Before our country was engulfed in a pandemic, families were already worried about how to be out in the world and shop with a newborn. The concerns were about what do to when your baby cry at the grocery store? Or what to bring with you for an outing?
Giving birth during the pandemic, with no sign of the virus being contained in the US, new parents are right to be concerned with how to get the things they need when a whole new danger is present.
Here are some things to help keep risk to a minimum for you and you’re newborn if you need to be out of the house together.
- If possible, keep your baby at home, or with with caregivers you trust.
- When it comes to outings, try to stay to areas with lots of open air flow, like walking outside without other people
- Do not put a mask on your baby. Masks are not recommended for children under the age 2.
- If you have to make an outing with your newborn practice social distancing as much as possible, and be diligent in washing your own hands before touching your baby’s hands or face.
- If you have to go to a public location, like a grocery store, or retailer, consider wearing your baby to keep strangers from getting too close to a stroller or shopping cart. If in a stroller, consider a stroller cover.
- While others may feel like gloves, hand sanitizer, and disinfecting wipes may be overkill on trips, we would recommend you taking the extra precautions because you know your baby is a part of the population with suppressed/unformed immunity. And, as the US continues to see rising cases, it is proof that the precautions others are taking are not sufficient.
- When you get home from being out, take the advice from many daycare centers who share that it is a great practice to take off the clothes your child was wearing, and put them into a clean outfit.
- If you like, you can go one step further beyond changing clothes and give your baby a bath, and yourself, to ensure that every surface that may have come in contact with germs is washed clean to keep your home environment safe as well.
