hi im thinking of bring my 3 month old son to the dr ..he would only of had his second lot of jabs including meningitis and his bcg wouldering if anybody else had done the same and or what advice you can give thanx. ps we will be staying in an apartment and visiting family.
- Thread starter chella
- Start date
bringing a 3 month old to DR
chella said:
I brought my daughter down when she was an infant (4mo) and we stayed for 2 months. Everything went well (thank god) and i was just as worried as you are. She hadnt had that many of shots yet, and we werent staying in the best of areas, but she was so young, she stayed with me and was only in contact with our family....now in the other hand, i brought her back down this year, she was 15 mo and at the walking age, wanted to be outside, all the little kids would touch her, kiss her, etc...not a good idea....it was almost impossible to keep a 15 mo old in the cramped house with all the little kids running around outside...needless to say, she got impatigo and i ended up coming home earlier than planned....so, basicaly my advice to you is that if you are only stay a short time (a few weeks-mo), and he is not in contact with neighbors, little kids, randoms, (people who don't always wash their hands) then you should be fine. There is water you can buy specifically for babies. If he were older, like 1yr, i would tell you to be careful, bc that impatigo was AWFUL!! Alot depends on your living situation and who he will be in contact with. Good luck
chella said:
I would be more concerned with a germy cabin, but that's just me
aranoid: Honestly, I think he should be okay. The only thing that I would be a bit worry about would be pertussis since at three months he is not fully protected from the first round of the vaccine. My own 8 month old is not fully protected from the DTaP vaccine because we chose a delayed vaccination schedule this time around. Instead of starting at two months, we started at 4. Since we are still in flu season, pertussis does scare me a bit.That said, just take normal precautions. If you breastfeed, then he will continue to receive the antibodies that will allow him to fight off possible diseases. And of course, an added benefit of lactation is not dealing with water to mix formula. If you bottle feed, then just make sure to use purified water. I wouldn't bother to buy the so called baby water you see at places like Target or Babies R Us (I am assuming you are in the US).
Dominicans, as you know, go crazy over babies. I swear, I have yet to meet another group of people who go more nuts over a baby than Dominicans. Yes, they will be all over your son, so I have just one word for you: Purell.
Take lots and lots of it when you go down and offer it to people indiscriminately! The fact of the matter is that people just don't wash their hands long enough to kill bacteria.
Another advice is to use the little mittens sold at baby stores to protect your son's hands. It never ceases to amaze me how many people will touch a baby's hands - incredible! Gerber (the baby food company) makes very thin versions of baby mittens which would be ideal to wear in DR's climate.
Did I mention to take Purell, lots, lots of it?
aranoid:Oh I just thought of another advice. When I was in the DR with my baby, I kept him close to me in a carrier called a sling when we wre out and about. This was a life saver for me as we did not take a stroller with us the last time. Also, with a sling you can keep his little hands all tucked in when you don't want people to touch them. I have a couple of these and people in the DR were very curious about them.
http://www.hotslings.com/catalog.php
http://www.hotslings.com/catalog.php
thanx for the replys
thanx girls for the replys i took our first son when he was 6 months but im still really nervous...i dont think they get the flu shot here in the uk although i think its coming in soon.i bf for 6 weeks but im now ff do i just buy the bottled water what they use there? i did with my last son
ive never heard of purell is it anti bacterial wipes??
them slings look fab i could do with one for round the house but with him being 14lb 5oz at ten weeks not sure my back could cope with the sumo lol
thanx girls for the replys i took our first son when he was 6 months but im still really nervous...i dont think they get the flu shot here in the uk although i think its coming in soon.i bf for 6 weeks but im now ff do i just buy the bottled water what they use there? i did with my last son
ive never heard of purell is it anti bacterial wipes??
them slings look fab i could do with one for round the house but with him being 14lb 5oz at ten weeks not sure my back could cope with the sumo lol
chella said:thanx girls for the replys i took our first son when he was 6 months but im still really nervous...i dont think they get the flu shot here in the uk although i think its coming in soon.i bf for 6 weeks but im now ff do i just buy the bottled water what they use there? i did with my last son
ive never heard of purell is it anti bacterial wipes??
them slings look fab i could do with one for round the house but with him being 14lb 5oz at ten weeks not sure my back could cope with the sumo lol
I am not sure what water especially for babies is available in the DR, but I have indeed seen it here in the US. When I asked my son's pediatrician whether I needed special water for my baby, he looked at me and said, "Now, I know you know better than to waste your money on such things" :cheeky: Needless to say, I have never bought it. Honestly, I think you are going to be just fine with purified water though.
Oh, and my apologies, I thought you were in the US. Yes, Purell is an ethyl alcohol based hand sanitizer. It's a liquidy gel you use without water. From what I understand, it works better than wipes. I am sure you have an equivalent product in the UK.
Yes, your son is too little to get the flu shot. In the US, babies are given flu shots at six months and older. I debated whether to give the flu shot to my boys and in the end decided to only give it to my three year old. And, I requested our pediatrician to get the mercury free version for my son. OK, I am rambling now...have a great time in the DR. Your baby will be just fine.