First-Time Parent Slaps Her Mom to ‘Gently Remind Her’ Not to Kiss Her Baby — and Internet Has Thoughts

Haeli Christiansen drew a clear line with her family — and the internet immediately weighed in.

The first-time mom, who documents early parenthood on TikTok, posted a video on Jan. 1 showing her mother holding her newborn. In the clip, Christiansen leans in and kisses her son on the cheek. When her mom moves to do the same, Christiansen reaches over and lightly taps her on the head to stop her.

Text on the video reads, “Gently reminding my mom to not kiss the newborn,” and her caption summed it up in one word: “boundaries.”

In the comments, plenty of viewers were confused — and some were critical — about why she would block her mom from kissing the baby.

“I would be so sad as a grandma,” one commenter wrote. “I have two grandkids and was never told to not kiss them on their head,” said another.

Christiansen later explained that the boundary wasn’t about withholding affection — it was about protecting her baby’s health during the first months.

“My husband and I made the decision to not have extended family or friends kiss our newborn for the first few months after birth because he was born in the middle of ‘sick season’ and newborns don’t have an immune system,” she said. “A common cold for adults could land a newborn in the hospital and be a life-threatening situation.”

She added that her caution is shaped by personal experience. As a baby, she said she was hospitalized twice after relatives kissed her without realizing they were sick — and that history is exactly why her mom supports the rule now.

“So my mom is actually one of the biggest advocates for not kissing my baby herself,” Christiansen said, adding that her mother encouraged her to hold firm on the boundary even before the baby was born.

Still, she didn’t expect the clip to trigger such a strong reaction online.

“I was shocked with the debate the video sparked!” she said, noting she hadn’t gotten pushback from either her family or her in-laws. Seeing the comments, she added, was eye-opening: “A lot of people said I was a bad mom… It seems like a much deeper conversation that can’t be had in TikTok comments.”

Christiansen also pushed back on the idea that the rule has harmed her mother’s bond with the baby. She said their relationship is strong — and that her mom has been deeply supportive, even from out of state.

“Their relationship is great! My mom loves him,” she said, explaining that her mother has even considered moving closer to help out.

Finally, Christiansen clarified something that got lost in the discourse: the video was meant to be funny. She said she didn’t actually slap her mom, and that the moment was played up as a joke — even if the “no kissing” rule is real.

“Though there is a layer of truth… the video was obviously a joke,” she said. “We made the video and laughed about it, thinking it would maybe get a few hundred views… not spark the massive debate that it has!”