By: Em Cruz
Babies are cute and cuddly — fact. Hence most parents, even other adults included, could not keep their hands or even lips off them. Because let’s admit it, most babies’ tiny rosebud lips and uber soft cheeks are just begging for everyone to kiss them.
But the more important question is, is it safe for a newborn baby? Sadly, no, as can be seen in a number of viral Facebook posts. To name a few, here’s the story of one mom’s one-month-old daughter who caught herpes from a visitor who kissed her. And here’s another newborn baby who succumbed to the same virus.
Aside from the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), there are also a number of sicknesses that adults could pass on to babies through kissing in the lips or face. These include harmful cold sores, common respiratory syncytial virus or RSV, or even cavities. Some adults might not even be aware that they have any of these as these are not that harmful to adults. But while these infections might pose no threat to us, but could prove to be harmful or even fatal to young babies.
This is not to say that we should keep our newborns under lock and key or hibernate until they’re well into their toddler years. But that we all should take certain precautions as responsible parents to our own kids and as responsible adults to other babies as well. Sadly though, not all adults know or are aware of the dangers of kissing and cuddling newborns. So if you’re a mom of a newborn who’s concerned, how do you tell the “no kiss” rule to everyone? If you find it awkward and tiring to say it over and over again, you can opt to print these respectful and creative ways lines in your newborn’s bib or onesie that you can use whenever you’re expecting a deluge of guests:
Or just a plain, straight to the point:
Em is MomCenter’s editor and a doting mom to a decisive yet sweet daughter. When she doesn’t have her hands full of motherhood, she moonlights as a geek and bibliophile. Follow her mom-adventures via her Instagram.
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