Re: New baby: asking relatives to use hand sanitizer???
who cares if it SEEMS rude or what others will think....you are the mom! if you think it's best for the baby that everyone sanitizes their hands...then do it. being rude doesnt matter.....when it comes to the well being of your baby.
btw my sister would keep a big bottle of hand sanitizer in the middle of the coffee table. Talk about a subtle hint :D
Re: New baby: asking relatives to use hand sanitizer???
put the baby behind the glass or some thing.
how bout a bubble? 
seriously tho…the glass idea isnt a bad idea! 
just imagine how many people use the bathroom and come out without washing their hands…then they pick up a newborn baby. 
Just tell them that the doctors advised this, and they'll understand and wont take it personally.
You are wise, my distant android cousin.
Re: New baby: asking relatives to use hand sanitizer???
Re: New baby: asking relatives to use hand sanitizer???
erm, i dont' think this is about whether or not sanitizers are helpful or not, I think it's about the mother's right to dictate how and when people may or may not hold her baby. If you want, you should be able to ask people to wax their big toes before holding your baby, your baby your rules.
Re: New baby: asking relatives to use hand sanitizer???
^ U got it
personal feelings aside, have some respect for the mother and just comply with her wishes. What's the big deal about that?
erm, i dont' think this is about whether or not sanitizers are helpful or not, I think it's about the mother's right to dictate how and when people may or may not hold her baby. If you want, you should be able to ask people to wax their big toes before holding your baby, your baby your rules.
Lol! :)
Re: New baby: asking relatives to use hand sanitizer???
As the parent of the child, you do whatever you need to in order to take care/protect your child. I personally don't think it's a big deal at all. But there are always people who will get offended. They will think that you are accusing them of being unclean. It's not like you're preventing them from enjoying/holding your baby, u simply want them to clean their hands. It's no big deal, lol.
BUT....u know what I'm wondering? What if you were to tell a little white lie? Before they hold your baby, what if you (with a smile and gentle tone) said,** "The doctor** recommended that family and friends sanitize their hands prior to holding the baby?"......would it then be less offensive to people? And that way would they more compliant about using the hand sanitizer?
Yes, it will be seen as rude and pointless. People will say things like "when i was a kid, there were no sanitizers and I turned out perfectly normal, what's so special about her kid". And they have a point. Babies today are born into such unnaturally sanitized hospitals and parents are so concerned about their baby getting sick that they are interrupting the natural process of acquiring immunity. This is a problem in developed countries where babies don't get early exposure and end up with sensitive allergies, asthma, etc. Chemical cleaners can be just as bad for your baby as the common cold.
I'm guessing that this is your first child, and so you want everything perfect for this baby. I'm sure when he/she becomes a toddler and has a new sibling (iA) you won't be as concerned about sanitizing hands, because you know how much a baby can take. It would be appropriate to ask people who work in hospitals and such to clean hands, etc. but normal people have the decency to wash up and are generally clean. And if they are a bit dirty, you can jokingly ask them to wash up. Don't ask every person that comes near the baby to use sanitizer even if they already washed their hands 20 mins ago. but truthfully, what will hand sanitizer do? The baby will still be kissed on the face probably. Will you ask people to sanitize their face? They will hold the baby, do you think their clothes are clean? Unless they are putting their fingers in the baby's mouth, hand sanitizer will do little to protect the baby, and you will gain a lot of negative comments behind your back. Relax! don't worry, you gave birth to a tough kid (mA) and your child can handle it. I know this is probably not what you wanted to hear, sorry for being a bit harsh, but iA, nothing will happen to your child :)!
I totally agree
Re: New baby: asking relatives to use hand sanitizer???
My friend who is a pediatrician asked everyone who wanted to hold her newborn to wash their hands. I was fine with it and everyone else seemed to be too.
My friend who is a pediatrician asked everyone who wanted to hold her newborn to wash their hands. I was fine with it and everyone else seemed to be too.
Wow, that's interesting Sahar. I'm glad you mentioned it. So I guess it might not be so bad to use the reasoning that the "doctor" recommended sanitized hands before picking up the baby. Some people might actually comply with that......although I could just hear other elders chuckling and saying, "Oh no, baita, don't vurry, my hands are clean. I washed them only an hour ago, before leaving the house and pushing around the clean cart at the grocery store and accepting the clean dollar bills and coins in change from the lovely cashier and picking my nose at stop signal on my way to your home." LOOOOL!
