [boak].

[Twiglett]

surely if you're asking people to wash their hands you should also make sure they don't look directly in your baby's face and breathe nor, god forbid, kiss him or her

[Twiglett]

immune compromised baby is different of course .. but a general healthy newborn at term

[cheesesarnie]

was it there first baby?
with my first i asked every one to wash theyre hands for months.with second i just asked if hands were clean.with 3rd i didnt care.

[Oliveoil]

not on my watch they don't goaty

or didn't

am not having any more oh no siree

[SheherazadetheGoat]

yes i also asked folk to put on sterlile surgical gowns and masks! ffs it takes 1 minute to wash your hands and we should all do it more anyway.

[hotCheeseBurns]

I don't think it's weird. People don't wash their hands enough.

[3NAB]

None Significant Other (I think)

[Walnutshell]

lol 'sarnie

[SheherazadetheGoat]

waves cute babygro at oo. oh remember the smell!

[AdelaideJo]

Hmmm. I've been thinking about this exact issue a lot lately as I'm 2 days overdue with my first baby.
I think if you live in a city, and visitors are coming via public transport, its definately something I wouldn't be embarrassed to ask them to do.

Also, I wouldn't let the hands of smokers touch my newborn unwashed...probably irrational but there you are

[Oliveoil]

(oh stop, I can't cope with 2)

I wash my hands all day long but have never done so before holding a baby

[SheherazadetheGoat]

see!

[LittleWonder]

Oh I caught a snatch of something on Radio 4 yesterday - they installed a camera above basins in a hospital, and most doctors did not wash their hands after using loo. Did anyone catch that story?
Gross anyhow.

[Twiglett]

let me make this abundantly clear

if anyone ever asked me to wash my hands before I picked up their baby I would think they were a bloody fraek!

[SheherazadetheGoat]

why do people not wash their hands after going to the loo? how badly brought up are then?