To expose DD to cold germs

[pandw]

Hi. First AIBU so pls go easy...
DD is 5 months old (was prem so 3m adjusted).
I had plans to go visit a friend tomorrow. She has Bern having some issues w her DS (3m) and I want to give emotional support and hopefully some practical help too if DD will let me.
Friend has text to say her DS has cold, she would love to see me but understands if I want to stay away, in case DD catches cold.

I want to go anyway, but is that me being focussed too much on wanting to help friend? Am I being unfair to DD by considering taking her? (am I completely over thinking this thing...)

TIA for input.

i would not go

go

So long as you aren't planning on putting them in the same cot together I would have thought it was unlikely your DD would get close enough or have enough direct contact with the other baby to catch the cold.

Unless your DD has particular health issues that make it more dangerous than normal to catch a cold, if she does catch a cold she might be a bit poorly but it isn't too awful.

Do you have other children? If you have you are lucky she has got to 5 months without getting a cold already.

I would go but maybe take precautiions like more handwashing if you pick up the other baby.

I agree with Niecie.

I agree with Niece.

I take it DD is your first? Your second will never get to 5 months without catching a cold!! My poor DD2 caught her first one from DD1 aged 2 weeks.

DS2 had his first cold/flu last week. Inevitable with having a big brother. It happens, if your DD is a healthy baby then a little cold is no biggie.

Go your dd needs to be exposed to germs to be able to learn how to process them and deal with them so unless she like Niecie says has particular health issues you really will be doing her a disfavour by not exposing her to germs etc.

Even an 8 week preemie, by 5 months, will have enough of an immune system (usually) to cope with a cold. I highly doubt your DD will catch the cold, but if she does, it'll only be the first of many childhood illnesses. Go, help your friend, just wash your hands a bit more often.

Don't go - after my son's bone marrow transplant we had to avoid germs at all costs for a year. Did so, and he made a good recovery. My experience taught me that a lot of what's talked about 'building up an immune system by exposing them to everything' is rubbish, all three of my DCs, now grown, jump out of their skins when disgusting ppl sneeze etc. near them, as a legacy of these days. Avoid !

Her baby hasn't just had a bone marrow transplant.

Go, she will be fine. She comes into contact with germs all day everyday. more than you could imagine, they're in the air, they're everywhere, you cannot protect her from all of them.

Isn't exposing babies (healthy ones) to general dirt and germs meant to be a good thing? Helps them build up a Rolls Royce immune system and reduces allergies.

Olderandwider - I believe you are right and was just trying to find evidence of that.

If exposing your immune system to germs doesn't create better immunity in the long term, why then do adults get ill less often than children?

pandw - hope you are having a nice day with your friend.

I'd go. You can't avoid colds. Not that it isn't very annoying when your baby has a couple of weeks of crap feeding and crap sleeping because of a cold, mind you! But it is part of life and I really wouldn't ever not go somewhere just because someone had a cold. Unless my child was in a position where their immune system was compromised. Or if they had previously had weeks and weeks of illness, I'd probably think twice. But ordinarily, I'd go.

Thanks all for your input. I've ended up not going across today as friend's DH is unexpectedly off work today. But I will go tomorrow.
Yes DD is my first. I am actually quite surprised myself that she's got to five months with no sniffles etc.

Is the prematurity the issue or are there some other health concerns ?

It wouldn't have occurred to me to try and keep my babies away from cold germs at any age, three have winter birthdays and I never avoided anything.
Sleepingsowell is right, its part of life.

I think as others said I would go but be careful.

You can´t protect them from everything, but at the same time I wouldn´t want to deliberately give a baby a cold because it´s obviously unpleasant for them.