raising kids
How to Introduce Your
NEWBORN During Covid
If you’re allowing visitors to meet your newborn during the coronavirus pandemic, follow these safety guidelines.
B
BY WHITNEY C. HARRIS
Whitney C. Harris is on NYMetroParents editorial staff. She lives in Sleepy Hollow, NY, with her husband, a toddler, and a dog.
ringing a baby home used to mean a flood of visitors with frozen lasagnas, where the only precaution typically taken was washing hands with soap and water. With COVID-19 remaining a very real concern, parents welcoming a newborn are now having to determine what’s safe and what’s smart when it comes to allowing extended family to visit during the pandemic. To get specific guidance, we chatted with three doctors for their advice on the safest ways to make newborn introductions right now.
SAFETY PRACTICES TO FOLLOW
A new baby is most vulnerable during its first six weeks of life. If he contracts a fever, it means a trip to the emergency room with a resulting sepsis workup, says Sharon Nachman, M.D., chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. “We often tell families to restrict visiting during those weeks,” she says. The key idea is cohorting: It’s better to visit with a small cohort for a long time than a large cohort for a short time, Dr. Nachman says. In other words, keep your circle as tight as possible.
18 November 2020 • siparent.com
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