Friend kissed my baby, feeling upset

Get off Instagram and Tiltok and see a doctor for your anxiety. That's not normal.

Get help for your health anxiety, this is no way for children to grow up. Don't get health advice from TikTok or Insta.

I saw some videos from doctors on Instagram about the risks to young babies due to kissing hence I don't kiss her on face

I missed this. My Instagram feed is full of baby 'advice' as I have an 8 month old. Most of it is absolute nonsense. A lot of it is downright dangerous.

I take my advice from the NHS and health visitors (and even the latter is taken with a pinch of salt).

This can’t be real.
The only time a peck on the cheek is even potentially riskier than holding baby (most likely talking to her and breathing in her face anyway) is if you do not carry the cold sore virus but your friend has an active outbreak/ outbreak on the way.
you are being ridiculous unreasonable and I don’t know whether I believe this is a real post. If it is then please get yourself and your family some therapy.

This. Not kissing your baby is very strange and makes me feel very sorry for the poor baby. As for your friend kissing the baby, you're massively overreacting and someone's got to kiss the poor mite, so good on her her

Your baby’s wellbeing will suffer far more from being deprived of normal affection.

i had to go back to work when baby was 5 months old so settling in started at 4 months old. I can’t imagine the germs she was exposed to!

on the plus side she has never had a single day off school for sickness. I think she’s only had a mild temperature twice in her life so I figure it didn’t do her any harm! Quite the opposite!

I feel sorry for your baby , was actually shocked when I read your first post . It's normal to kiss them .

Wow, what do you think will happen when baby goes to nursery ? This is your anxiety and unhealthy.

Something very wrong with your parenting style, and it's extremely sad if you've never given your own baby a kiss on his or her face. I really can't get my head around that.
Why?

Yes, it absolutely is abnormal. It’s abnormal by definition as the vast majority of people don’t behave like that (poll currently showing 97% and frankly I’m surprised it’s not higher).

I think as long as you don't have an active cold sore you are safe to kiss your baby!
Nobody could stop me kissing my babies

@Lurkinmn Thanks for this thread. It’s certainly made me think of another point of view.

I don’t think I’ve ever kissed a friend’s baby on the cheek. And I don’t recall friends doing that to mine. Family, on the other hand, have given lots of kisses.

I wouldn’t have been be upset by it. I didn’t worry too much about germs. I’d understand it was a loving gesture, without thought the parents may not like it. I guess the pandemic has made people more aware of infectious conditions.

With kindness, if certain things are important to you, it’s best to calmly communicate them. People have very different views of what’s appropriate for kids. For example, some people think it’s kind to give toddlers loads of chocolate, whereas others wouldn’t. It’s best to say.

Smothering a friend's baby in kisses: weird.
Giving your friend's baby a peck on the cheek: normal.

Not kissing your own child, as a family ? Poor baby.

We were all kissed as tiny babies, I guarantee, and we were all absolutely fine.
How lovely that your friend feels so affectionate towards your baby!

Assuming you are not a troll, I’m afraid your anxiety is obsessive and ridiculous. Do you not ever put your face close to your baby's at all, even when you haven’t got a cold sore? If you do, what’s the difference from a kiss on the cheek? Germs won’t enter through the skin of her cheek! If you don’t ever hold your baby with your face close to hers, or let your other DC get that close to her, I feel very sorry for both poor children. It might be a reasonable rule for the first couple of weeks of a baby's life, but she is not a newborn any more.

The baby could well have been fussy because she sensed your abnormal anxiety. It certainly won’t have been anything to do with the kiss.

I really think you need some counselling.

I wouldnt kiss anyones baby on the lips obviously or a brand newborn but I've definitely given nieces/nephews and friends babies kisses on the cheek! I understand if you have cold sores I suppose but I couldnt not kiss my own baby!

It's how I got where I am today!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_kissing

Oh Op, its so sad you haven't kissed your own baby!

Gently, it's vital for emotional development. It releases oxytocin, and actually enhances immune function so you're doing much more harm than good here!

Not losing your baby if you have the cold sore is
more than reasonable. I also think it’s weird to kiss others babies and have never done it. Just bear in mind 4m old put their mouths on their feet a lot and that may not be the wisest place to kiss if you have an active cold sore

@MagnoliaGirlie did you get treatment for the ppocd/did it get better?

Yes. Lots.

I wouldn’t pick up without permission, but once that baby is in my arms it’s fair game for kisses!

You don’t kiss your own baby? That’s so sad. And unnecessary.

You have a form of health anxiety and you should get some help, op, before you inflict these fears on your kids

''When a mother kisses her newborn baby, she takes in any pathogens living on the baby’s skin that will soon be taken in through the mouth. These pathogens are taken into the mother’s secondary lympoid organs like the tonsils where memory B cells specific for those pathogens are re-stimulated. If the mother is breastfeeding, her breasts use those B cells to produce antibodies for those pathogens. While nursing, the baby then receives the antibodies for the pathogens in his or her body.''