Your friend or someone in the family just had a baby and you’re really looking forward to meeting them. But before that, have a look through this guide to visiting a new mum and baby:

Call before you visit

Don’t just show up at the new mums house. Atleast call them and let them know you want to visit before showing up at their door step. On the other hand, wait for them to invite you over when they let you know they have had a baby. Maybe the new parents want to host one gathering for all their friends as a welcome for the baby.

Take a meal with you

If you’re going to meet the new mum and baby, maybe take some freshly cooked meal with you as a gesture. Don’t expect the new parents to serve you food when you arrive there, that’s the least they would want to do.

Take a gift with you

In case you can’t take a cooked meal with you, try and buy a nice gift for the baby such as a blanket or some clothes which can be useful for the new baby. Even something as small as flowers can be a good idea.

Don’t expect to be hosted

Don’t expect to be hosted with tea, cakes and all that stuff when you visit. The new parents would already be so tired with the arrival of the baby that they wouldn’t have time to host guests.

Don’t visit with a cough or flu

If you decide to visit, make sure you’re not ill and suffering from a cough or flu. You don’t want to give germs to the new arrival.

Help with chores

Help around while you’re at the new mums house with the dishes or other household chores. This can be encouraging and be a huge relief for the new mother. You can also chat alongside while helping with the chores.

Don’t overstay your welcome

You’re there just to meet the baby, so don’t overstay your welcome for hours at end. Stay for maximum one hour or so and let the new mum rest.

Wash/sanitize your hands before holding the baby

This is a really important point which most people forget. You should always wash/sanitize your hands before holding the baby. You never know how much bacteria you can pass.

Don’t kiss the baby

An extremely important thing to keep in mind is to never ever kiss the baby. Germs and bacteria travel really fast especially to new borns. This is because a new born has an under-developed immune system which can quickly take the form of meningitis- an inflammation of the tissue that covers the brain and spinal cord.

Refrain from giving unsolicited advice

Last but not the least, refrain from giving any sort of unsolicited advice on how to bring up the baby, which milk to give and so on.