To be livid about hand hygiene offence?

[Yummymummy2020]

To cut it short but rant. Partners family taking offence at being asked to use hand sanitiser or wash hands before handling our new baby. Particular offence taken at asking the children to use it. I know I’m not unreasonable wanting hand hygiene to be followed before touching our new born, but I feel like really distancing myself from them over this. It’s not just about the corona virus I’m concerned about the baby picking up anything as they are so young. To add to this, certain members are living with a currently sick person which I feel makes it even more crucial to ensure their hands are clean. Would it be really unreasonable to just keep away until the baby has their vaccinations? I know this won’t solve colds/flu but at least the child can have calpol if they do get sick. I’m also annoyed for being called odd by them for wanting them to make sure to use the gel or wash their hands. I have the gel by the way I’m not demanding anyone track it down. I’m livid right now so don’t want to say/ act on anything in haste!

Lol. No, newborns do not need to contract viruses to build up their immune system. There's plenty of time for that when it's less dangerous.

Where I live this is standard practice. I'm early 30s and in my family/friendship group we have about 15 kids of varying ages 0-5. Every single person asked people to wash hands/use alcohol gel when they came to visit the newborn.

Anyone offended by that is just looking for an argument tbh.

If I were to tell my mother to wash her hands before holding my baby, or my grandmother for that matter - I’m pretty sure I would be met with an incredulous stare. I suppose it just wasn’t the done thing back then

Right. But luckily most people who had kids a fair while ago are still capable of understanding that things change. My Mum gave me a surprised look, I said "it's the done thing now, no point putting a 3-day-old baby at risk of catching something" and she said "fair point" and that was that. Simple (if they're a reasonable person).

I don't see a problem with older siblings either.

My 3 year old grandson is aware of extra precautions being taken at the moment.

He has experienced visits being cancelled when there are newborns involved and he or others have an infection of some sort.

Don't underestimate small children's understanding of the vulnerability of newborn babies, or their willingness to co-operate when something is sensibly explained to them.

@shinyredbus
Jesus. Massive drip feed or what

Oh FFS, what
Do I have to revise my response lol
Can't be doing with drip feeds

Just tell them the hospital advised anyone holding the baby needs to was their hands first as their they may be more susceptible to illness.

I used hand sanitiser when I went to view ddog as a pup... yanbu

I don’t think you are being unreasonable at all.

How unreasonable!

Has the world gone mad! Its never occurred to me to make my excited newborn baby visitors wash their hands...just wowzer.

Do you hand out masks too, remember all the airborne viral droplets when they kiss baby, or god forbid hold baby close and talk!

Its not unreasonable to ask those who are unwell to stay away until they are not infectious, but blimey this is going so OTT.

I would install hand sanitisers at the front door, and profer gowns as they enter the new born baby clinical area, plus shoe and hair covers, then any holding should be prepempted by mask donning.

This is what some of you sound like.

You think hand washing covers it all when holding and cooing over a baby, you'd have to go the whole hog to be effective. Go for it, see how strong your babies immune system gets and how little family and visitors they have so socially stunted.

Unless your baby has its own health issue and particular vulnerability get a grip.

Your baby will also get conferred immunity from your milk, so will be protected.

.I'm early 30s and in my family/friendship group we have about 15 kids of varying ages 0-5. Every single person asked people to wash hands/use alcohol gel when they came to visit the newborn.Anyone offended by that is just looking for an argument tbh

This has never been a thing here for me (UK) - I'm from a large family, grown up around babies and now have babies of our own.
I'm in my 40s.
Never had to use hand gel before picking up a family baby.

Yadnbu. The only mistake you made was coming on here! It's your baby, why would you gaf about anyone else's opinion

Didn't see @knowmenclature post before posting, everything you just said lol.

