Protecting your baby

Everything is in place, perfectly clean and in order, and then a beautiful, wailing, soiling baby arrives! The reason we have to be cautious around babies and young children is that they’re more susceptible to infections because their immune system isn’t fully developed. And germs can spread from babies to the rest of your family, too.

Since the beginning of time, germs have surrounded us – and today are no different despite all our modern conveniences. Germs exist on our bodies and clothes, in our water, air, food and soil, and virtually every surface we come into contact with. Whilst that sounds frightening, the majority of these germs will do us absolutely no harm. But when they are in the wrong place, at the wrong time, germs can cause serious illness. But that doesn’t mean living in a bubble!

First focus on these areas in your home:

• Toys, playpens, high chair and cots.
• Food preparation surfaces – Care must be taken to ensure these surfaces are clean when preparing your baby’s meals.
• Laundry – Baby’s clothing and cot linens, especially if they’ve come in contact with faeces or vomit, should be washed to at least 60 degrees Celsius. If the manufacture’s guidelines require a lower water temperature, consider adding a laundry disinfectant in order to ensure that all the germs are killed.
• The nursery – Pay close attention area to the nappy-changing area and ensure that this area is cleaned and disinfected immediately after use.
• Floors and furnishings – Particularly once your baby becomes more mobile and begins to explore your home.

Once this is taken care of, you need to take special care in the cleaning and sterilising anything that goes into your baby’s mouth, including feeding bottles and teats, pacifiers, teething aids and any other feeding equipment. Always wash your hands before handling these items. Make certain that your bottlebrush is clean, take bottles apart before cleaning and disinfecting and, when sterilising, follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Remember to use cooled boiled water to rinse off any solution.

That’s the home taken care of, but what about keeping your baby clean and healthy? Here are five key considerations.

1. Because your baby’s skin is delicate and quite vulnerable, it’s important to keep skin clean and dry, always making sure to change nappies as soon as they become wet or soiled.

2. When bathing your baby or cleaning during a nappy change, if the baby is less than one month old, use only clean warm water to wash baby’s skin. Babies older than a month can be washed using a mild baby soap and warm water – never hot. Always make sure to dry your baby’s skin thoroughly before putting on a new nappy.

3. Pay particular attention when changing nappies as germs can spread that can harm both of you. Once you’ve finished the nappy change, you should properly dispose of the dirty nappy, using a nappy bag and then place it in a separate plastic rubbish bag. If you’re using re-usable nappies, place the soiled nappy in a nappy bucket that contains an appropriate disinfectant.

4. Remember to clean contaminated surfaces with a detergent solution followed by a disinfectant, and then dry the area.

5. Don’t forget that breastfeeding has been proven to help improve children’s immunity.