感染予防
Babies are more vulnerable to infections than older children, especially in their first few weeks. Here you will find the signs and symptoms to look out for that your baby might be unwell.
How are you finding parenthood?
The newborn stage was definitely a roller coaster but things are a bit more calm now that he’s four months. Minh was born in January when it was really cold, so his birth was the perfect excuse to just stay inside in the warmth! Minh is settling into a routine and is becoming more and more interactive and is beginning to hit milestones which is really exciting.
When did you find out about The Lullaby Trust and what guidance did you find useful?
My midwife pointed me towards The Lullaby Trust, and I also follow them on Instagram. I found their guidance about baby products really helpful, as there are so many products on the market, not all of which are safe options. Our sleep set up consists of a firm, flat mattress with a waterproof cover, and nothing else in the cot. I also co-sleep sometimes, and found The Lullaby Trust’s guidance to co-sleep more safely really useful.
I also found the cold weather guidance really useful. Minh was born in winter so the advice about what to dress him in to keep him at an ideal temperature helped a lot. It means I’m careful not to overwrap him as overheating is a real risk that we weren’t aware of beforehand.
Have you had to have any difficult conversations with family about safer sleep?
We moved in with my parents for the first month to have some extra support, and my mum bought Minh a bumper for the cot. I was aware from The Lullaby Trust that bumpers aren’t a safer sleep option for babies, so I had to tell her that we couldn’t use it. This was tricky at first as she’d just spent money on it and was disappointed, but once we explained the risks, she understood. A similar conversation happened when she suggested we sleep Minh on his front or side, but we know the safest sleeping position for a baby is on their back.
Sometimes you just have to politely repeat yourself and explain the reasons behind what you’re saying. My family’s intentions are always good, they just might not be aware of the latest guidance as it has changed so much since I was a baby. You see pictures from the 90s with millions of toys in the crib, but now we know that’s just not safe!
How do you ask visitors not to kiss your baby, or to wash their hands before touching your baby?
Minh was born in January so I was particularly worried about the flu. I read a lot about how to prevent infection from The Lullaby Trust, as reading helped me to worry less. I’d then send over posts and webpages to John and other family members to make sure they were aware too. Once I learnt about how to prevent infection, we decided not to let people kiss Minh for at least the first few weeks.
I wanted to make my boundaries clear, so I told our family we weren’t having visitors for the first few weeks to let us adapt to the craziness of newborn life. When we started having visitors, I told them in advance that we would ask them to wash their hands so they weren’t surprised by it at the door. We asked people to tell us in advance if they are sick or run down, including a ‘little cold’ or people still recovering.
My mother-in-law was a bit resistant at first. She understandably really wanted to kiss him, and this was something that was normal back in her day. I pointed her towards The Lullaby Trust guidelines, and she understood why we were asking once she had done some reading. When she had a cold sore, she was happy not to visit as she understood that something so small can be life-threatening for newborns.
My midwife said we can throw her under the bus if we need to! What she meant by this, was we could tell people that our midwife advised that nobody kisses our baby. This way, people were less likely to question our decision! We also often just said that we are new parents, so even if our boundaries come across as a bit hardcore, we just want to be extra cautious.
Though some family were shocked at first, we’ve not really had any push-back from family members. It helps to remember that they’re not being difficult, they just might not be aware of the latest guidance.
さらに詳しく
ベビー用品
With so many baby sleeping products on the market it can be hard to know what to choose, so use these guidelines to help you choose safer sleep products for your baby.
添い寝
Some parents choose to share a bed with their babies, while others sometimes fall asleep with their baby without meaning to. Sleeping together with your baby is known as co-sleeping.
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