Taking a newborn to a children's farm...

[Queazy]

I'd like to take my 2yo DD to a children's farm this week with my partner and my 2wk old baby. DS will be in his buggy and I'll feed him in the cafe /soft play area. We would be very careful to wash our hands after being near animals or feeding them. Am I nuts though?! I'm hugely aware this could be a v thick question but should I steer clear?

It's basically a few animal pens and a nice soft play but in two minds.

Thank you!

I would. At two weeks the baby will sleep most of the time in the pram.
As long as you wash your hands etc. it will be fine.

I wouldn't - I mean, there's no point in putting them in potential situations where there might be extra things to catch, when you don't need to, is there?

I would, so long as you wash your hands and take hand sanitiser

Be very strict on hygiene. Make sure toddler washes hands before going eat baby. Touching pram etc. Have fun.

What do you think your baby will catch from the animals? What do you think farmers do when they have babies?

Your newborn is much more at risk of catching a cold or vomit and diarrhea bug from the other children than anything from the animals.

I wouldn't but you know best. Farmers don't actually expose their new born babies and livestock to each other.

I assume you wont have the new born in the pens with the animals id be more worried about the soft play as far as illnesses go. But I live within a cattle and horse farms land, with chickens, and sheep nearby too (I'm not the famer just a weird land layout) and I've never given it a thought regards the babies. We walk through and nearby the animals all the time, most summers at least one calf will come to visit.

I'm not a farmer but we live on a farm because I have horses and all the animals greeted both DCs from the day they were back home from the hospital. How many of you have ever heard of a baby catching something off a horse? What could the baby possibly catch?

Even when it comes to toddlers a recent Norwegian (I think) study showed that children brought up in farms were 50% less likely to suffer from asthma and respiratory problems than their counterparts in cities.

We took dd2 at 3 weeks old. I never even thought!!

Um, we took DD at less than a week. She spent almost all the time in a wrap sling, and we washed hands when we'd been near the animals and before feeding. I suspect she was more likely to catch things being handed around friends and relatives at home.

It'll be fine.

Thanks so much for all your replies. I don't think he'll catch something from an animal, it was more the busy environment and potential for spreading germs through touching animals and then him (my dd, not me!). Thanks for reassuring me

I took DS at 3 weeks so my dd could go to one. I didn't even think about it- kept DS in a sling and fed him at a cafe area when he was hungry

Much more likely to catch a disease from another human I suspect.

Pregnant women of course should stay away from pregnant ewes because of toxoplasmosis risk but not an issue here.

Strict and thorough hand washing before eating is a must though on any farm.