Keeping Babies Safe in a Swine Flu World

Parents who are nervous about having a five or six year old child when Swine Flu is on the rise could probably safely quadruple their feelings of fear and anxiety to understand how parents of babies under six months of age feel.

Photo: SXC/melbia

A new mom with a three month old child and two school age children probably summed it up best when she said, “I think it is very scary. I’m afraid to go outside.”
 
So what do new moms do to keep their babies safe?
* Screen friends. Ask the neighborhood kids if they feel sick before they come in to avoid the, “Oh, I don’t have Swine Flu. My brother does!” comments after you ask a child who has been playing with your kids for the last half hour if he is sick because of his sneezing fit. (True story, folks.)

* Don’t go to crowded locations. If you have to shop, head to the store at off peak hours.

* Have a hands off policy, especially with strangers who want to coo over your child.
* Institute a rule that your kids and everyone else in the house have to wash their hands as soon as they arrive home.

* Talk to your older children about sneezing or coughing into an elbow instead of into their hands.

* Discuss further precautions with your doctor and then decide what is best for your family. The CDC is currently recommending that anyone caring for or living with a child under six months of age should get an H1N1 flu vaccine.

This post was written by Katelyn Thomas, to view more of her stuff head on over to Katelyn’s page.