Why Is It Important To Wash Your Hands Before Touching Babies?
There are many newborns who suffer the contagion of some disease from adults only because the latter have not taken care of their personal hygiene properly. It may seem nonsense, but it’s not at all. A baby is a very fragile being who, if infected with a disease, however slight it may be for adults, can be fatal for him. Consequently, there are never too many precautions, and washing your hands is of fundamental importance.
Washing your hands before coming into contact with a newborn is crucial to maintaining their health.
The importance of washing your hands
Such a simple action as washing your hands before touching a baby could save their life. This is a precaution that every adult must take before coming into contact with a newborn. There are really serious diseases that can be transmitted, but others, which are minor in an adult, such as gastroenteritis or a cold, can also be fatal to a newborn.
It is necessary, especially during the first months of a baby’s life, to always have clean hands, to avoid transmitting diseases to the baby. Babies are vulnerable beings who can easily get sick. Due to their rather weak immune systems, a quick and complete recovery can be quite complicated, to the point that, on many occasions, immediate hospitalization may be required.
How and when to wash your hands
You will need to wash your hands every time you want to touch the baby. Especially when you feed him or after cleaning him, or if you have touched your nose or mouth (for example, after sneezing or blowing your nose). To prevent the spread of bacteria, it is important that you wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
Never get tired of telling other people interacting with your baby to do the same. Older siblings, grandparents, uncles or any other person who touches your baby during the first months of life must always have perfectly clean hands. A fortiori, if someone has a viral or bacterial infection, they will need to wash their hands even more often.
In reality, a person affected by an infectious virus or some viral disease should simply avoid touching the baby rather than washing their hands. It is best to minimize the chances of transmitting disease to the baby. If a person has to avoid approaching him for a few days because he is sick, that’s not bad. It is better to be safe than sorry.
You must not feel any shame or embarrassment in asking grandparents or other visitors not to touch or approach your baby if their hands are dirty, if they are unable to wash them at that time or if they have some infectious disease. Since it is for your baby’s health and well-being, they absolutely need to understand it. Don’t feel uncomfortable, and if you have to set limits to prevent your baby from getting sick, do so.
We can all transmit germs
Even if we don’t have any viral diseases, we can all transmit germs. We spend the day touching things or objects that have also been touched by other people. As a result, we can’t know for sure if our hands are perfectly clean. Therefore, always washing them represents a safe bet to safeguard the health of the newborn.
If, for whatever reason, you are in a place where there is no soap and water, it will always be a good idea to keep a bottle of hand sanitizer in your bag. Instantly disinfecting your hands without the need to use soap and water is a more than appropriate precaution, especially when you go out for a walk and meet acquaintances who want to touch your baby.
As you can see, any precaution to protect your baby from other people’s germs (and yours too) is never excessive. Having perfectly clean hands is very important. Everyone around you will need to keep this in mind if they want to touch your baby, pick him up or stroke his face. A newborn is vulnerable and must be protected from everyone.
