A germ-fighting champion is what you need to defend your baby. Since a newborn has very little resistance to germs, he needs better protection. A contagious disease spreads through touch. And a person who has it can spread it to your baby through touch as the germs remain active on their hands. More than 80 percent of germs are transmitted by touch. Ask anyone who wants to hold your baby to first wash hands for twenty seconds. To help prevent germs from spreading to your baby, make sure everyone washes hands before holding the infant. Be categorically forthright about this instruction.

Wash hands with a good handwash. Pay attention to fingernails and areas that look filthy. Do not touch anything while washing your hands. Rinse hands and wrists and dry them with a clean towel. Use the towel to turn off the tap instead of touching it with clean hands. Members of the family including children should not visit the newborn if they have an infection such as fever, runny nose or chicken pox. Teach kids the proper way to wash hands before touching the baby.

Never let anyone with a fever visit, hold, or touch your newborn. Visitors should avoid contact if they have an infection or if they have been in touch with an infected person. Defending your baby's health is more important than defending your guest's feelings.

You should be careful when pets are around your newborn. Do not leave your baby alone with pets. Pets may scare your baby or see him as competition for your affection. Besides, animals are likely to touch the body or even lick the face. It is unhealthy for the baby.

Wash or wipe down car seats, swings, strollers, diaper bags or anything that comes in contact with other people. Avoid large crowds with your baby in the initial months. That's because newborns can easily pick up a bug when exposed to large numbers of people in a confined space such as a mall. Keep the baby away from crowded places – especially those with lots of kids like parks – for the first four to six weeks.

Exposure to more people puts the newborn at a higher risk of coming in contact with a sick person. Infections on their skin, the lining of their mouth and nose turn serious and cause serious illnesses.

Make every person wear clean clothes. Put a sign on your front door telling visitors to immediately wash their hands. Be careful about hugging people. There is a strong possibility of germ transfer. Wash your hands frequently and make sure every member or visitor does so. A good handwash is what is recommended. To remove germs, you have to vigorously rub and scrub them off. If you go out with your child, make sure you wash your hands properly and be careful about the surfaces you touch. It can be stressful if your baby gets sick and you can't get to your trusted doctor. Save yourself this problem and stay close to home.

Wash baby clothes separately from undergarments of adults as they contain contaminants that could wind up on your baby's sensitive skin. Do the laundry separately. Kill bacteria hidden in the machine.

If bottles are brand-new, boil them before their first use. After that, wash them in the dishwasher or in warm water. It is best to boil it or even to use bottled water.

Keep in mind that you do not have to live in a germ-free world – but for the first four months, you have to spread a cocoon of protection. A handwash is a safe bet to minimise the attack of germs.