Common Questions About Newborns

Q: We want to take our baby girl to a party but she is only 2 weeks old. Is this OK?


A: The immune system of a newborn is immature and the more people she is exposed to the greater the likelihood she may catch something which could cause her to become quite sick. For this reason, I don't think it's worth exposing your 2-week-old to people at a party. Furthermore, I always stress being very careful regarding hand hygiene and potential exposure to germs for the first 60-90 days of life, when pediatricians consider a fever a sign of an infection that may be serious. Hand washing is the best way to prevent introducing illness-causing germs to your newborn, and proper cleaning of your hands involves rubbing them together for 15 seconds (or three rounds of “Row Row Row Your Boat”) with good old soap and water, or the use of an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.