Protecting newborn from toddler cold

[YukoandHiro]

Newborn is 12 days old. Toddler has horrible cough and cold. Got a Covid test today - will be negative, it's a normal snotty nursery cold - and been cleaning our hands like mad. I've been changing clothes after hugging the toddler, washing hands like mad etc. Not sharing toys.
What else can I do? Paranoid the little one will get it and be very sick.
Totally exhausting. Neither are sleeping tonight (I'm bf the newborn, and toddler desperate for mum love as feels rough so rejecting dad) and. and I still need to recover quite a bit from birth.

My DS caught my DDs horrible nursery cold when he was 10 days old - he was very snotty for a while but it was just a bad cold and it was no worse in him than it was in my DD and it was the first in a long line of grot he caught off my DD who liked to bring germs home with her ...

I know it’s a worry but in all honesty I think the worrying about it was actually worse than the cold, babies are pretty tough

Thanks @Shylo - did you take the baby to the doctor when they got symptoms? I just don't know how careful I'm supposed to be. With my first we just kept her away from anyone sick for a good three or four months...

Watching as I’m in this exact same situation (mine is also 12 days old!)

Congratulations on the birth of your baby, OP. I feel for you. You must be so tired . A couple of things:
You are BFing, so DC2 is likely picking up antibodies to DC1's cold through you. Breast milk is also full of immunity boosting microbes, so chances are that your baby will not necessarily be as poorly as DC1.
I found, with both my DC, that my otherwise sensible attitude to hygiene and infection prevention went a bit haywire in the first month after birth. It is quite common to develop light to moderate intrusive thoughts in one way or another in the midst of sleep deprivation and hormonal readjustment; could you be over-focusing on the idea of contamination? Perhaps speak to your HV?
This is a delicate time for your older child, with the arrival of a sibling; pour all the warmth and closeness you can muster on DC1, it'll be worth it. If DC1 is rejecting dad, get dad (or anyone else close by) to support you while you cocoon with both DC, they both need you so much.
With two DC close in age they'll be getting whatever bug the other has for many years to come. Wishing your DC1 a speedy recovery, and you some much needed rest and recovery.

Sorry you're in the same position @Needallthesleep - hopefully our newbies will skip the illness. As the poster below you says, breastmilk can help with immunity and also babies are born with some parental immunity too.

Just went in to check on the 3yo and she was soaked through from the fever so I've had to change her head to toe and even change her pillow case. Poor thing. Hopefully they means it was a short lived fever that's broken already though

Thank you @AdultHumanFemale - as you've picked up, I have suffered with a bit of health anxiety in the past. DD1
was very ill when born and we spend most of the first month in and out of hospital . This birth has been so much easier. Just really hoping to dodge any curveballs and have a nice month or two settling into being a bigger family.

I had premature twins and at 4 weeks old they were ready to come home - my 3 year old had just started preschool and had a rotten cold - the doc said they wouldn’t allow them home if there weren’t tough enough to cope with a cold. Sure enough they got it and every other cold she bought home that winter which was hard but they were ok.

Thanks @Clockers41 - that's reassuring