Smoke on clothes and newborns

[chody47]

Hi all!

I'm wondering if anyone can offer me a little bit of help here.

Our baby is due in about a months time and I'm really worried about the fact that my parents smoke (resulting in their clothes stinking of smoke) and the effect this might have on our baby.

Without trying to sound like ridiculously overprotective parents, from what DH and I understand, there is research out there that suggests smoke on clothes may contribute to an increased risk of SIDS. Everything I read seems to have conflicting advice, some articles say that it's only passive smoking that will increase this risk but some discussion boards that I've read say that the smoke on the clothes might also be harmful. So basically I was wondering if anyone here can point me in the right direction for some conclusive evidence either way?

Oh, just to show what I'm up against, I have casually mentioned to my parents on more than one occasion that I don't want them smelling like smoke when they are around the baby (especially when they are really young). My Dad gets really defensive about this, saying how we were around them and we turned out ok and saying that if that is the case then they will never get to see the baby....

Is this worth fighting over???

[~clover~]

Actually when we were in hossy with DD3 the mw did say it would be best for DH to change his shirt or take it off after a ciggarette before holding DD.
I'd maybe ask them to have a shirt or something to put over their clothes? I don't think you're being over protective, but maybe you'll need to prepare for the 'it didn't hurt you' argument...
This is your baby & they should respect your wishes. My dad & MIL have always been heavy smokers & neither of them smoke in their own homes if DD is there, even though they normally do.

[mummajj]

yes. i think this is worth standing your ground over for sure.

it is a good idea to have a "smokers jacket" for smokers to wear outside when they have a smoke, so they dont smell as much like smoke around the newborn. remember all the cigarette chemicals would stay on the hands of the smoker, which bub would inhale. unless ur parents were very mindful to thoroughly wash their hands.

http://www.smokefreebaby.org.au/index.php
http://raisingchildren.net.au/articl...hlight=smoking

[Jennifer13]

If this is important to you, then yes, it's worth laying down some ground rules. Evidence is going to be inconclusive at best. We made my MIL stop using perfume. She would absolutely douse herself in cheap stuff and if you tried to hug her you'd feel like choking, not to mention that you'd smell like her perfume for the rest of the day. I come from an allergy-ridden, sensitive skin family and didn't want to take any chances. We explained it to her nicely and for my overly-dramatic MIL the issue never came up. We also demonstrated by other things that we were concerned about this (use of only certain things on our baby's skin and to wash her clothes and bedding). So she understood we weren't picking on her, which we weren't.

Maybe show them some info on the effects of smoke on new babies and ask that they respect your wishes as parents nicely. Maybe suggest a certain amount of time between smoking and holding the baby? GL!

[ubba82]

I dont know of any articles to point you in the direction of but I was under the understanding that smoke on clothes could be harmful to babies. Even if its not then the smell would surley upset the baby. I am an ex smoker and smelling it on someones clothes now makes my eyes itchy and my nuse runny so I can only imagine what it would be like for a little nose that only knows the smell of its mum IYKWIM?
I definately think its worth fighting for. It is your child. Your dad should be more understanding towards your concerns and his grandchild.
Yes you turned out fine, but research and studies have come along way to help protect and support these babies. The sids rate has dropped dramatically since all these preventative measures were put in place.

A bit off topic but still relevant I guess, when I was born in 1982 in Queensland, it wasn't the law to have your children in a properly fitted restraint. I was bought home in a moses basket on the floor in my dads ute. Now research and the law now state that all children under a certain age and weight must be restrained in a prperly fitted age appropriate restraint.

I guess Im trying to say that things change over the years and what may have been ok once upon a time, isnt ok now.

Sorry for the rant - I hope I made sense. I just got really passionate about it xx

[Pretty Butterfly]

To me, it would definantly be worth fighting over!!

I hate the smell in general, let alone the health risk.

I have heard they are now telling b/f mums to wash their breasts and change clothes before feeding bub, as the toxins can come out of the skin, and they are definatly in the clothes.

I hate smokers touching my kids after smoking... even the big ones.

eta, I was also bought home on the floor of the car, and my mum smoked in MATERNITY when she had us kids!! The "old way" certainly wasnt the best!!! LOL

[Traveller]

I would say you are very right to be concerned about this. My youngest son became very ill following a visit to my mums house (pneumonia). He had lung issues anyway, and my mum is a smoker, but she never smoked around the children. I found out after he started getting ill that she was smoking in the living room after we went to bed, so he was waking up a few hours later in a room with smoke on the curtains, carpet, couch, etc. After this I am extremely paranoid about smoke clinging to fabrics, and if I have been socialising with a smoker I will change my clothes before cuddling my kids. I'm not a germ-a-phobe either, we don't go OTT on antibacterial handwash, etc, but on this I feel you can't be too careful as there is plenty of research that shows the effect of passive smoking on health.

