Babies get hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) by catching a virus (usually a coxsackievirus) from other infected children or adults through close contact, contaminated surfaces, and poor hand hygiene.

How Do Babies Get Hand, Foot and Mouth?

HFMD spreads very easily , especially in babies and toddlers under 5, and in daycare or nursery settings where kids are close together.

Main Ways It Spreads

  • Breathing in droplets when someone with HFMD coughs, sneezes, or talks close by.
  • Contact with saliva or nasal mucus (sharing cups, toys that go in the mouth, pacifiers, cuddling and then touching baby’s face).
  • Contact with stool (poop), for example during diaper changes, or from a toy/surface touched after a diaper leak and then put into the mouth.
  • Fluid from the blisters on hands, feet, or around the mouth.
  • Touching contaminated surfaces (toys, tables, doorknobs) and then putting hands in the mouth, which babies do constantly.

A baby can catch HFMD from someone who feels only mildly sick or is already getting better, because the virus can stay in the body and be shed for weeks.

Where Babies Commonly Catch It

  • Daycare/childcare centers (shared toys, close play, frequent diaper changes).
  • Playgroups, soft play areas, family gatherings with young kids.
  • From older siblings who bring the virus home from school or nursery.

Quick Facts for Parents

  • HFMD is a viral illness, not related to the “foot and mouth disease” that affects animals.
  • Most cases are mild and clear in about 7–10 days.
  • Babies are usually most contagious in the first week, but can still spread the virus for weeks in stool.

Simple Ways to Reduce the Risk

  • Wash hands often (after diaper changes, before feeding, after wiping nose).
  • Clean and disinfect toys and high-touch surfaces regularly.
  • Avoid sharing cups, utensils, and pacifiers between children.
  • Keep a sick child home from daycare while they have fever or feel unwell, as advised by your pediatrician.

If your baby has fever, mouth sores, or a new rash on hands/feet/diaper area, or isn’t drinking well, contact your pediatrician or urgent care for specific medical advice.

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Learn how babies get hand, foot and mouth disease, how this contagious virus spreads in daycares and homes, and what parents can do right now to lower the risk.