# co-sleeping when dad smokes?



## dziwozony (Aug 27, 2006)

anyone have any specific data on WHY it's dangerous to co-sleep when dad smokes? i've caught glimpses of the theory that when a smoker sleeps they exhale some sort of poisonous gas, but this is just people mentioning it. i would love to see any actual studies!

i've never smoked but dp smokes (usually about 10 a week, so not too heavily)...but never around us.

i keep finding things on the internet that emphasizes the dangers of mum smoking, & then throws in "& dad too" but doesn't go into detail about it.

can anyone help shed some light on this??

my ds is 1 year old now & all is well, but we are expecting another at the end of the year.

thanks =)


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## mean_jeannie (Mar 3, 2007)

I can't cite any studies, but I think the issue is that cigarette smokes gets caught up in the fabric of clothing and people's hair, and so forth. So that when a smoker is in close proximity of a non-smoker, it has a second-hand smoke effect.

I would think that so long as dad doesn't smoke a cigarette in his pjs and then just jumps right into bed all smoky, it would be okay. I would probably put forth some rules about being "smoke free" before getting into bed.

I am a reformed smoker and I used to air myself out for a while before coming inside. I didn't like to smell it either!

HTH


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## emilymommy (Mar 14, 2006)

We have co-slept with 2 babies from birth and my dh smokes, I do not. I have also worried about this, my solution is to make sure dh does not SMELL of cigarettes and the baby/child always sleeps next to me on the side, not between dh and I. I really don't even like dh handling the babies at all when he smells of smoke, just the smell of it creates the same second hand smoke effects.


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## berkeleyp (Apr 22, 2004)

Second hand smoke requires inhaling actual smoke. Being around someone who smells like smoke or who "off gasses" in their sleep would be third hand smoke. I doubt if there is a lot, if any, data to support the dangers for 3rd hand smoke. Most kids whose parent/s smoke aren't careful and smoke in the house in front of the kids. Many of these folks also may have other risk factors for whatever they are blaming on the 3rd hand smoke. I'm not saying there is zero effect but i seriously doubt it poses much threat. I am a former smoker and dh still smokes about 5-10/day but NEVER in the house or near my daughter. We co-sleep. Frankly i'm more concerned about the million other hazards like air and water pollution and plastics than I am about 3rd hand smoke from dh or his clothes which hardly smell cause he always smokes outside. How bad can it really be?


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## Lily Eve (Feb 15, 2008)

My worry would be that the baby gets used to the smell of smoke and associates it with something parental and comforting which would affect him or her later in life when they smell cigarette smoke and associate it with something good, rather than bad. So the worry is a psychological one.

All that being said, I think it best to tell your hubby to give it up as what will he tell the child when it's older? Parents should try to set good examples.

My husband used to smoke but I wouldn't have married him and had a child with him if he hadn't stopped. In fact, I even went so far as to tell him when I was pregnant that if he ever smoked again that I would exit the country and he would never see me or his unborn child -- that was how seriously I felt about it.

As he obviously knew that smoking was bad and he wanted to be a father, he agreed and now he is ever so happy that he did and laughs that he was ever foolish enough to smoke in the first place! And as he works from home and I'm with him 24 hours a day, I can honestly say that he's done great. And he knows that if he was ever tempted that my threat still holds true.

Also, there were no withdrawal symptoms as I told him that if he felt grumpy he'd better suck it up and be a man because I didn't want to deal with a bad attitude simply because he'd gotten himself hooked on cigarettes before he met me. So ya know what? He acted happy and all was well. I'd make a great drill sergeant, lol!! And my husband thanks me for waking him up. So just a thought if anyone wants to get their significant other to stop smoking...there has to be an incentive to stop. And in this case it was either be single and alone for the hubby or have a family. It was an easy choice for him.


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## heket (Nov 18, 2003)

Dh smokes, and has since long before the thought of conception of our two children. They are now almost 5 and 3, we still cosleep. Smoking has not caused me concern since both dh and I agreed that this was an outside of the house practice. Even now, if the kids come charging toward him while he is smoking outside, he moves away from them.

He also airs out after a cigarette. One of my greatest pet peeves is his smelling like smoke directly after having a cigarette. So he take a bit of time to air out to insure that most of the smoke smell has left his clothing. It's not a 100% gone, but he doesn't come directly into the house smelling like smoke either (same with the car.)

He has done this since before the kids were born.


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## Devaya (Sep 23, 2007)

I've been worried about this too, as we co sleep and DP is a frequent smoker. He has tried to quit more times than I can mention, and I dont find being a Nazi about it helps at all...I have just had to accept it is his battle and he will quit when his desire to do so is really greater than what he gets out of it. So I just sleep with the LO on my side, ask him to wash his hands after smoking,w hich he only does outside, and i guess that'll have to do.


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## 2xshy (Nov 27, 2007)

I worried about this too. DH smokes, but only outside and always washes his hands before handling DD. Also his clothes never touch the bed, and he often showers before coming to sleep. DD sleeps beside me not in the middle partly because of this and partly because DH isn't as aware of her while sleeping as I am.


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