[chody47]

Thanks everyone for your replies so far. It's making me feel like I am not completely paranoid!

I think I will try to suggest that any smokers have either a 'smoking jacket' they can remove before touching the baby or a clean top to put on before touching the baby. Washing hands will also be a must, as well as trying to get the smoke out of their breath.

I think perhaps going down the allergy-ridden/medical issues path might be a good spin on things too, as although my parents don't know this (I think anyway) there are lots of allergies/medical issues on DH's side (e.g. lactose intolerant, wheat allergies, nut allergies, coeliac disease, epilepsy (don't think my parents realise DH has this in fact!)).

I will also let them know that we will be mentioning the same things to other smokers (although admittedly the only ones on DH's side are a couple of his Aunties).

I hope it goes well

[Jennifer13]

I think perhaps going down the allergy-ridden/medical issues path might be a good spin on things too, as although my parents don't know this (I think anyway) there are lots of allergies/medical issues on DH's side (e.g. lactose intolerant, wheat allergies, nut allergies, coeliac disease, epilepsy (don't think my parents realise DH has this in fact!))

Blaming it on DH's genes will be less likely to offend your Dad. Throw in that DH was susceptible to cold and chest things as a child and had numerous infections. That's probably why my MIL didn't mind so much, we blamed me and my side of the family.

[chody47]

Blaming it on DH's genes will be less likely to offend your Dad. Throw in that DH was susceptible to cold and chest things as a child and had numerous infections. That's probably why my MIL didn't mind so much, we blamed me and my side of the family.

Good idea! I just might do that

[~Raven~]

There is nothing worse than having your baby handed back to you and she reeks of cigarette smoke that has "rubbed off" that persons clothes. I really don't think smokers realise how bad they smell sometimes!

[MummaSue]

My parents came over to stay with us when DD was 4 weeks old and they are heavy smokers. There was one day that my mum had been holding DD just after she'd had a cigarette and DD was stinking of smoke. I blew my top. They were very careful after that. But I am absolutely 100% convinced that their second hand smoke aggravated DD's reflux and I've told them so since then. She needed to be put on medication for her reflux after they left and while I know that the smoke isn't the one and only cause of her reflux, it most definitely contributed to it.

For me, it's absolutely unacceptable to smoke around babies if the parents don't want you to (and at all!!). You're not being over the top at all hun.
X

[Nicole]

Oh dear. I hope bub is ok and your mum understands

[Moi]

Sorry I'm a bit late coming on board with this. My mother is a smoker and I did research into "third hand smoke" (Google it there's lots of info out there. This is a great place to start though: http://www.abc.net.au/science/articl...09/2814199.htm). Third hand smoke is the chemicals that seep into clothes, walls, floors, etc from cigarettes. It's not conclusive yet whether people are at risk from third hand smoke but a study did find that "cancer-causing compounds linger on surfaces for months" (quoted from the abc website link above). Anyway, I do believe if there are cancer-causing, nasty chemicals seeping into clothes, walls, etc then they can be released and affect people. So I talked to my mother about it, which was hard, but I told her that there are studies that show these chemicals get into objects and linger for a very long time. When she visits me she has to smoke outside of course and I make her wear a smokers jacket. After she finishes her cigarette she has to linger outside for a few minutes, so all the smoke is fully exhaled from her lungs. When she comes indoors she takes off the jacket and washes her hands. Only then can she interact with my DD. I also rarely visit my mum at her place because of the fear of the chemicals at her place (she smokes indoors). But sadly I've needed her to pick up my DD sometimes and she does smoke in the car (not while DD is in there!!) but my DD always comes home smelling of cigarettes and it really upsets me. So I do try and avoid having DD in my mother's car. It's also very hard when I need my mother to babysit because she will hold out for as long as possible but sometimes gives in and "has" to have a cigarette. She will take my DD outside for a walk and smoke and I really worry about second hand smoke getting into my DDs lungs.

It's so hard when you have a parent/s who smoke and you want/need them in your and your children's lives. But I think it's important to protect your child from as much exposure to cigarettes as possible. I would do anything to ensure my DD's health and telling my mother to abide by a few rules is better than risking my DD becoming ill because I didn't do anything IMO.

Good luck with it all!