Wee Baby Stuff

Believe it or not, no one school of thought reigns supreme on the subject of the right time for baby's first public outing. Because of the divergence of opinions you may encounter from your mother-in-law, well-meaning neighbor, husband and even your pediatrician, you might want to get your policy in place before you're up against a family party at two weeks post-partum.  Each parent needs to discuss this with their baby's pediatrician to determine what you're comfortable with. Going out for a nice walk in a stroller all bundled up isn't the same as taking the baby to a restaurant where there is a concentration of who knows what.  The debate may go on forever, but one benchmark is that at two months the baby starts developing his/her own antibodies.  It should be noted, though, that won't protect your baby against everything she may encounter in the nursery at the gym.  Your doctor will advise you, but be sure to use your own good judgement for protecting, not overprotecting, your baby.  To get a feel for the different opinions you'll encounter about babies, take a look at Urban Baby and when a newborn should make his/her first real public appearance.

• newborns
• public
• antibodies
• opinions