Is it safe to blow on a baby's face? Potential harm and benefits explained

Question

I've noticed parents blowing on their baby's face to stop crying. While effective, could this practice potentially harm the baby in any way? Are there any benefits to doing so?

Answer 1

Blowing on the face is a common trick. It triggers a reflex to hold the breath for a short moment. That stops the crying, and can also be used when washing the child's face etc.

I am not aware of any consequences of this, neither positive nor negative.

Answer 2

If you are blowing softly, it could hardly harm the child. Anything under x knots should be fine, where x is a reasonable value determined by humourless scientists.