Keeping your baby safe: what to remember this Thanksgiving season

GOLDEN TRIANGLE, Miss. (WCBI) – The holiday season is here and for many of us, that means family get-togethers.

Sometimes that newest addition to the family is more popular than the turkey and dressing.

Parents of young children also need to make sure there is a good helping of safety on the holiday menu.

For those who have small children, there are a few things you may want to think about before letting others hold your baby.

Le Leche League leader Christina Chunn gave tips on how to keep your baby safe.

“There’s a lot of new people during the holidays that baby is being exposed to and Of course, they want to hold the baby. They want to see the baby. I would encourage other family members just to be cautious if illnesses are going around. Babies are easily overstimulated but also we don’t want to kiss babies that are not ours because it is really easy for them to become ill, ” said Chunn.

Chunn said it’s also likely that a baby’s feeding schedule will be interrupted during this busy season.

For the moms who nurse, it can prevent the baby from getting certain important antibodies.

It can also cause the mom discomfort.

“It’s really important that babies stick to their feeding schedules because if mom is breastfeeding that helps to regulate her milk supply. You have to remove milk to make milk,” said Chunn.

Letting several different people hold your baby can also cause them to get overstimulated.

Chunn said it is always important to remember that you are your baby’s advocate, and it’s okay to say that baby needs a break.

“A lot of babies get very overwhelmed getting passed around. Especially to people, who don’t know during the holidays and can be overwhelmed and so we want to encourage moms to not be afraid to advocate for their baby and say ‘you know what? they’re overwhelmed. I’m just going to keep them right now’, ” said Chunn.

While many people are still going to hold their littlest loved ones, Dr. Keith Watson said to remember that some babies may be too young to get certain vaccines.

That means some babies don’t have the necessary defenses against different illnesses.

“Routine vaccinations start at two months, four months, and then six months. So that is your first series of vaccinations so babies don’t have the full complement of their first vaccines until six months. Some other vaccines you can’t get until you’re a year of age or even older,” said Watson.

It’s important to remember that if you even think you may be sick, hard as it may be, you should admire the baby from a safe distance.

If you just have to kiss the baby try to stay away from areas like the eyes and mouth and opt for the top of the head.

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