Newborns are precious little angels that you just can’t help but touch and cradle, but before you do so, it’s important that you equip yourself with these tiny bits of information.
Newborns may be adorable, but they’re defenseless against germs and bacteria that you may be carrying. Men’s Health wants you to know these five things.
1. Get the Tdap vaccine
The Tdap vaccine is in many ways an updated version of the tetanus shot. In addition to tetanus and diphtheria, Tdap protects against pertussis, the disease that triggers whooping cough and is most severe in infants, says Marietta Vazquez, M.D., an associate professor of pediatric infectious diseases at Yale School of Medicine.
Babies’ lungs are tiny, which renders them incapable of effectively coping with the inflammation and mucus caused by whooping cough.
According to Mary Healy, M.D., director of Vaccinology and Maternal Immunization at the Center for Vaccine Awareness and Research at Texas Children’s Hospital, adults should get their shot at least 2 weeks before they meet the baby; it gives their immune system enough time to fully respond to the virus.
2. Sign up for a flu shot
Babies can’t get a flu shot until they’re six months old, and would need two doses spaced a month apart to be protected from the virus. Getting a flu shot will prevent it from being transferred to an infant.
“One out of every two infants who develop influenza will end up in the hospital,” says Dr. Vazquez.
3. Ask your doctor to review your vaccine record
You may be behind on your other shots, so it may be time to catch up—particularly the varicella vaccine if you haven’t had chicken pox.
“Babies can’t get the shot until they’re a year old,” said the men’s Health article. “One study by the CDC showed that from 1995—when varicella vaccination became widespread—to 2008, varicella infections among infants decreased by about 90 percent.”
4. Wash your hands
This may sound simple, but it can literally save lives of infants. The simple act washing your hands can get rid of bugs that shots can’t, like the common cold and gastrointestinal viruses.
According to CDC, make sure that when you’re washing your hands you are rubbing between your fingers, on the backs of your hands, and under your fingernails.
5. Stay home if you’re sick
If you’re feeling under the weather, it’s best that you don’t get in contact with newborns at all.
Steer clear until all symptoms, especially coughing or fever, have completely resolved, says Dr. Vazquez. The parents won’t be upset you canceled—they’ll thank you.
READ: “Don’t kiss my newborn baby on the mouth”
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