New parents won't be put in the doc

TOO many first-time parents hold off contacting doctors, according to a new poll.

- BY MATT NIXSON

Almost a third (30%) of parents and carers surveyed admitted that they had delayed seeking medical help because they were worried about "wasting" doctors' time.

A third (32%) held back due to uncertainty around whether their baby really needed medical help or not.

And while 83% said they felt confident recognising infection symptoms and signs, just 3% were able to correctly identify them all.

The poll was commissioned by the charity The Lullaby Trust, which supports families who have lost babies and works to prevent sudden infant deaths, to mark Infection Prevention Week.

Shockingly, nearly one in five parents said that they were likely to use ChatGPT or another AI tool for advice if they were worried.