Should strangers hold the baby?

The article was consulted with Dr. Le Thu Phuong - Pediatrician - Neonatologist - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.

Whether to give your baby to a stranger or someone else to hold is a delicate question and issue faced by most parents. In some cases, parents may find themselves in an awkward situation and not know how to react. Here are some tips you can consider.

It's great to have family members and close friends visit you and your baby, especially if they're helping you adjust to life after the baby is born - a whole new phase in life is be a parent. But babies have an immune system that isn't fully developed yet, so they need you to protect them from germs as much as possible for the first two or three months of life.
After that time, your baby's immune response to infections will be stronger and you may not need to ask someone to wash your hands before holding your baby. Still, it's still a good idea to limit sick guests. Ask anyone who has a cough, cold or fever to visit the baby another time, when they are well.
In case the mother feels awkward when asking home visitors or even grandparents, relatives, friends to wash their hands before holding the baby. You can prepare a quick hand spray to ask guests to use before they hold or play with the baby. This is quite convenient and the mother also feels less awkward. Mothers should choose quick hand sanitizers that are safe for the skin and safe for children.

Remember that some babies have a habit of needing more solitude than others. For some babies, noise can cause them to become overstimulated. The timing for everyone to visit the baby shouldn't interrupt or interfere with the time for a mother to bond with, care for, and love her baby. You need to learn the cues of when to feed or when your baby is sleepy to make your baby more comfortable and less fussy.
If a guest comes to your home while the baby is sleeping, you can put the baby in the bedroom and talk to the guest in another room next door. This will help the baby have a quiet space to sleep and the mother can also comfortably talk to the guests. If the guest visits the house while the baby is awake, the mother can ask the guest to wash their hands or quickly disinfect their hands and then play with the baby. Quick hand sanitizer will evaporate very quickly, so you don't need to worry that this solution will harm the baby's skin.

Reference source: Babycenter.com