how can babies be diagnosed with warts if the parents don't have it

Hello thedivah,

Welcome to the EmpowHER community. Thank you for submitting a very interesting question.

It is very uncommon for children under two years of age to develop warts.

Warts are benign (not cancerous) skin growths that appear when a virus infects the top layer of the skin. Common warts can appear anywhere on the body, but develop most often on the hands.

Viruses cause warts, specifically any one of the more than 100 strains of the human papilloma virus (HPV).

A baby can pick up the virus from direct contact with another child or from an object the child touched.

I am referring to common warts, which should not be confused with genital warts. Genital warts are caused by specific strains of HPV through sexual contact with an infected person. If a child develops genital warts, suspect sexual abuse as a possible cause.

Regards,
Maryann