Yes, newborns can get COVID-19, and the youngest babies face higher hospitalization risk than older children.
Parents want clear, calm guidance. This guide explains how infection happens in the first weeks, what symptoms look like, when to call the doctor, and how to lower risk at home and during visits. You’ll also see what leading health agencies and peer-reviewed studies say about protection for babies who are too young for vaccines.
Are Infants At Risk From COVID-19? What Doctors See
Hospital data from the United States show that babies under six months have the highest pediatric rates of COVID-19–associated hospitalizations in recent seasons. These babies are smaller, have developing airways, and can struggle with fever or dehydration faster than older kids. Prematurity, lung or heart disease, and weak immune defenses raise the chance of serious illness.
How Infection Reaches A Newborn
Most babies get infected after birth from a caregiver who is sick or contagious. Transmission during pregnancy or delivery appears uncommon, based on reviews that track confirmed maternal-to-baby cases. Home spread looks a lot like other respiratory viruses: close contact, shared air in tight rooms, and contaminated hands meeting a baby’s face.
Early Snapshot: Risks And Practical Moves
The matrix below gives quick context for common scenarios and the plain-English step that helps most in each case.
| Factor | What It Means For A Baby | Practical Step |
|---|---|---|
| Household case | Highest exposure comes from close contact with a contagious parent or sibling. | Mask when near the baby while sick, wash hands, and improve room airflow. |
| Age under 6 months | Highest pediatric hospitalization rates sit in this group. | Keep circles small during surges; screen visitors for symptoms. |
| Prematurity | Immature lungs and feeding challenges raise risk from fevers and breathing trouble. | Lower exposure, monitor feeds and diapers, call early for breathing changes. |
| Heart/lung disease | Baseline conditions can tip mild illness toward complications. | Have rescue plans ready; ask the pediatrician about early treatment eligibility. |
| Maternal vaccination | Antibodies from pregnancy can lower a young baby’s risk of symptomatic infection and hospital care. | Parents who are pregnant can stay up to date to pass some protection to the newborn. |
| Feeding method | Breast milk carries antibodies; milk itself hasn’t shown viable infectious virus in studies. | Continue breastfeeding with hygiene steps if the lactating parent is sick. |
| Home ventilation | Stale air raises exposure in shared rooms. | Crack windows when safe, use HVAC fan, add a HEPA purifier near shared spaces. |
How Sick Can A Newborn Get?
Many newborns with SARS-CoV-2 have mild symptoms or none at all. Some need hospital care for breathing support, hydration, or monitoring. The chance of severe disease is higher when a baby is very small, born early, or has medical issues. Doctors look closely at breathing rate, color, feeding stamina, wet diapers, and temperature swings.
Symptoms Worth Watching
- Fast or labored breathing, chest retractions, grunting, blue or pale lips.
- Poor feeding, fewer wet diapers, or unusual sleepiness.
- Fever in a baby under 12 weeks (rectal temperature ≥38°C / 100.4°F).
- New rash with fever, swelling, red eyes, belly pain, or vomiting (rare inflammatory syndromes need urgent care).
When To Call Or Go In
Call the pediatrician right away for breathing trouble, feeding refusal across several feeds, fewer than the usual wet diapers, or any fever in the first three months. Seek emergency care for blue color, pauses in breathing, limpness, or signs of dehydration that do not improve quickly.
How Babies Catch The Virus At Home
Postnatal spread dominates. A contagious caregiver cuddles, feeds, or talks close to the baby’s face. Tiny rooms with stale air add risk. Good hand hygiene, masking during illness, and better airflow cut that risk. Vertical transmission from mother to baby can happen, but studies suggest it is uncommon and tied to specific timing and maternal illness factors.
Rooming-In And Breastfeeding
Most hospitals now keep well newborns with their mothers using routine precautions. Direct feeding is encouraged with hand cleaning and a mask if the lactating parent is sick. Pumping with clean technique is an option when direct latching is tough. When donor milk is used, standard pasteurization inactivates the virus.
Protection Path: What Parents Can Do
Babies under six months are not eligible for COVID-19 shots. Risk reduction comes from layers around the baby. The steps here keep comfort high while trimming exposure windows.
Layered Steps That Make A Difference
- Stay home when sick. If a caregiver tests positive, mask around the baby, wash hands often, and avoid face-to-face breathing during feeds.
- Ventilate. Open windows when safe, run HVAC fan on “on,” and use a HEPA purifier that matches room size.
- Short, screened visits. Keep the circle small in the first weeks. Ask visitors to delay if they have any symptoms.
- Keep surfaces simple. Wipe high-touch spots. Skip harsh disinfectant fogs; routine cleaning and hand washing carry most of the benefit.
- Breastfeed when possible. Milk offers antibodies and comfort. If the lactating parent is ill, add a mask during feeds and wash hands before touching pump parts.
