Everyone likes to hold, touch, and kiss the new born baby. Tiny feet, cute smile, chubby cheeks, it is hard to control kissing them. If you are parents to a newborn baby, we would strongly suggest you to tell everyone not to kiss your baby as all the attention can be bad when your infant’s immune system has yet to develop fully.
Why you should not kiss newborns
Newborns have a very weak immune system, that makes it crucial to take extra care of them. Exposure to any type of virus and bacteria can put their life at risk. Ask everyone to wash their hands before they touch the newborn baby. Similarly, even our face is covered with thousands of microscopic organisms and when we kiss, these pathogens get transferred to the little one’s skin.
It has been found that kissing a baby on the lips or closer to the mouth can result in the spread of certain conditions, some harmless and some definitely dangerous for a newborn
Risks for kissing a newborn:
- Cold sores
Also known as fever blisters or oral herpes, your baby can be afflicted with this condition when kissed by an adult who has a cold sore. It is caused by the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV 1) and starts off as a small blister around the lips or mouth. So, kissing the baby should be completely avoided if the person doing has a cold sore.
- Food allergies
People might be unaware of gluten present in their lipstick which can be harmful for a child who is having celiac disease. It is great to discourage people from kissing on or near the baby’s lips.
- Weakened immune system
Babies are very vulnerable to illness during their initial few months, so for this reason any kid or adult who wishes to come in contact with your baby should make sure they have washed hands.
RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus)
RSV is a very serious and potentially fatal condition that can be passed through physical contact or through the passing of infected respiratory droplets via a cough or sneeze.
