Someone kissed my baby on the head

Q: How do you tell someone not to kiss your baby?

Explicitly say Please, dont kiss my baby” If speaking to people directly about your concerns feels too daunting, you can send a mass email or text to the entire family explaining your policy and that, out of an abundance of caution, you are requesting people dont kiss your baby on the face.

Here are a few simple but necessary precautions to be taken by parents to keep their newborn safe from infections and diseases.

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Can a baby get sick from a kiss on the forehead?
Can people kiss a newborn on the head?
Can a baby get a cold sore from a kiss on the head?
How do you tell someone not to kiss your baby?

Stick to the vaccination schedule strictly and do not skip or forget any of the vaccinations.
Always wash your hands when you hold a baby. Children and teenagers especially should be advised to wash their hands before they touch a baby because the baby’s gut bacteria is still developing.
People who have any respiratory disorder or contagious diseases should maintain a safe distance from the baby.
Inform visitors about the precautions to be taken to keep the baby safe.
Bathe your baby regularly.
Maintain the personal and oral hygiene of the baby.
Always keep your baby fresh. Use fresh wipes as and when required.

What is your take on kissing a baby, a newborn baby that too? Let’s discuss this further in the comments section below.

baby care, baby health, For the parents, Health tips, Physical Health

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About the author

Nisshan Dubey

A lawyer by day and blogger by night. Nisshan loves the law and loves his kids - Anoop and Tanvi. When he’s not busy drafting clauses, Nisshan binge watches on legal shows, works on DIY projects at home, and takes his kids on fun trips

The story had been on Dr. Emily Scott’s mind for days -- that story about the baby girl in Iowa who died after contracting viral meningitis caused by herpes.

The baby, Mariana Sifrit, came home from the hospital a healthy newborn. But, she rapidly declined after her mother says someone with HSV-1, the virus better known as herpes, kissed her.

“Deadly Kiss Kills Newborn” media reports said, after the baby’s death July 18 at less than a week old.

Dr. Scott, newborn medical director at IU Health Methodist Hospital, worried the story would cause parents to panic. That it would scare them into shielding their babies from all visitors.

“The important thing to point out to parents is this case is exceptionally rare,” Dr. Scott says. “It is really unusual for a baby to catch HSV-1 from a kiss. With that being said, you can catch it that way. But I don’t think people should be worried about letting grandma or grandpa kiss baby.”

HSV-1 is the herpes virus that causes cold sores. In most cases, it isn’t serious and clears up on its own. But in babies younger than a month old, with an already weakened immune system, it can be much more serious. It can lead to viral meningitis, which causes the tissue covering the brain and spinal cord to become inflamed.

“Neonatal herpes infection is a very serious disease,” Dr. Scott says. “When we see babies who have this infection, it can hit them hard. They get very sick. There is a significant death rate.”

HSV-1 in babies, Dr. Scott says, most often occurs when mom has an active herpes infection in or around the birth canal.

And while Dr. Scott points out the rarity of what happened to the Iowa newborn, she does caution parents. If they know a family member or friend has a cold sore, they should not allow them to kiss the baby.

“We do want parents to be pretty conservative about who is around the baby,” she says. “Parents should be cognizant in general. Those with a cough, cold or virus or any kind of infection, those people shouldn’t be around the baby.”

No. It's true that certain respiratory infections and bacteria may play a role in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also known as cot death. But there’s no evidence to suggest that you should stop kissing your baby or stop friends and family from kissing her.

Put simply, your baby will not be at an increased risk of SIDS from a kiss. What may increase the risk of SIDS however, is how your baby’s immune system responds to infections.

All babies are exposed to viruses and bacteria in the air that they breathe, from surfaces in their homes and from the people who care for them. That's part of normal life. Most babies are able to fight infection from these everyday exposures, with what’s called a balanced inflammatory response.

It's thought that the inflammatory response of babies who are vulnerable to SIDS is either too weak or too strong. Even a mild infection could cause a problem for these babies.

Other factors, such as the way your baby is put down to sleep or your home environment may increase the risk. For example, putting your baby down to sleep on her front may make her hotter and provide a more favourable breeding ground for some bacteria in her throat. Cigarette smoke can increase the number of coughs and colds your baby is exposed to and make an infection more likely to take hold.

With this in mind, it's a good idea to take some simple and sensible precautions to protect your baby from infections. This includes:

Washing your hands regularly before handling your baby, particularly if you've been out and about meeting other people.
Cleaning your baby's dummy by sterilising it, as you would for a bottle teat. Avoid putting the dummy in your own mouth to hold or clean it before giving it to your baby.
Don’t let anyone kiss your baby while they have an active cold sore, even if there is just the tingle of a sore starting.

In the meantime, to reduce the risk of SIDS, carry on taking precautions to help protect your baby:

Place your baby on her back to sleep.
Never fall asleep on a sofa or armchair with your baby.
Don’t smoke in pregnancy and keep your home smoke-free before and after your baby’s born.
Don’t put too many clothes on your baby at bedtime, as it could make her too hot.
Keep her head uncovered when she's asleep and place her with her feet to the foot of the cot to stop her wriggling under covers.
Breastfeed your baby if you can, as breastmilk can reduce her risk of infection and boost her immune response. If you formula-feed your baby, don’t worry. Formula-feeding does not cause SIDS. But breastfeeding has been proved to lower the risk of SIDS happening to your baby.

If your baby is unwell, always see your doctor, and take her for regular check-ups.

Learn more about reducing the risk of SIDS.

Can a baby get sick from a kiss on the forehead?

Can kissing a baby make them sick? Though kissing an infant doesn't always cause RSV or other illnesses, it can spread germs that can lead to illnesses that newborn immune systems find it hard to fight.

Can people kiss a newborn on the head?

Newborn babies have a weak immune system, which makes them easily prone to viral infections. The first month is pivotal, and therefore, it is best to prevent anyone from kissing the baby on the face (12).

Can a baby get a cold sore from a kiss on the head?

The herpes simplex virus can be passed to a baby through a cold sore if a person has a cold sore and kisses the baby. The herpes virus can also be spread to your baby if you have a blister caused by herpes on your breast and you feed your baby with the affected breast or expressed breast milk from the affected breast.

How do you tell someone not to kiss your baby?

Explicitly say “Please, don't kiss my baby” If speaking to people directly about your concerns feels too daunting, you can send a mass email or text to the entire family explaining your policy and that, out of an abundance of caution, you are requesting people don't kiss your baby on the face.