“Put those deadly lips away” – TikTok nurse warns of the dangers of kissing newborns

TikTokers and pediatricians alike agree with this message.

Fact checked by Sarah ScottFact checked by Sarah Scott

When you have a baby, it seems no one can resist the urge to kiss your newborn and breathe in that wonderful newborn smell. It’s really understandable. Let’s get the obvious straight.

“Babies are really cute, have little chubby cheeks and look very kissable,” says Dr. Gina Posner, a board-certified pediatrician with MemorialCare Medical Group.

And yet, a viral TikTok warns that kissing other people’s newborns can be a dangerous and potentially life-threatening decision.

One commenter on the video wrote that the advice should be “common sense,” but as a pandemic mom of two who took longer than some would have liked to return to normal, I can tell you that’s not the case.

Enter Nurse LuLu, a registered obstetric nurse who posts on TikTok under the handle @nurse__lauren. She recently used the app to talk about the potential dangers of baby kissing with a little humor and empathy.

“Please don’t kiss the babies,” the caption reads. “I know they’re delicious and you can’t help but want to, but please don’t. You could cause serious harm to their little bodies.”

How, why, and isn’t the warning a bit over the top? Pediatricians explain that NurseLuLu is right, and even give us other ways to express your love for the sweet little baby in your life.

Nurse in delivery room asks people to keep mouths away from babies

LuLu went into more detail about why she recommends setting clear boundaries when it comes to others kissing your baby in a video with over 13,000 likes.

“As a maternity nurse, it drives me crazy when I see the family coming in and kissing the newborns,” she says. “Please don’t do that.”

She then describes what is essentially a scene from a comic book, finally telling the would-be baby-kisser to “put away those deadly lips.” She’s making a joke – sort of – but the message behind the stark warning is no laughing matter.

“I think a lot of people don’t realize that kissing can cause a lot of harm to a baby,” she says. “It can kill a baby. It can destroy your relationship with the parents if you can’t keep your mouth off the baby.”

That may sound harsh, especially considering that the desire to kiss a baby is well-intentioned, but pediatricians say the TikTok nurse has a point.

“(Kissing a baby) is a great way to transmit viruses and bacteria,” says Dr. Posner. “It can also transmit herpes, which can be fatal.”

So when people start rolling their eyes at new parents forbidding kissing, LuLu says she’s on the parents’ side, as are the many commenters who agree with the video’s message – especially if they’ve been in the same situation themselves.

“The pediatrician kissed my baby at his two-week check-up,” writes one commenter.

“My neighbor kissed my newborn. I never spoke to her again,” says another, who may be able to offer the above commenter some valuable advice regarding his pediatrician.

Others chose to keep the “deadly lips” out of sight and out of mind by not allowing visitors in the hospital or during the newborn’s first month of life.

Other commentators described their more underhanded and funnier tactics.

“I gave everyone the wrong launch date and went when no one knew,” wrote one commenter.

While the comments on TikTok have been mostly positive, I recently witnessed an otherwise harmless online parenting group (they really do exist, I promise) crumble over the idea that kissing bans are merely a means for new parents to abuse their power – especially against in-laws they don’t like.

With all due respect, I disagree. If you want others to kiss your baby, then go ahead, but the desire to avoid a newborn’s lips is often related to health and safety concerns. Others may also want to wait until the child consents to kissing. These reasons are valid and parents should not have to explain themselves to anyone.

The potential risks of kissing babies

Rachel Prete, DO, a pediatrician at Orlando Health, has seen the situation young parents face before.

“As a pediatrician and mother of two, I always educate new parents about the dangers of allowing siblings to ‘kiss’ their newborn siblings,” says Dr. Prete. “Although it may be a very cute image, toddlers and school-age children are often exposed to multiple infections and can easily transmit them to their newborn.”

More generally, people of any age can be exposed to or carry infections. They may feel fine for 48 hours before symptoms appear. The problem? They could have been contagious all along.

“Newborns, especially those under eight weeks of age, are particularly at risk of developing more severe symptoms from viruses and bacteria,” says Dr. Prete. “While a virus can cause simple cold symptoms in an adult, the same virus can cause severe respiratory distress and even meningitis in newborns.”

Dr. Prete agrees with Dr. Posner’s above views on the herpes virus, which can be transmitted through simple contact and can cause brain damage or death in severe cases. In fact, the number of deaths from herpes in infants increased from 33 in 1995 to 68 in 2019.

Dr. Prete warns people who already suffer from cold sores and blisters not to kiss a baby – even if it is their own.

Many parents eagerly await their child’s two-month vaccination and feel safer leaving the house or mingling after their child has been vaccinated. Still, it’s best to keep your mouth away from your baby, says Alexis Monique Javier, DO, pediatrician at Children’s Memorial Hermann Pediatrics.

Dr. Javier says that vaccines for newborns usually provide protection against:

“There are a number of viruses and bacteria that cannot be prevented by the eight-week vaccinations alone, such as the herpes simplex virus or cold sores (respiratory syncytial virus) and hand, foot and mouth disease, which is most commonly caused by the coxsackievirus,” says Dr. Javier.

In addition, the vaccinations in the eighth week are only the first of several to offer the child the best possible protection.

“The benefit of vaccinations is not that they completely protect you from a disease, but that they prevent the baby from suffering serious complications, such as hospitalization or death from these diseases,” says Dr. Javier.

Stay calm and cuddle with the baby instead

In short, one of the best ways to show your love to a newborn and his loving new parents is not to kiss him.

Other options? Let’s start by protecting them through several precautionary measures.

“Make sure people who are in close contact with the baby are up to date with vaccinations, especially the Tdap, flu and COVID shots,” says Dr. Javier. “Additionally, if someone is sick or feeling unwell, they should not be around the baby to reduce the risk of the baby getting sick as well.”

But don’t worry, no kisses doesn’t mean there isn’t a safe way to express your love. Dr. Posner says holding and cuddling are great ways to bond with your baby. As LuLu says in her TikTok, “These babies don’t need you to kiss them to know they’re loved.” There are plenty of other, safer methods.

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Read the original article on Parents.