Why shouldn't parents kiss their children on the lips?

Lips and mouths are personal body boundaries, explains psychologist Charlotte Reznick. When you kiss a child on the lips, you show them that their boundaries can be violated without any problems. Parents who habitually kiss their children on the lips increase the risk of developing “victim syndrome,” which makes children unable to say “no” and manage their own personal boundaries.

Children tend to imitate adults. Therefore, in addition to kissing their parents on the lips, they may kiss other people on the lips to show affection, without realizing the deeper meaning of this gesture. It is best to only kiss children on the cheeks or forehead.

In addition, kissing children on the lips is also unhygienic. Doctors, especially dentists, warn that there are a large number of bacteria in the mouths of adults that can be transmitted to children and cause great harm to them. Because children have weaker immune systems than adults, some dangerous infections can enter their bodies through saliva.

Some experts, such as Dr. Paul Hokemeyer, say there's nothing wrong with kissing a baby on the lips, but it should stop once the baby begins to develop a sense of sexuality.