# Visitors and the first weeks

**When should we allow visitors after the baby is born?**

Who comes to see the baby in the first weeks and on what terms, from an open door to no visitors for a set period, and any ground rules such as hand-washing.

In short: Parents choose between 4 main approaches: Open door from day one; Short scheduled visits; Helpers only; No visitors for a set period; plus conditions (vaccinated, hand-washing, no kissing). Evidence: your call. No outcome evidence picks a winner. Preference, culture, money and logistics decide. Best settled: during pregnancy.

- Area: Pregnancy, birth and arrival
- Evidence: Your call
- Best settled: During pregnancy
- First published: 2026-10-03
- Last updated: 2026-10-05
- Page: https://www.raisingyourchild.com/topics/pregnancy-birth-and-arrival--visitors-and-the-first-weeks

## Visitors and the first weeks: what are the options?

1. **Open door from day one**: Family and friends can visit freely from the start.
2. **Short scheduled visits**: Visits are brief and arranged in advance.
3. **Helpers only**: Only people who come to help, with meals or chores, are welcome early on.
4. **No visitors for a set period; plus conditions (vaccinated, hand-washing, no kissing)**: You see no one for an agreed period, and set rules such as vaccines, hand-washing and no kissing the baby.

## Visitors and the first weeks: what does the evidence say?

**Your call.** No outcome evidence picks a winner. Preference, culture, money and logistics decide.

No outcome sources; therapist-written lists advise telling family the rules in advance

Sources:

- [Happiest Baby](https://www.happiestbaby.com/blogs/pregnancy/conversations-before-baby)

## What else is worth knowing?

The first weeks involve recovery, feeding and little sleep, and visitors can be a help or a strain. Newborns are also more vulnerable to infection. Agreeing your rules in advance, and who will communicate them, spares you awkward moments later.

## Questions to ask each other

- Who do we want around in the first weeks and who should wait?
- What ground rules do we need, like handwashing or keeping visits short?
- How do we say no kindly, and who will do the telling?

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General information, not medical advice. Two parents can each answer this and compare: https://www.raisingyourchild.com/explore?cat=pregnancy-birth-and-arrival&topic=pregnancy-birth-and-arrival--visitors-and-the-first-weeks