I'm kidding. It's good to be clean and cautious. But overdoing the antibacterial can also get rid of good bacteria that protect our immune systems. Speaking of dollar bills......I recently watched a show called Food Detectives where a lab anaylyst looks at germs on various foods/surfaces and found out that money is pretty filthy! Yup, those green bills are kinda germy. I wonder if it has anything to do with the saying, "filthy rich," LOL!
I guess it might not be so bad to use the reasoning that the "doctor" recommended sanitized hands before picking up the baby.
get real man! Personally I think it's really annoying behavior.
First of ALL seriously I would not even want to TOUCH your baby if I knew YOU.
FROM REAL FAR, I would just "donate" you the "mu dikaie ke paise" - and run as fast as I could.
you are worried about germs passed on just by carrying a baby - GOSH where do YOU LIVE - in the SLUMS neighborhood? Are the people who want to touch your baby from the SLUMS?
If they are from the slums I could understand. Maybe you need to UPGRADE YOUR FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE.
No, no, keep the “mu dikhai k paisay” to yourself, your money is neither wanted nor needed…but do proceed to run away.
I don’t have any babies, by the way. What an unbelievably harsh reaction! My circle of friends is just fine, thank you. No, my friends are not from the slum…but I have friends of various cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. I enjoy the diversity.
The SlUMS??? Hmmmm, **germs don’t discriminate **between socioeconomic class. Germs are everywhere. They blanket the rich as they blanket the poor. But there’s nothing wrong with a mom wanting to be careful with her baby.
If YOU look at my previous post, I even mentioned that it’s not healthy to overdo the sanitization. So, I was looking at the issue from more than just one angle.
I understand the importance of allowing good bacteria to survive in your body. I even understand the importance of building your immune system. At the same time I understand that the immune systems of young children are delicate. I used to teach preschool and everyday the tables where the kids sat and worked were scrubbed down with lysol. Their toys were cleaned in bleach as well. These were the regulations of the department of children and families that every preschool has to adhere to. These precautions are there to prevent diseases such as **meningitis **which can easily occur in infants and young children. And sometimes they can be fatal. While such diseases may not be a common occurrence…when they do occur…one wishes they had been more careful.
As I said earlier, I was looking at this issue from various views. It’s good to be clean, but of course there has to be a healthy balance. I do however think its no big deal if parents want to be careful with their baby. Their actions are for the safety of their children, and **NOT **an insulting accusation that family and friends are DIRTY. But you will always have people who will over-analyze and take offense for simple things…even safety precautions.
This issue goes FAR BEYOND the SLUMS.
Re: New baby: asking relatives to use hand sanitizer???
Mrs. Masti-- do you share your account with a teenage girl?
Re: New baby: asking relatives to use hand sanitizer???
NJmasti, you need to do a lot of growing up, clearly.
I'm sorry, but it is just common sense to wash your hands before holding or touching a newborn, as they have underdeveloped immune systems. It has nothing to do with the social class you associate with.
Re: New baby: asking relatives to use hand sanitizer???
redvelvet: ALL that anger was meant to be for the original poster... but somewhere somehow you interfered with agreement and I just continued firing the shot at you! Too bad you fell into this trap - haha - but don't worry I totally understood what you said.
..and continuing with the joke - actually I would NOT even give the "mu dikhae ke paise" - cause the dollar bills would be so filthy anyway. Actually I would give "you" Febreze or hand sanitizer for the baby - and so "you" can continue wid your cleanliness (YOU means the original poster).
I think some people just overdo their "beliefs" and I can't stand it! I have the right to my opinion.
Re: New baby: asking relatives to use hand sanitizer???
^ Well it's good you cleared that up Masti. The way you had worded your post (to which I responded).....was in such a way that it seemed you were responding to me and not the original poster. I based my response on the way yours was worded.
Re: New baby: asking relatives to use hand sanitizer???
^na na I'm not THAT mean. I get mean only if something bugged me to the core! and this original poster sure did it for me.
What the hell! Is THAT baby the ONLY ONE in the world who NEEDS the cleanliness from "realtives" who happily come to visit? It's just a rude behavior. I think if someone WANTS people to go wash up their hands before picking up a baby - must just keep her door closed so no one comes and touches that little thing.
Everyone's baby is TOO precious. By one person acting up as if their baby is the only one - really deserves this shot down.
Mods - there is no cussing here so do not give me any silly points. Not ALL posts generate happy happy chit chats. This certainly is not one - so let that new mom know that she is not the only mom who has given birth to a NEW BORN - to act so uuuuugggggg.