Why Vaccination Around Pregnancy Matters
Shots given during pregnancy can pass protective antibodies through the placenta. Studies and public-health reviews link this to fewer symptomatic infections and hospital visits in the first months of life. This benefit fades over time, which fits with how maternal antibodies wane across early infancy.
For detailed background on hospitalization patterns in young babies, see the CDC’s summary of infant COVID-19 hospitalization rates, which shows the highest pediatric rates under six months. Parents and clinicians also look to guidance on pregnancy-period vaccination that can shield mothers and help protect infants. An NIH summary and peer-reviewed cohort data describe lower infant cases when mothers received mRNA shots while pregnant. Global perinatal care guidance from the WHO supports rooming-in and breastfeeding with basic hygiene.
Reference links for deeper reading:
CDC infant hospitalization patterns,
NIH maternal vaccination summary,
WHO perinatal and breastfeeding guidance,
Nature Communications cohort on infant protection.
Care At The Hospital And At Home
Testing in newborns follows local protocols. A swab from the nose is most common. Babies who look well and feed well often go home with close follow-up. Those with breathing strain, poor feeding, or dehydration may need oxygen, IV fluids, or a short stay for monitoring. Doctors screen for other causes too, such as RSV, flu, bacterial infection, or urinary illness, because symptoms can look alike in early life.
Early Treatment Questions
Antiviral and antibody tools change by season and by variant. Many options are not cleared for the youngest ages. When a baby has high-risk conditions, teams check current pediatric treatment pages and specialist guidelines for early options. This is a case-by-case call and always runs through the child’s doctor.
Day-To-Day With A New Baby During A Surge
You can keep bonding and keep risk in check with simple habits. Skin-to-skin contact is fine with clean hands and a mask if you are sick. Fresh air helps. Short car-seat errands can wait if local transmission spikes and the outing isn’t needed.
Visitor Ground Rules That Feel Kind
- Ask guests to delay if they have a cough, fever, or known exposure.
- Keep hugs short and avoid face kissing.
- Offer outdoor or well-ventilated visits when weather allows.
- Provide a hand-washing spot near the door.
What The Evidence Says About Mother-To-Baby Spread
Reviews of perinatal cases suggest that proven transmission from mother to baby happens, but it appears uncommon. Confirmed cases use strict timing and testing criteria. Care teams handle delivery with standard precautions, then support rooming-in with steps that lower exposure during feeds and cuddles.
Breast Milk, Safety, And Antibodies
Studies have detected viral genetic material in milk samples, but infectious virus has not been confirmed in standard testing. Heat treatment used for donor milk inactivates the virus. Milk also carries antibodies that reflect the lactating parent’s exposure or vaccination, which may add a layer of protection for the infant’s mouth and gut.
Doctor-Ready Info You Can Track At Home
Keep a short log during an illness so updates are easy during a call or visit. If anything worries you, reach out sooner rather than later.
| What To Track | Normal Range/Goal | Call If You See |
|---|---|---|
| Feeding | Regular feeds with steady suck/swallow; no long pauses. | Refusal across several feeds or choking/coughing with feeds. |
| Diapers | Several wet diapers a day; stools as usual for age. | Marked drop in wet diapers or no stool with belly swelling. |
| Breathing | Comfortable rate without retractions or grunts. | Fast or labored breathing, blue color, pauses in breathing. |
| Temperature | Rectal 36.5–37.5°C (97.7–99.5°F) most of the day. | ≥38.0°C (100.4°F) in a baby under 12 weeks. |
| Alertness | Wakes for feeds, soothes with holding. | Limpness, hard-to-rouse state, or unusual fuss that won’t settle. |
| Caregiver health | No symptoms during close contact with the baby. | Cough or fever in anyone handling the baby; add masks and spacing. |
Visits, Vaccines, And The “Cocoon” Plan
Routine newborn and early infant visits keep growth and jaundice checks on track. While the baby cannot receive COVID-19 shots yet, the people around the baby can. Staying up to date during pregnancy has been linked with fewer infant cases in the first months. Parents, siblings, and caregivers who are eligible for seasonal shots can add a shield around the baby.
Questions To Ask Your Pediatrician
- How should we handle home isolation if a parent tests positive?
- What counts as breathing distress in a baby this age?
- Does my baby have conditions that raise risk and change treatment timing?
- Are there current local surges that should change our visitor plan?
Key Takeaways For Tired Parents
- Yes, babies can get COVID-19; the youngest age group lands in hospitals more than older kids.
- Most infections come from close contact after birth; keep sick caregivers masked and hands clean.
- Rooming-in and breastfeeding are supported with basic precautions in place.
- Shots during pregnancy can pass helpful antibodies to the newborn and lower early risk.
- Call early for breathing changes, poor feeding, fewer wet diapers, or any fever in the first three months.