It's from a website called MyTinyHands and I am SO wishing we had this little sign when we first brought Chase home from the hospital after his surgeries! Granted, the boy was confined in our home "bubble" for the first 6 months of his life, but when we started taking him out, it would've been nice to have a sign like this so we wouldn't have to keep asking people NOT to touch our son.
Unfortunately now that he's out of his carrier, we don't have the option of carrying around a sign with us. But it's still as important as ever to keep him safe from germs, especially now that cold/flu/RSV season is here. I thought about making my own onesie or bib with a similar sign/saying on it, but haven't quite gotten around to that. It sucks, though, because Every. Single. Sunday. Morning. at church, there are a handful of people who inevitably want to greet us and go straight for Chase's hands. I for one am VERY excited and blessed to be able to show my son off to our church friends and family, but it's getting SO tiring whipping out the Purell or wipes to clean off his hands after he's been "attacked." ;)
Honestly, people don't seem to realize how germs are transmitted from one person to another. People don't think, "Hey, I've been standing in the foyer, welcoming each and every person who has come in for church for the last 20 minutes by shaking their hands, so maybe I shouldn't touch that little baby with the special heart, or maybe I should wash my hands first..." I hate having to be "that mom" when it comes to this issue, but my baby's health and safety is my NUMBER ONE priority. It definitely isn't easy asking people not to touch Chase, since it's such an accepted practice (for what reason I'll never know -- almost as bad as touching a pregnant woman's belly). I do NOT like to hurt people's feelings, especially when they're just trying to be nice and get a good look at our little miracle boy. But really, what may be a simple cold or irritating flu to heart healthy people, could potentially result in a hospital stay for my son. It's that simple.
I didn't intend to write a post about keeping your hands off my baby (unless you're willing to Purell or wash your hands first), but I guess that's what this has turned into. I guess I'll leave you with a few quotes I found on the MyTinyHands website. Maybe after reading these quotes, you'll understand why keeping dirty hands off little babies is so important and should be obvious!
AND... thanks for letting me vent! :)"The biggest danger to babies is other people's hands."
—Ken Haller, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics at Saint Louis University School of Medicine
"Since people who don't know they're sick can also spread germs, it's completely appropriate—and not rude—to make everyone wash their hands before touching [your] baby."
—David Geller, M.D., Children's Hospital Boston
"When babies are born, their immune system is not mature, making them susceptible to any germ they come in contact with."
—Bryan Sibley, M.D., Beacon Children’s Specialty Hospital, TX
"It's not a problem to have close friends and family hold your newborn, as long as they wash their hands first and avoid coughing or sneezing near him."
—Lane France, M.D., Pediatric Health Care Alliance, FL
"Washing hands is the simplest, most effective thing you can do to reduce the spread of colds, flu, diarrhea, and sometimes even serious or life-threatening diseases."
—American Society for MicroBiology
"Eighty percent of infectious illnesses are spread by touch—by coming into contact with contaminated people or objects."
—Philip Tierno Jr., Ph.D., director of clinical microbiology and diagnostic immunology at New York University Medical Center and Mount Sinai Medical Center
I hear you mama...I am now struggling here at work with co-workers that feel it's best to come to work sick. I don't mean a sneeze or two...they are full blown coughing, sneezing, tissues all over the place SICK! I am thinking of putting a sign on my office door that asks everyone to Purell before they walk in and touch anything of mine. Perhaps I will take some time to make a shirt or something for me to wear at work that says "If you're sick - Go HOME!" :)
ReplyDeleteYep... loved your post. Right there with you! Linked to your BLOG on this one.
ReplyDeleteI don't think your post is out of line at all. You know you could have an annoucement made at church asking people to either keep their distance from Chase, especially during flu/cold season or ask them to wash their hands first. I know last fall & winter the elders at our church made an annoucement asking the members to stay home if they were sick so they wouldn't spread any sick germs. Plus one of our elders had a newborn granddaughter but I was thankful for the annoucement since our little one wasn't well yet.
ReplyDeleteWe got one of those signs during Maddie's first year of Synagis from the company- it was in a packet of information on Synagis and it worked great to put on her carseat carrier. Maybe check with your nurse or doctor's office....ours looked exactly like that but was red!
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