News Beat
Mum who slapped her mother for trying to kiss grandson sparks outrage & called a ‘bad parent’ & who’s ‘ruining his life’
A MUM who was criticised for not letting family members kiss her baby son has hit back at comments.
First-time parent Haeli Christiansen, 31, from Virginia, previously went viral showing her lightly hitting her mum’s head as she attempted to peck her grandson TJ on the head.
The clip, which racked up over 12million views, showed her mum retreating before she could kiss his forehead.
She wrote in the text: “Gently reminding my mom to not kiss my newborn”, adding in the caption: “The word of the day is ‘boundaries.’”
While many people agreed with her parenting rule, others said they felt bad for the grandma.
Haeli responded to the hate, telling the Mail: “It’s not that serious. People have gotten awfully worked up over something that has not impact on their lives whatsoever.
“My husband and I made a decision to try to keep our baby healthy and safe, and at the end of the day that means more to us than someone in the comments saying I’m a bad mum because someone can’t kiss my son for a couple months.”
Haeli gave birth to son TJ in October 2025, and explained it was the height of flu season at the time.
The mum-of-one said she made the decision to ban family or friends from kissing her newborn for the first six months.
She explained that infants “don’t have an established immune system or ability to fight illness themselves like adults do.”
Haeli added that a common cold for adults could result in her baby ending up in hospital in a “life threatening situation.”
She said that this scenario had happened to her as a baby, and she went to hospital twice after being kissed by a family member who didn’t know they were sick at the time.
Despite any outrage online, she said her family members “were not upset” by her request – and despite their comical skit, Haeli claims her mum suggested that she implemented it.
She said they both found the video “funny” when they made it, and didn’t expect any backlash.
Haeli stated: “I don’t slap my mom and she has a great relationship with me and my son. I didn’t think it was something that was so controversial.”
She also claims that she doesn’t plan on keeping TJ “in a bubble”, and the rule was just until he had built up immunity.
Some of the upset comments even went as far as to say she was “ruining her baby’s life” and that she was a “bad mum”.
However Haeli insisted that she is glad she posted the video as she hopes it’ll encourage new parents to “feel confident” in doing what they feel is best for their baby.
Should you let friends and family kiss your newborn baby?
AFTER you’ve had a baby, it can be very normal for friends and relatives to fawn over your little tot.
But a baby charity has warned that letting them kiss your newborn could put them at risk of serious infection.
That’s because young babies still have immature immune systems and are very vulnerable to infections.
A nationwide survey conducted by The Lullaby Trust found that 54 per cent of new and expectant parents remain unaware of this risk and would let friends and family kiss their baby.
Jenny Ward, chief executive of The Lullaby Trust said: “Even infections that cause mild symptoms such as a common cold in adults and older children can be life-threatening for babies.”
But the charity assured parents that the risk of your baby getting a serious infection can be greatly reduced if you follow three simple hygiene measures.
As part of their campaign to raise awareness around infection prevention, Lullaby Trust shared the T-H-A-N-K-S guidelines, which translates to Think Hands And No Kisses.
The steps everyone should follow when coming into contact with a newborn are:
- Wash your hands before you touch a baby
- Do not kiss a baby unless you are their parent or main carer – and even then, avoid kissing if you have an infection or are unwell
- Do not visit a baby if you are ill, have recently been ill, or have an infection – this includes colds, active cold sores, diarrhoea and vomiting illnesses
