The short answer is yes! While most healthy newborns are quite fine being handled by healthy people, they are more susceptible to bacteria and viruses. That’s because your baby’s immune system has not had time to develop yet, and any minor infection could pose a serious risk to your child’s health.
If anyone you know is obviously sick or even experiencing mild cold symptoms, it’s best not to let them handle your newborn or even get too close. For everyone else, it’s important to remember that they don’t have to look sick to be carrying a germ, and that they might have had contact with any number of people or items that are carrying bacteria and viruses too.
Bacteria and viruses don’t have to be in your body to be contagious, so it’s better to be safe and have everyone who touches your child wash their hands first than to have your child pick up a potentially dangerous (or life threatening) illness.
