Parental Advisory: Clean Freak
I must protect my newborn from my 3-year-old's germs!
by Rebecca Odes & Ceridwen Morris
December 19, 2007
My second baby is due soon. I'm having so much germ phobia! How will I protect
my baby from getting sick when my three-year-old daughter is bringing home god
knows what from preschool every day? I've had six colds this pregnancy compared
to ONE the first time. It seems hopeless! Give me hope. — sick and scared
Dear sick and scared,
One of the hardest things about having more than one child is not just the sharing
of love and attention, but the sharing of germs. This familial petri dish of
love and infection can make you feel like you have to try to protect your kids
from each other. And that's not only heart-wrenching; it's pretty much impossible.
If you're trying to keep your baby totally insulated from what your eldest drags
in, it probably is hopeless. (And it could create a sense of hostility that can
infect the family in other ways, too.) So while we can't promise you a
calm and sterile future, we can give you some ways to minimize the flow of germs,
manage your anxiety, and offer other kinds of hope.
You can teach your child to wash her hands frequently, avoid the baby's face,
and stay out of range when she's sick. Three is old enough to learn about basic
hygiene anyway — nose-blowing, cough-covering — but maybe not
old enough to reliably remember it all the time. So it's your job to both remind
her (gently
— you don't want to make her feel any more alienated than she already
does), and more importantly, to pick up the slack with your own habits. Take
hand-washing
seriously yourself, and ask other people who will handle your baby to do the
same. It's a basic request. No need to feel like a germ freak for making
it. If you get sick yourself, you'll obviously need to be a bit more careful.
Nursing mothers do offer their babies some of their own antibodies, which can
help fight off an illness, or help keep a nasty one in check.
If your baby does get sick early on, don't panic. This is incredibly common;
take a quick survey of second-time parents for proof. And while a real fever
in a young newborn is NOT something to take lightly (doctors often recommend
a spinal tap to check for meningitis), a cold is usually no big deal. Second
kids often get their first colds when they're just weeks old. This is no fun,
but it's nothing to freak out about.
Parents of multiple kids often end up developing a relaxed stance about germ
transmission. On the bright side, there's the hope that a bunch of colds
early on can equal a tougher kid come preschool. So while you may lose the war
on germs, you may just win the battle on germ-phobia. Here's hoping.
Note: If you start to feel truly freaked out about the need for cleanliness and
control (over germs or anything else) after your baby's born, it's worth looking
into a consultation for postpartum O.C.D. This is a fairly common condition,
and it usually gets better quickly with treatment.
Have a question? Email parentaladvisory@babble.com
Click to buy Ceridwen and Rebecca's book! |
©2007 Rebecca Odes & Ceridwen Morris and Nerve Media
About the Author
|
|
Related Articles
|
|
|
|
-
by Rebecca Odes & Ceridwen Morris
I must protect my newborn from my 3-year-old's germs!
-
by Rebecca Odes & Ceridwen Morris
Should I listen to U.K. sleep guru Gina Ford?
-
by Rebecca Odes & Ceridwen Morris
Should my husband watch the baby come out?
|
