You see the sick babies every year over and over.
“My poor little guy has RSV!” they comment on their Facebook pages.
And guess what? Nearly ALL kids will be infected with RSV by age 2.
There are many things we will all try to do in order to keep our kids healthy in the harsh winter months. But there is one vital rule for keeping little ones safe from this particular virus: Don’t kiss the babies.
What Is RSV?
RSV stands for Respiratory Syncytial Virus, a highly infectious virus. For most of us, it causes common cold-like symptoms that aren’t particularly dangerous. BUT, for kiddos under 2, it can lead to serious problems like lung infections, pneumonia and bronchiolitis.
And yes, it can absolutely be deadly. It’s responsible for 160,000 deaths a year.
There are a couple of reasons kissing a baby can be so very dangerous when it comes to RSV.
1. There is no vaccine. No way of preventing it.
2. You can be contagious days before you know you are sick.
This is the biggest reason to keep your mouth away from little babies. Not only could you not be showing symptoms yet, but even if you do have say, a bit of a runny nose, it could seem harmless when in fact it isn’t.
If you are a family member or friend of someone with a young baby, remember that just because they request no kisses doesn’t mean they don’t love you. It doesn’t mean they think you have cooties. They are just protecting their baby. ♥
Read next: 10 Things Every Parent Should Know About RSV
Liz is a just a mom trying to keep it real about how little she sleeps, how often she gets puked on and how much she loves them. You can find her here every day writing about real-mom moments.
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