When can I take my new baby out in public? I’m afraid she’ll catch a cold—but I need to run errands. What should I do?

There is really no reason why you can't. In some cultures the new mother and baby must go through a 41-day confinement period, but there is no medical reason to not go out. However, be careful of a few things: - Do not take your baby out for too long (as you mentioned, there maybe chances of the baby catching an infection). - Do not spend too much time (more than 1 hour) in close quarters or with too much crowd. - Make sure that whoever touches the baby must sanitise their hands. - If you are taking your baby out and it crosses the napping or feeding time, prepare an emergency baby kit and stack it with diapers, baby wipes, feeding supplies, breast pump and extra clothes. - Dress your baby according to the weather you expect to encounter outside the house. - Protect your baby from the sun's heat and light. Carry a stroller, if needed.

I don't see why not? It's pretty common nowadays to see newborns outside homes for vacinnations, jaundice check ups, etc. Just have to ensure that baby is sufficiently dressed. The rule of thumb is that baby should be dressed "one more layer" than you are, esp if they are in strollers. Also, don't forget to occasionally check on baby's temperature and see if baby is hot or cold, bearing in mind that this is SG (hot outside, cold inside)

When you go home from the hospital, your baby is already out in public. My girl's first outing was on Day 4, when she had to go to the polyclinic for a check-up. Newborns don't have very developed immune systems, but they aren't that weak. I actually didn't take any special precaution, but I did swaddle her up. Maintain proper hygiene to minimise risk of infection.

thanks