My mum-in-law is angry because my husband and I don't want to take our new baby to her house for a holiday party. There will be a lot of people there, and even our paediatrician advised against it because it's flu season and our baby's only 3 weeks old. How can we help her understand that it's nothing against her, we just don't want our newborn getting sick?

She's just eager to show off her new grandchild to the world. However, as a parent, our priority should be on our child's health and safety instead of how others (including close family members) might feel. If you do bring the baby to the party, you can expect that the baby would be passed around from person to person and of all the guests, one or two might have a runny nose, cough or just doesn't have a sense of hygiene. I wouldn't risk it. I'd tell her that sorry, but I can't risk my baby's health for her party. I'm direct like that, even blunt. The baby is her grandchild, but your child. She'll get over it.