Reducing the Risk of Infection at Home

Reducing The Risk of Infection

As we have been considering how we can accomodate parents and their premature babies when they bring them home from hospital. I found this information on the Tommys website to help inform new parents of the poissable risks they may face and how things that we may not consider a risk can be to premature babies.

These are some tips on how to avoid premature babies getting infections :-

Wash your hands with soap and water after changing nappies, preparing food or going to the toilet. You should also wash your hands often if you have a cold.

Ask visitors to wash their hands when they enter your home.

Try to restrict the number of other people who hold your baby in the early months, as far as possible.

In the early weeks, keep your baby away from overcrowded areas, such as shops and restaurants.

Try to visit public spaces such as GP surgeries or baby clinics at quiet times when your baby will come into contact with fewer people.

Try to avoid situations with lots of young children, such as playgroups or schools.

If you have pets, try to keep them away from your baby during the first few weeks.

At times you will have to balance practicality with the ideal situation. These tips sound straightforward, but everyone's situation is different. For example, if you have older children, it is harder to avoid playgroups or schools. If you have lots of pets, it may be difficult to prevent them from having any contact at all with your baby. Talk to the healthcare team about how far you need to go to protect your baby from infection.
As your baby gets stronger, you will need to worry about infection less.

http://www.tommys.org/page.aspx?pid=1027