A step-grandmother has shared how she was left feeling terrible after she kissed her partner’s grandson on the forehead.
Sharing her story on Mumsnet, the woman said that her partner’s son and his girlfriend visited them with their baby boy, who was only three months old.
But while holding the baby, she kissed his forehead and his mother immediately became furious.
“As I held him, I absent-mindedly kissed the top of his head,” she wrote on the popular forum.
“I was in no uncertain terms told that kissing was a no-no and I felt terrible,” the step-nan continued.
She is now asking other parents whether she was in the wrong for kissing the child on the top of his head.
“I obviously won’t do it again as it’s against their wishes but I just wanted to ask what other people think of it.
“I know you shouldn’t kiss babies on the mouth because of the worry of HPV but did I do something wrong?”
Internet users were quick to share their thoughts on the matter, with many branding the child’s mother ‘ridiculous’ while others defended the parents and cited the health dangers associated with kissing newborns.
One person commented: “Seems ridiculous to me. Most babies and people benefit from touch and affection.”
Another wrote: “Only a danger of you have a cold sore, a kiss on a baby’s head is no issue at all.”
A third said: “Herpes virus can k*ll babies, so it’s not unreasonable for parents to not any ANYONE kissing their baby as the risk isn’t worth it.”
Someone else added: “We have a 47 year old friend who has a constant problem with cold sores (herpes) which he caught from his grandma kissing him when he was a baby, this is not uncommon.”
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