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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I don't think OP is so crazy.  My son has been getting horrible cold sores since he was about 2 years old.  Huge, painful ones.  Obviously, someone kissed him near his mouth when he was a fat-cheeked, irresistible, little toddler.  A significant portion of the public carries the virus, even if they've never gotten a sore.

Why does grandma have to kiss the face?  Feet, top of the head, fine.[/quote]

So sorry PP, how old is your son now?  Have you tried antivirals?  If you don't want to go the med route, a daily supplement of L-Lysine can significantly help.

I know a family whose newborn baby got infected by HSV1 (cold sores) by being kissed by a relative.  The baby died from it.  Newborn babies usually don't have an immune system strong enough to fight HSV1 infections and it can lead to organ failure.

OP, make sure MIL doesn't kiss baby if she has a visible cold sore!  It can still spread when a cold sore isn't present, but it does reduce the chances if there isn't one present at the time.[/quote]

Shouldn't the rule be that no one who has a cold sore should kiss the baby?  OP has given no indication that her MIL had a cold sore. One would think this would have been included in the original post, as it would clearly change the reactions. [/quote]

For the first eight weeks or so, I think it's just easier to say "no one kisses the baby," if that's the route you choose.  An adult can easily be contagious with an illness before showing symptoms, and we're still in cold and flu season.

Asking folks not to kiss the baby is on the strong end of caution, but I think within a range of normal especially this time of year.

I would be pretty frustrated that they specifically asked MIL not to do something with their child, and she did it anyway.  That kind of behavior undermines trust with the new parents, and it doesn't really matter what it's over.  I doubt the OP has the greatest relationship with her ILs to begin with.  I bet this isn't the first time MIL has crossed a boundary over one thing or another.

For the OP, if you want to push it, if you see her kiss the baby again, you can say, "As we already told you, per our pediatrician's recommendations to prevent the spread of illness, we're asking folks not to kiss the baby for the first couple of months" as you stand up to go take the baby back from her.  If not this, it's going to be something else with a certain type of MIL who doesn't understand that she's no longer in charge.[/quote]

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