My daughter was born at 25 weeks on april 30 2012 she is still very small (only 10 lbs) & she is almost 8 months old. how do i politely tell people that i dont like people touching her especially since its RSV season :(
I wouldn't worry about being polite. I would just say please don't touch her it is critical she not be introduced to any germs because she is too small to fight them off. (My sister used the mosquito netting for the stroller even when she went to the mall in the winter to keep people/strangers from touching her baby.).
Like others have said, wear her if you can, get a cover for the car seat or stroller. As a last resort print a picture of her from the NICU and underneath put "This is me when I was born, please do not touch me. Your germs are too big for me". You might consider quarantine this winter, keeping her at home and not taking her out unless its to a doctor appointment. It's worse on the adults than it is the kids but then she would be less likely to get sick. Both of my preemies came home right at the start of winter/flu/rsv season so I know how this can be very scary. I was amazed about how many people actually thought it was ok to touch a strangers baby. I guess if you aren't a preemie mom this isn't something you think about.
Could you put her in a carrier on your chest when ever your out. That will keep people out of her space and yours.
If not, I wouldn't hesitate to say something along the lines of "Oh, I don't mean to be rude, but she is predisposed to infection, so please don't touch her."
Wearing her when you go out will do two things - make it much harder for people to touch her, and help her stay calm and grow strong. Babies thrive on touch, and feeling your warmth/your smell and hearing your heartbeat is a comfort to her.
You could make a cute sign for her car seat "Please i'm a baby my mama says don't touch me"
Tell them not to touch don't worry about being poilite
Use a baby carseat canopy.com to keep her covered they are nice and roomy they go over the handles and you can cover all or part of her body
Who cares how anyone reacts - if someone goes in for a touch, just say oh please no touching, she was/is a preemie and we try to keep her germ free. You can blame the doctor, too!
If you're polite, it will be fine. And if it's not, don't care - you need to protect your baby's health.
I had a preemie too during the Winter. I just stayed extra close to the baby whenever young children were around to politely block their hands from touching her. With adults, I always asked friends and family if they were sick before attending events or playdates and would cancel if anyone was. For any other situation, I just explained she had a compromised immune system since she was born so early and I had to be extra careful about exposing her to any germs. After the first year, her immune system got a lot better and it wasn't as big of a deal when she got sick. Good luck!
My preemie wasn't as early as yours but he was born in Dec. so flu season was epidemic that year. We just took him places and he did fine. I wouldn't hesitate to tell people that since your baby was early and is so small not to touch and to wash hands, etc. You can say that nicely but firmly.
I have seen little signs or stickers that can go on car seats that say something like please stop im a preemie! if you are just holding her just tell them dont be scared of offending someone its your job to protect her :)
Try using a moby wrap/sleep wrap. They are a great way to carry your baby, your baby will love it, AND it keeps the baby very close to you - close enough that people won't be comfortable touching her.
It does have a little bit of a learning curve to get used to using it, so practice at home first. Once I got the hang of it, I would put the wrap on at home under my jacket to drive, and then pop my son into it in the parking lot at the store. My son loved it, and so did I because I had 2 hands and an empty cart for shopping.
I have found that wearing the baby in a Moby or Ergo is the only way to keep people away from them.
A friend of mine has this on her stroller and carseat, it's worth a try...
People as in family and friends at your home or the general public whenever you take her out??
At home, keep hand sanitizer everywhere. Let your visitors know your baby is at increased risk for a serious infection, so you want to be very careful this winter. Ask them to postpone their visit in case they have a cold, tell them you are sorry, but it could be very serious for the baby if it's RSV , hence you are being overly cautious.
As for outside and strangers, I would say AVOID taking her out this winter as much as possible. RSV can spread not only by touching, the virus is in the air when people sneeze or cough. So don't take her to crowded enclosed spaces like the mall etc. When you really have to, cover her carseat with a blanket. Or wear her in a sling but keep her face kinda covered as well with a hat or thin blanket. Tell people she is sleeping if they ask to see her face.
Dont worry of offending someone. You really dont have to worry about being too polite. If people dont get it, it's their problem. You only worry about your baby, its your responsibility to keep her healthy. She has already been through a lot , so whatever extent you go to , to keep her healthy is all acceptable.
politeness shouldn't even be a worry. honestly I think that it's just because people don't think before they act and it's not exactly like many people have had a micro preemie experience. Just saying- "don't touch her please it's RSV season" and being super blunt is probably the best route. Good luck :) and just on a side note, those that do get offended- don't matter, the safety of your daughter is the more important thing! :)
