Kiss your baby

[mymilisbatshit]

Hi, I have an 8 month old daughter and sometime I give her a little peck on the lips if we are playing and laughing.

Is it wrong to kiss your child on the lips? I know 100% I don't have any viruses or nasties and I know that from a certain age it becomes inappropriate.

I used to kiss both my parents on the lips this stopped when I was about 8.

Anyone have any thoughts?

[EssieTregowan]

Was just coming to post the same, JuJu. I kiss both my parents on the lips. Ds2 kisses me dozens of times a day (he's 5 and very affectionate). The teenagers are less kissy but very cuddly.

[user1484226561]

I know 100% I don't have any viruses or nasties of course you have, you have more bacterial cells inside you skin than human ones.

[TheresABluebirdOnMyShoulder]

I was expecting everyone to say of course it's absolutely fine. I'm gobsmacked that some people think this is in appropriate. And not just in a "it's not what we do" way. They think it's seriously wrong and judge other parents for it?! Wow.

I think it's lovely, and innocent and a wonderful way to show affection. It is a very sad thing that anyone would compare this to any kind of sexual behaviour, but that is much more of a reflection on them than the parent and child doing the kissing. You don't force a child to do it if they don't want to, but that's obvious and goes for any form of physical contact. Rubbish to the germ thing as well. There are germs everywhere and babies put everything in their mouths anyway.

[Chickennuggetfeeder]

Ive never kissed my children on the lips or my mum. Kiss on the cheek or head but not there. I dont see it as sexual and dont care if others do its just not something i personally do

[NerrSnerr]

What doctors are you talking about OP?

I kiss my daughter on the lips. The people who say it's sexual are baffling. Did they not breastfeed either?

[Hatemylifenow]

Guys no doctor has ever said it's sexually stimulating.

[Ponderingprivately]

I cannot believe anyone finds it inappropriate to kiss your own baby own the lips. blows my mind.

[NerrSnerr]

'Kissing on the lips is meant for partners & during sex.'

Have you spoken to the person who invented kissing on the lips Tracey? How are you so sure? Can't things have more than one function?

[GraceGrape]

Lip kissing started here when DD1 was a baby and used to grab our heads and try to eat our mouths for a kiss. We are all still lip kissers now the children are at school. If people don't want to kiss their own kids on the lips , nobody says they have to, but I think it's really sad that some people won't do it because it seems sexual. Lots of actions can be sexual as part of a sexual relationship, but otherwise completely non-sexual, eg massage.

[MichaelJacksonsGlove]

Is baby massage equally as 'disgusting'?

Cuddling?

Stroking?

All of those actions can be sexual and also not sexual at all. Same with lip kissing.

[TheresABluebirdOnMyShoulder]

NerrSnerr good point about the breastfeeding. Maybe the people who disapprove of kissing on the lips are the same ones who shame breastfeeding mothers.

[MommaGee]

DS is currently at the cave man stage. Grab face, try to shove tongue in. I'm sat there covered in slobber with my mouth pursed shut and hes having a good old slobber. He only sees DP and I kiss on the lips (he thinks its funny) so its not even mimicking.
I can conform that there is nothing less sexual in the world that a slobbery toddler licking you!!

OP is your doc a Freudian Therapist who also thinks women cover a penis?

Horrified non kissers - what's ypir thought on breast feeding? Especially after say 9 months?

[mymilisbatshit]

Bloody, there's loads of information about it it's even been in the press. A lot of doctors have this point of view (not all)

[mymilisbatshit]

Also when I say viruses or nasties what I mean is no oral infections or skin viruses such as cold sores I know that I don't have any of these. Obviously everyone has bacteria on them. Sorry for the confusion.

[hearyoume]

I didn't kiss DD on the lips when she was tiny as it didn't occur to me. My mum didn't kiss us on the lips. However, DD is now 3 and insists on lip kisses as all the other children are lip kissed at nursery drop off.

[welshgirlwannabe]

I kiss my baby on the lips. I've kissed his bum too! In fact, I might have even blown raspberries on his (clean) bum. Every inch of my baby is delicious and kissable. This is normal behaviour.

[welshgirlwannabe]

As a matter of fact my 10 month old can often be found contentedly suckling at my breast. Is this weirdly sexual behaviour???

[mymilisbatshit]

I think it's got a lot to do with how someone is brought up or even where they have been brought up. The opinion really does change quite drastically my thread was really just out of interest I certainly don't doubt that I am doing anything wrong by kissing dd on the lips I will always do that until my daughter leads the way and no longer wants me to.

[notanothernamechangebabes]

5 month DS is covered in kisses from head to toe every day, including mouth, by me, his Daddy and my DM, who's with us a lot. He was just gumming my nose himself a few minutes ago (teething... But I'm interpreting as kisses). He did the same to DM yesterday. I can guarantee that while all of us agree it's lovely sharing kisses with a squidgy little baby, not one of us gets turned on by it.

This is dangerously close to the sort of fear that landed that poor woman in jail in the states years back, when she confessed to finding breastfeeding a sensual experience, and some jobs worth decided that meant she was sexually abusing her son.

OP - if you want to kiss your baby on the head, lips, Tummy, on his squidgy bum- do it. He came out of your body. Probably your vagina. After that, kissing is kind of ... Small fry. Don't you think?!

[MommaGee]

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/parents-warned-kissing-children-on-the-lips-is-too-sexual-and-could-confuse-them-10464862.html

Independent Link. Need to read to the end tho

[MommaGee]

So just one crazy American psychologist then

[Celticlassie]

This is ridiculous. Of course you can kiss your baby on the lips. Anyone who sees something sexual in a baby is the one who's inappropriate, not those being affectionate with their baby.
And those bloody 'X has more bacteria than a toilet seat' brigade. Do you not kiss your parter because their mouth is full of bacteria? God knows how these people ever had sex in order to conceive said baby - full body anti-bac session before and after??

[AyeAmarok]

Oh dear.

To those thinking it's weird and sexual to kiss on the lips because that's for partners and sex, how do you feel about breastfeeding?

[LizzieMacQueen]

1/2 the world (of Mumsnet) do, 1/2 don't.

Much like wearing of pants under pyjamas and wearing shoes in the house.

[PonderLand]

I don't think there is anything wrong with it at all. I never got kissed by my parents and I haven't suffered, but maybe that's why I only kiss my lb (8m) on the cheek? I don't really like kissing in general, it just doesn't make me feel like I've shown affection. I don't know if that makes sense... I feel hugging satisfies my affectionate needs more! :)