5 Day Old Baby, 3 Year Old Has a Cold and Wants to Touch - Help!

Love on that 3 year old little boy as much as possible, and your immunities to the virus will kick in and be passed to the baby. You of course will risk getting sick, but you will be protecting the baby. Also, formula won't take away immunities, it just doesn't have any. Anyway, that is what I did with all my kids, and they never got sick. Two of my boys were born in December, so I understand your fears. Nursing is a wonderful thing to keep them healthy!

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Congratulations! Formula isn't necessary to get rid of jaundice. I don't know why they tell women that. The way to get rid of jaundice is to poop out all the bilirubin and the quickest way to do that is to nurse alot which makes her poop alot. Anyway, I don't think it would damage her immunity but could affect your supply. My daughter caught a cold literally while I was in labor with my son and he never caught it. She was there for the delivery too. They were together from his first minutes and he was perfectly fine. You definitely don't want him to resent his new baby sister. Wash his and your hands often and teach him to sneeze into his elbow. Keep up the hard work!

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I think this is a perfect time for loving grandparents or aunts and uncles to keep your little guy busy with 'special jobs' that will help the baby. Of course he will be curious and want to see her, but you can just tell him that until the baby is a little bigger and stronger, only grownups can hold her right now. Don't make it about his cold, or he might feel bad. Just make the goal of the baby getting big enough for him to play with something you are all waiting for.

Have relatives do some special stuff with him, just for him, but also they can enlist his special help in getting things the baby needs, finding the right diapers or a new soft blanket and washing it, etc. That way he can feel involved without actually being too close to the baby. This is a time for a whole-family effort so you can just concentrate on the baby for a bit, but make your son feel special too- that's totally what Grandma and Grandpa are for! Congratulations and good luck!

I believe that your breastfeeding shares your immune system with your baby - its one of the advantages of your breastfeeding. Do make sure you contact your pediatrician if your baby has any health issues. Congratulations on having a new baby at home and the challenge of an older sibling. If you have any friends/relatives nearby that can help to spend extra time with your three year old (watch a favorite age appropriate movie together etc in a different room from where your baby is), this could help you too.

Hi J.,

I'm hoping the other mamas can help you with how to keep your son away from the baby. My only suggestion would be to tell him gently to keep away from her, and to be sure to spend some one-on-one time with him.

As for immunity, the supplementing with formula should not matter -- any amount of breastfeeding should do it. Best of luck getting through that first month!

R.

J.,
Congrats on your new baby and a loving big brother! Wipe his nose, wash his hands & let him meet his little sis. I'm pretty sure the baby will be okay as long as he's not kissing her on the mouth. When I had my little one the doc told me not to worry too much, our antibodies really do keep them strong - I doubt that topping her off will effect the immunities that come through your milk.

Enjoy this special time!
D.

Just use reasonable precautions with your three year old: washing hands/face and wiping nose. Monitor his interactions with the baby (like you would anyway). Don't worry - the chances of RSV are not that great. SO do what you can and decide early on you can't control everything. Congrats!

My 2nd son caught my 1st sons cold when he was 2 weeks old, and he was born a month early. So, he wasnt even supposed to be born yet and he already had a cold. I was really freaked out, but he got over it after about 2 weeks or so, and he was fine. He was just stuffy while he had it and i had to plunge his nose a lot, but it didnt get any worse. So, if your baby does get sick, just keep an eye on her. Its really hard to prevent it when they are in the same house and want to see the new baby. Good luck.

Formula won't do damage to immunities in breast milk, but there are risks in other ways with digestive problems and other medical issues later in life such as diabetes. Your baby doesn't need formula for jaundice. Topping her off will only serve to diminish your milk supply. Stop giving her formula. As for the cold, with exclusive bfing, she will most probably not get sick. Jaundice is normal and will disipate in a few days with normal breastfeeding. Be sure to expose baby to sunlight.
Congrats on the new baby.

J.,

I too have a newborn and two older children. Here's some advice:

1. Keep the baby in a pack n play, swing or crib - off the floor where "big brother" can climb on her.

2. Have everyone wash hands often - especially your son. if need be, buy some hand sanitizer (there's a new one that's lotion + hand sanitizer in one). Just make sure he rubs it all in and doesn't put it/wet hands in his mouth or touch food.

3. Let him kiss/touch toes - not face, hands or head.

4. What about getting your son his OWN "baby" to take care of? That worked miracles when I had a toddler and infant. The big sister was very busy being a mommy to her baby. I'd suggest a 'plastic bodied baby' NOT a stuffed animal or 'soft' doll. The plastic ones can be washed under the kitchen sink and dry out fast. Plus they can go in the tub, get lotion on them, etc. This really helped our "big sister" to understand "gentle" and that HER baby was HER responsibility, my baby was MY responsibility.

5. I know this is going to sound a bit goofy, but believe me, it works...tell the baby SHE has to wait, be patient, etc. when you are with your son and the baby fusses/cries. Making your son believe that HE is just as important as her is critical. Let him believe that the baby has to "wait her turn" for your attention too.

6. Finally, make it a BIG DEAL to be a big boy, so hopefully you don't have to deal with too much jealousy or regression. If Dad helps him to believe that being a BIG BOY who doesn't need bottles, diapers, etc. will go a long way to get him to ACT like a big boy for you. Especially if Daddy reminds him every morning to be "mommy's helper".

Seems like everyone else answered the "cold" and "jaundice" issues, so I'll just say I agree with them and leave my comments on the big brother stuff.

Let me know if you have other questions...I'm sure I've seen it all.

Sara

When I told my husband about your post, he jokingly asked me if I posted this and forgot I did. :) My 2.5 year old son got a virus from a friend of his and then passed it to my 2 week old daughter. She had such a high fever that they admitted her to the hospital for 3 days. It was awful! Then last week my son got croup and now my daughter is all stuffed up (she is now 6 weeks old). I don't think there is anything we can do, except what the other moms posted: good hand washing and try keeping your 3 year old from getting in your daughter's face as much as you can. That's what I did, and it still didn't work. Oh well. Also, my dauther is a breastfed girl with a one ounce formula supplement at bedtime. I don't think the formula is compromising their immunity, I just think they haven't been exposed to these illnesses before and are therefore more susceptible to them.
I was told by a nurse friend of mine that babies 3 weeks and younger couldn't get sick if they were breastfed--she was wrong. I asked the doctor and he said that babies this young usually DON'T get sick, but that it still is possible. He also said that they don't usually see a boost in a breastfed baby's immunity versus a formula fed baby's immunity until the baby is around 3 months old. I just wanted you to know that you are not alone and I hope your daughter did not get sick. Good luck this winter! :)