Newborn baby and other people's children - help please!

[squishy]

Our families live a long way away (i.e. at least a flight away), so although we're not due for almost 2 months, we have to prepare our respective families early! My SIL has a 9 year old and my instinct (from my limited knowledge) is that she shouldn't come shortly after the baby is born.

My questions () are:

1. What are the reasons for this (I guess it is mostly to do with childhood diseases/infections and lack of immunity in baby, but would like to know for sure)?
2. Do people still view this as a valid 'rule', I know hospitals do, but we're hoping for a home birth so it would be good to know.
3. How long should we maintain this rule? When can the cousin come and meet?

TIA - we've got to prepare because this may well cause problems with the family....

morningnewspaper, are you not the same person as morningpaper? If you're not I'd change name, MP is famous dontcha know? Seriously, it is confusing.

Actually, of course you're not, MP isn't pregnant, she has a newish baby though.

I wouldn't mind a 9-year-old at all - as Jimjams wrote, they're over the hump w/regards to most illnesses. In many Hispanic families, such as my own, 9-year-old girls were dab hands w/babies. By that age I could change nappies, feed a bottlefed baby properly, wind it, carry it round on my hip, etc.

'Germs' happen anywhere. My newborn caught a cold from an adult.

OK, thanks! Now no panics with regard to 9 year old.....what about 18 month old Godchild (who will, by then, have 6 week old sibling)!????

just won't have them over for more than an hour or so at a time....

for 18 month olds that applies at all times whether you've had a baby or not

LMAO!! Yes, he's great and I'm always glad to see him, but always glad to see him leave as well (particularly now 7 months pregnant!!!)

TBH, the 18 month old will be so underwelmed by it all, he'll probably poke the baby once then ignore it, especially as he'll have a new baby of his own. It really won't be top of his excitement list!!

BabyDragon was being prodded by an entire reception class at 4 days old