There are acute risks and long term risks. Yeah it's dangerous to kiss a baby. No one is saying it isn't just as dangerous to bubble wrap them.
I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss an evolved behavior. Most likely if the parents are OK with it, and in the absence of major artificial factors, the benefits outweigh the risks. The microbiologists are right, but it's just not the whole picture, it's a small part of the whole equation.
What “benefits” does a baby get from a family friend kiss? In this anti-vax world there are huge risks. I read on a running forum in 2021 that a mom took a 5mo old on a run saying “babies have been around for millenia and they are fine.” This is similar erroneous reasoning.
Unless she forced the infant to run themselves, taking them on a run sounds like good parenting.
My line for this topic depends on familiarity. If you see the baby once a week or more, kiss the stinker if you want to. Otherwise, don't.
That line exists somewhere for everyone, no one would suggest that a mother shouldn't kiss her child.
No the neck strength isn’t always there for kids to last a bumpy stroller run before six months. And this is from someone who went stir crazy and really wanted to do it.
Sure, but really no benefit to baby and only risk so why do it unless there’s some societal pressure
> That line exists somewhere for everyone, no one would suggest that a mother shouldn't kiss her child.
Well, um, technically... There's probably situations when it's a bad idea, but getting a C-section bloodless enough for it to matter might be hard, and people care about babies a lot less than they say they do. Revealed preferences compared to the actual information available to humanity, that sort of thing.
Everyone needs love, care and attention, and physical contact. Some more than others, babies more than most.
Why do we kiss, hug, and hold or shake hands? It's not for no reason or because we feel like it. There are definite and extremely good reasons and explainable pressures that have led to all of our common behaviors.
Behaviour often comes from evolutionary pressure. Without fully understanding the selection pressures that led to such behavior, and if they are similar or have changed, dismissing it out of hand isn't considering the whole picture.
There are acute risks and long term risks. Yeah it's dangerous to kiss a baby. No one is saying it isn't just as dangerous to bubble wrap them.
I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss an evolved behavior. Most likely if the parents are OK with it, and in the absence of major artificial factors, the benefits outweigh the risks. The microbiologists are right, but it's just not the whole picture, it's a small part of the whole equation.
What “benefits” does a baby get from a family friend kiss? In this anti-vax world there are huge risks. I read on a running forum in 2021 that a mom took a 5mo old on a run saying “babies have been around for millenia and they are fine.” This is similar erroneous reasoning.
Unless she forced the infant to run themselves, taking them on a run sounds like good parenting.
My line for this topic depends on familiarity. If you see the baby once a week or more, kiss the stinker if you want to. Otherwise, don't.
That line exists somewhere for everyone, no one would suggest that a mother shouldn't kiss her child.
No the neck strength isn’t always there for kids to last a bumpy stroller run before six months. And this is from someone who went stir crazy and really wanted to do it.
Sure, but really no benefit to baby and only risk so why do it unless there’s some societal pressure
> That line exists somewhere for everyone, no one would suggest that a mother shouldn't kiss her child.
Well, um, technically... There's probably situations when it's a bad idea, but getting a C-section bloodless enough for it to matter might be hard, and people care about babies a lot less than they say they do. Revealed preferences compared to the actual information available to humanity, that sort of thing.
Everyone needs love, care and attention, and physical contact. Some more than others, babies more than most.
Why do we kiss, hug, and hold or shake hands? It's not for no reason or because we feel like it. There are definite and extremely good reasons and explainable pressures that have led to all of our common behaviors.
Behaviour often comes from evolutionary pressure. Without fully understanding the selection pressures that led to such behavior, and if they are similar or have changed, dismissing it out of hand isn't considering the whole picture.
Not to mention that they are disgustingly messy.