Do you wash your hands before handling an infant?

Though I haven't been around such small children in years, I did wash my hands for some months after the child came home from the hospital...if it was someone elses. As for my own, not so often because often there just isn't time. If a baby is spitting up all over itself, it needs to be picked up then and there so as to prevent a much greater disaster than unwashed hands.

of course! sometimes infants get irritated skin so easily just by touching them when your hands are dirty and sometimes when a man kissed her with his beard unshaved infants do get skin irritation

Yes and also after changing a child.

I never have with my own babies. I mean, I'd wash my hands like normal and pick the baby up whenever I needed to with some common sense...obviously if I had just sneezed I'd wash my hands first. If it was someone else's baby I would if they asked me too but I don't see where it's really that big of a deal. It's not like I'll be sticking my fingers in the baby's mouth and up it's nose. And they probably will get more of my germs from me breathing on them than from what little my hands would actually come in contact with them.

If i'm holding someones baby i sanitize my hands if it's a newborn. But with my own kids that depended on what i was doing before picking them up. If i have a cold or i'm sick i dont like to come near to a baby.

Not my own no its not like ive been digging in the dirt! Other peoples I will if they ask but they never have my partners mother always moaned I should be washing my hands like every time I picjed my children up, come on id have spent more time washing my hands than holding my children, germs are part of life as long as you arent really filty and wash your hands after you go to the toilet no baby will come to any harm lol!

Well I tend not to wash my hands everytime unless asked to or I have been sick.

Why on earth would anyone wash their hands before touching a baby?! I think this mania about cleanliness and phobia about germs is very harmful. If the baby isn't exposed to everyday germs it will never develop any immunities and will become very sick.

I think one should wash the hands before handling a baby.Not only hands but we should keep ourselves clean and also the home environment.Keeping ourselves clean is important so that we don't pass on any skin infections or allergies to the baby.