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Pregnancy

Adults kissing kids & babies on lips?

27 replies

cheekstime · 16/02/2016 12:26

What's your take on this?

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Catnuzzle · 16/02/2016 12:36

Both my DDs (7 & 5) kiss me on the lips. They will continue to do so for as long as they choose. Other people's kids can kiss me where they feel comfortable. I wouldn't force a child to kiss on the lips or expect someone to force my children to, or to kiss them at all if they didn't want to.

whifflesqueak · 16/02/2016 12:42

my toddler kisses me on the lips. I think you'd need a heart of stone to say no to your own child's kisses.

SnuffleGruntSnorter · 16/02/2016 12:45

I think it's very sad to think a parent kissing their baby on the lips could be considered controversial.

Strangers - obviously not ok.

cheekstime · 16/02/2016 13:00

That's interesting so its the child that may kiss other peoples lips if they want to. (I have memories of a person in family greeting us as kids by kiss on lips and my brother and I about 7 yrs old or so being totally replused, left wondering what she was thinking). Sounds like instinct for a child/toddler to do this though with people it loves.

OP posts:

mmmuffins · 16/02/2016 13:00

Until a recent thread where it was mentioned it never really occurred to me people would want to kiss a baby on the lips. I have a 5 week old DD and the thought of it is yuck - her lips are often very wet and covered in curdled spat up milk. Ew.

I think kissing children on the lips is a bit weird. Though I admit I don't like on the lips kissing in general, even with DH.

My mom did it when I was a kid and I hated it. There was a lot of forced hugging and kissing of my parents and relatives, I will be sparing my children from that!

Highlove · 16/02/2016 13:07

My 23mo on kisses me on the lips. It makes my heart melt. She has also kissed other people - nanny and grandad etc - on the lips. She'd never be made to kiss anyone, or have anyone kiss her against her will. Though I confess I've said stuff like "give nanny a kiss goodbye", I wouldn't dream of pushing her to do it.

Memories of being made to kiss (lips or otherwise) smelly old ladies make me shudder. Just gross.

I guess I probably wouldn't kiss another child (like a friend's little one) on the lips - unless they did it to me. In which case it wouldn't bother me. But I'd go for their head or something.

Why?

Highlove · 16/02/2016 13:10

Though as a pp had said, being kissed on the lips by a small child isn't always very nice. My DD has a horribly runny nose at the moment...

nehagarg · 16/02/2016 13:21

I am not for it. In addition to being icky with kids with runny noses etc, it feels a bit too intimate. Won't do it to my kids and wont have anyone else do it to them either. But that's purely a personal bias.

toffeeboffin · 16/02/2016 13:22

Nah.

HeyYouGetOffMyCloud · 16/02/2016 13:25

Another nah.
Don't like it

StrawberrytallCake · 16/02/2016 13:29

NO NO NO, what's wrong with cuddles and kisses all over the face? or the tummy? why put your grim bacteria infested lips on a beautiful brand new baby?? I think it's horribly unhealthy and can pass on the herpes virus alongside anything else.

Husbands family do this and knowing I didn't like it his uncle kissed my dd1 on the lips over and over again in front of me - at the time I had PND so felt I couldn't say anything I'll never forget how trapped that made me feel and like I'd failed dd.

Firstmum24 · 16/02/2016 13:34

i kissed my granny on the lips every time i saw her, when we were teenagers we would have a joke about it with mum&dad and when we were older it was just the done thing! It all depends on your family situation and the childs preference, i would always indulge granny and give her a big smacker whereas my sister didn't like it and would dodge and go for the cheek.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion so just go with what feels right for you and yours!

FWIW DH doesn't kiss DD on the lips but on the cheek instead.
Im carrying on grannies tradition and going for full on smackers!

ProfessorPickles · 16/02/2016 13:34

I kiss my 3yo DS on the lips sometimes, more often on the cheek though. But I wouldn't dream of doing it to anyone else's child even if it was my niece/nephew.
I think it's ok from parent to child sometimes, but any other time I think is really inappropriate!

I remember my god mum making me kiss her small children on the lips/cheek to say good bye when I was around 8yo and I absolutely hated it but felt pressured to as everyone was watching.

Mrsbadger77 · 16/02/2016 13:42

I'm just wondering why you've posted this under pregnancy? Is it because of the CMV risk posed to pregnant women which can be transmitted by kissing toddlers on the lips/face? It should be avoided at all costs as that is how I caught CMV in early pregnancy.

TheWordOfBagheera · 16/02/2016 14:12

Parents who have never had a cold sore - fine.

Anyone else I would not be happy to see kissing my children on the lips as you have no idea whether they have had a cold sore in the past ( DH got cold sores as a child from exactly this and now can't kiss our kids on the lips).

Plus, it feels a bit... intrusive or intimate or something along those lines (not quite sure how to articulate my feeling on it actually!). A kiss on the cheek is fine though, so long as the child doesn't have a problem with it. If mine don't want to kiss relatives then they blow a kiss instead - keeps everyone happy!

Hoplikeabunny · 16/02/2016 14:28

I kiss my 3yo DS on the lips all the time...it didn't occur to me for a moment that it was anything other than perfectly acceptable! No one else really does it to him directly, but if he kisses other people then he'll always go for lips.

UmbongoUnchained · 16/02/2016 14:29

We've always kissed on lips. Even the adult children in our family kiss their parents on the lips.

applesvpears · 16/02/2016 16:35

I kiss my cat on the lips so probably will my first born when she arrives

sepa · 16/02/2016 16:52

I kiss my niece (2) and nephew (3) on the lips but only if they want to. Sometimes they don't want a kiss and a cuddle so I just do a high five or something with them.
Kids should be able to decide if they want to and never be forced into it

1frenchfoodie · 16/02/2016 18:53

My niece and nephew, both just over 2, aim for lips, I go with the flow but secretly think it would be best on cheeks as I always seem to come down with their coughs and colds.

Thatrabbittrickedme · 16/02/2016 18:58

My DC sometime choose to kiss me on the lips, I don't mind at all, but would not deliberately kiss them on the lips if I was instigating the kiss.

cheekstime · 17/02/2016 13:13

Hey girls/guys....I have asked this to be moved out of 'pregnancy'!

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spanky2 · 17/02/2016 13:17

This is Sam Faiers boyfriend and his mum isn't it? I kiss my boys on the lips, but not like those two.

luckiestgirlintheworld · 17/02/2016 13:25

Of course it's fine. I snog my baby's face off!

luckiestgirlintheworld · 17/02/2016 13:26

For clarity, that involves lots of little adorable kisses on his lips and cheeks. It makes him laugh, and makes my heart melt.

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