@knowmenclature unfortunately In my case breast feeding didn’t work out due to both me and the baby being so unwell at birth, then baby being in intensive care didn’t help either so sadly the baby has not got extra immunity from me. I think handwashing actually does go quite a long way towards protecting newborns assuming cooing doesn’t involve spitting and coughing all over them. At least that’s what the intensive care consultant advised us to implement on discharge with no exceptions. Thankfully we have plenty of visitors more than happy to practice good hand hygiene before holding the baby, so we haven’t any concerns about them becoming socially stunted since it’s only my husbands side not happy with the hand hygiene end. Thanks for sharing your opinion though!

@DefiniteArticle it was half rant half curiosity as to others opinions, though I didn’t expect to cause such a heated debate on hand hygiene 😂 it is really interesting to see how other people feel about it though and how divided everyone’s views are!

shinyredbus

If I were to tell my mother to wash her hands before holding my baby, or my grandmother for that matter - I’m pretty sure I would be met with an incredulous stare.

Not sure I can agree with that at all.
My late mother, gods rest her soul, who had zero filter, felt it was a judgement on my cleanliness as a person (and possibly of my soul) when my 9 month old PFB got Baby's First Cold. She told me it showed I didn't bleach my kitchen enough, and that she had bleached her kitchen every day with Milton when I was a baby. She was pretty hot on handwashing when I was growing up, too, as you might imagine.

I just nodded and smiled, because I think coating the house in bleach is bad for developing immune systems and I thought nine months was a decent age.

Anyway she was half-right- I hadn't been using Milton on the kitchen worktop. (I only used Milton for sterilising baby bottles!)

OP, I wasn't really expecting to comment on a hand hygiene post myself until I clicked on it and was shocked by the amount of posters trying to tell a new mother what to do with her own baby! Rant away

Oh, well thats a massive drip feed OP. Wow again, oh and now everyone is happy to use sanitiser, hilarious!

The point of your OP is then totally lost.

You have been told by IC consultant to do this, so wtf are are doing being goady on here and second guessing what youve been told and drip feeding threads to those who would contribute to it.

Get lost with your nonsense, jeez!

No, I also dont know anyone would would dribble on a baby (I assume that was you just being sarcastic to me heh? Youre so funny!)

Theres no point to your thread, youve made that really clear now

You think hand washing covers it all when holding and cooing over a baby, you'd have to go the whole hog to be effective. Go for it, see how strong your babies immune system gets and how little family and visitors they have so socially stunted.

This is one of the most absurd posts I've ever read on here, and that's really saying something.

Socially stunted?? WTF. If your friends and family refuse to visit because you ask them to wash their hands, they're not worth having around. Talk about snowflakes. Wah wah I don't want to wash my hands? Grow up.

Having visitors wash their hands will not lower a newborns immune system.

Yes washing hands does make a difference. You do not have to "go the whole hog". Otherwise why would adults ever bother washing their hands? No point if you're just gonna go talking to your friends and coworkers without a face mask anyway right?! Good one.

We all regularly wash our hands for a reason. Because it lowers the transmission of illnesses. There is no positive to a 0-2 month old baby getting sick (and no, they do not need to boost their immune system at that age). There are plenty of negatives though.

You mightily missed the point there didnt you

How about dribbling on babies...any comment on that? Bit silly isn't it.

So is asking a forum what's reasonable when already told by an ic consultant exactly what to do!

Wowzer

@knowmenclature I don’t believe at any point I said everyone was happy to use it I think I made it clear my husbands family are not? If you don’t think there is a point to the post you might be better off writing angry comments on another one instead that is more worthwhile of your time perhaps?

Theres no point pursuing me over this OP

You had clear professional medical jnstructions for a very vulnerable infant, why come here and ask if thats unreasonable?

You are just making yourself look like you have either nothing better to do, or just a bit silly.

Your baby, your rules. Whatever those rules are. You and baby's other parent are only ones responsible for child's wellbeing.
I just told everyone that I am exhausted, not feeling well, please don't come yet, come when I will recover a bit.

@knowmenclature she didn't say dribbling, you know full well she meant coughing and spluttering, calm down you sound absolutely hysterical

Thats a good way to go Better

Congratulations and good luck with your recovery, sleep and newborn