Newborns: Fighting Off the Flu
Author: Heather Slee
You can always count on the flu. Every year the flu comes and it gets passed around to everyone you know. If you work in an office, it jumps from cubical to cubical. Schools are breeding grounds. Daycare? A germ factory. There's nearly no escaping it. However, you want to do what you can to shield your newborn from this seasonal enemy.
Currently, the CDC (Center for Disease Control) recommends that infants six months and older get the flu shot around October or November. If your baby is under six months of age, here are some tips you can use to help reduce the risk of influenza.
Wash your hands frequently. You are constantly holding and touching your baby, and therefore, possibly spreading germs. Wash your hands habitually, and remind everyone who comes in contact with the baby to also wash their hands.
Stay away from large groups of people. This is not easy to do around the holidays, but when you're not at family gatherings, try to stay away from crowds, like the mall or grocery stores. (Try to shop online or use a grocery delivery service.)
Keep the rest of the family healthy. Get flu shots for you and your partner, get plenty of rest (if that's possible with a baby), take a multivitamin, and drink lots of clear fluids.
Lastly, according to popular newborn survival guide Baby 411 by Ari Brown and Denise Fields, it's especially important for your baby to stay healthy those first 28 days of life, so try to avoid taking the baby out to places where groups of people gather. And when you're going in for those first few checkups at the doctor's office, bring your hand sanitizer!
Good luck fighting off the flu, and here's to a healthy, happy holiday season!
