If hand washing is the best defence against getting sick...and babies are unable to wash their own hands regularly...and if babies under the age of 2 are in the high risk group for getting seriously ill from viruses like H1N1...people touching the hands of babies who frequently chomp on their hands are potentially going to get the kid sick! (Unless of course you wash your hands before touching the baby's hands...then you're okay in my books...) Unfortunately, Baby S cannot get his H1N1 vaccine or his flu vaccine until he is 6 months old...argh!
Now, I know that I have a bit of a reputation for being a germaphobe...I will be first to admit it...but I think I'm correct on this one...at least for our child...other parents can decide what they want for their own children. Don't get me wrong...our child does NOT live in a germ-free bubble (those of you who have been to our home can attest to that...eep!)...we don't bleach anything...his toys are not sprayed down...Baby S puts random stuff into his mouth from time to time...and we have a dog! No household with a dog is pristine by any long stretch! But this hand touching thing during this flu season has really touched a nerve with us. Y'all have germy hands...germy hands touch baby hands...baby puts hand in mouth...baby gets sick! Eep!
No parent wants to see their child sick...EVER. The pain and suffering associated with illness, especially in young babies who are unable to tell you what's wrong with them, is heart wrenching! Not to mention the fact that babies can get really sick...really fast because of their young age.
Since babies rely on parents to protect and nurture them in every way, why wouldn't we do our best to try to prevent them from getting sick? I'm not naive...I fully realize that our kid is going to be ill from time to time (I'm sure he'll get his fair share of illnesses from his two teacher parents over time) and that his immunity will be built up over time...blah blah blah...but that doesn't mean that I don't try to prevent him from getting sick when I can...especially at this young age. I certainly take measures to prevent myself from getting sick...and don't we all? I have NEVER heard of any adult wanting to get sick on purpose...and in theory...we can all continue to "build up our immune system" to no end...yet we continue to take preventative measures all the time for ourselves. Yet I often find people saying, "Oh let him get sick...it'll be good for him!" or "It'll be good for his immune system!"...easy words for people who don't have to suffer (physically, psychologically, emotionally) along with a young baby for the duration of the illness! =(
Please don't be offended when we ask you if you are sick or not, or to please wash your hands before handling the baby or to try not to touch his hands...we are just trying to look out for our kid.
At the end of the day...
We are the ones who gave Baby S life (the whole development of life is truly miraculous if you ask me...so many things have to go right before a healthy baby can be born into this world...I'm sure all parents will agree with me on this one!)...
I carried Baby S for 40 weeks doing my darndest to make sure that I did whatever it took to ensure the best possible outcome for my baby...
We are his parents and primary caregivers...and we love him to no end...and we have worked so hard to give him a healthy life...
We have both worked very hard at staying healthy ourselves in order to prevent Baby S from catching anything from us...
We realize that he will be sick from time to time...we just want to avoid him getting sick when we can, especially when he is so young...
Please respect our wishes of wanting to keep our son healthy by washing your hands before you play with him...or avoid touching his hands if possible...and of course stay away if you are ill...you will save these two parents a lot of worrying...and at the end of the day he is our child and we are the ones that have to take care of him and worry about him when he is ill...just remember that...help us parents out! =)
Oh and for the record I think these people in this article are crazy...please read the following link:
Here are some pics of Baby S over time shoving his hand in his mouth...
I won't be offended. I had to wash my hands AND face when Sophie was little before I could hold her. Plus, even if I ate something that contained traces of peanuts, I had to brush my teeth! Your kid, your rules! :)
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