First Hellos: Introducing Your New Baby

When it comes time to welcome your baby home, you’re sure to have a long list of friends and family members eager to meet your new addition. First hellos can be fun, but they can also be stressful for a new mom who is deprived of sleep and still trying to figure out the parenting ropes. The trick: Keep the meet and greet as simple as possible.

One plan is to invite your friends and family over for an open house. Set up a guestbook station, complete with pens and note cards on which your guests can scribble a personal note to you and your baby -- these cards can be a wonderful addition to a scrapbook later on. You can also serve light snacks or sandwiches, but don’t feel pressured to impress your guests with anything more than that.  

If you have a line of guests outside your front door to welcome your baby home, you’ll probably wonder if it’s a good idea to let everyone near your newborn. But if you’re careful, you should be fine. Just make hand-washing a must before anyone can hold your baby -- you could even put a gentle reminder on your front door. Feel free to ask visitors to stay away from your child if they have the sniffles or are sick.

While people will be clamoring to meet your new baby, if you feel overwhelmed or exhausted -- or you simply want to have your baby all to yourself for a while (fair enough!) -- don’t feel guilty turning down requests for a meet and greet. You’ll have plenty of time in the future for first hellos, so do introductions at a pace that’s best for both you and your little one.