AIBU to be worried about cigarette smoke wafting into our apartment from other apartments?

[honeytea]

I am not sure if I am being an over anxious new mum. My ds is 4 months old and I really struggle with concerns about his health.

We live in an apartment, our neighbours on both sides smoke on their balcony. We live on the top floor and we have a black roof, our apartment is already too hot. When they smoke they shut their doors and windows but we are not aware they are about to start smoking so we don't get the chance to shut our doors and windows.

Last summer I was pregnant and we asked our neighbours to let us know when they were going to smoke so we could shut all our windows/doors.

Last night one of the other neighbors had a party, the noise doesn't bother us at all but the party guests would go to the apartment entrance and smoke whith the door open so the smoke wafted up the stairs and there was a strongish smell of smoke in our apartment at bed time :(

I am wondering if I am being unreasonable to be so worried about this smoke, I am not sure if enough would get into our home to cause a danger. I am not worried about the smell it is the health risk I am worried about.

We have fans but I think especially the bedroom is still too hot for my baby to sleep in.

We have been to look at houses today with the thought of moving, it is such a shame because I love the location and the apartment we live in, am I being overly worried about the smoke?

[FutTheShuckUp]

You are being OTT. Think about the pollution in the air in general, a bit of smoke from people nearby is nothing

[prophylaxis]

I disagree with Fut, passive smoking is a lot worse than general air pollution unless you live in an especially polluted area. You are right to be concerned, but I'm not sure what the solution is. People have the right to smoke in their houses unless their leases specify otherwise.

[CurlyKiwiControl]

It would bother me tbh. If not from a health point of view, from a smell point of view. Why should your flat smell of smoke? And before anyone says anything, if you don't smoke the smell is vile and takes ages to disappear

[honeytea]

We have bought some gaffa tape (sp?) to block the gaps in the door and to tape up the postbox, I feel like a crazy person taping up my home.

I am really worried about the risk of sids, I know that cigerette smoke is a risk factor and also being to hot is a risk factor, before ds was born we would sleep with the window open but now I worry that the smell of smoke will come into the room whilst I sleep and I won't notice and ds will be sleeping in a smoky room but if we don't open the window the room is really really hot.

[HeySoulSister]

well this is part of society and living close together isnt it.....a bit of give and take?

[honeytea]

I do understand that it is about give and take, I just feel like should i "give" my child's health. The smell I am not bothered about, the silly thing is that bbq-ing is banned on our balconies because it is seen as antisocial.

We are really relaxed about noisy parties.

[expatinscotland]

YABU

[IneedAsockamnesty]

I'm not sure honeytea and you might want to ask a HCP but covering all the vents and the room being far to hot is quite possibly more dangerous than smoke wafting in from the next door neighbours.

Could you put another fan on the windowsill blowing out of it so it blows most of the smoke away?

[honeytea]

We do have an air con unit but it needs an outlet so it needs an open window really, we have resorted to sticking the outlet tube out of our bedroom door so we have the door gaffa taped up and the air con tube sticking out of our bedroom door so the hall is very hot but oh well we don't spend much time in the hall and a cool bedroom is most important.

[Freddiemisagreatshag]

You are over-reacting.

[IneedAsockamnesty]

Doing that with the air con sounds like it defeats the point of using it. Do you not have a little window the hose can go out of?

[TheCatIsUpTheDuff]

You're quite understandably overreacting.

[honeytea]

No little window but the bedroom is cool, I guess when we turn it off the hot air from the hallway will come in :(

[IneedAsockamnesty]

Get a bit of cardboard cut a hole in it so the hose fits through it and gaffa tape that to the open window,it will let the hot air out but block the smoke from coming in.

[Corygal]

Yes.

[imour]

you sound a bit over protective tbh , bit mad taping everything up .

[PasswordProtected]

Move

[Dawndonna]

Is this real?
If not, and you've got to the point whereby you are taping windows, doors, the letterbox, you need help.

[Ouchmyhead]

I don't think it would do any harm really, surely a minimal amount gets in. Saying that I would be so annoyed if my home smelt of cigarettes from someone else, but I guess that's the downside of living in apartments - you can't really dictate what people do in their own space.

[MacaYoniAndCheese]

YANBU. This is a real health concern and there shouldn't have to be any 'give and take' when it comes to protecting your baby from 2nd hand smoke .

[MyDarlingClementine]

Honey

We have the same problem.

People on both sides of us smoke, I cannot open my main windows to get fresh air because our neighbours smoke outside so as not to get smoke in their own houses!

So we have a ridiculous situation where we cannot get fresh air in our house, due to them not wanting to smoke in their houses.

I just cant wait to move tbh.

I have thought about asking on one side if they could slightly move their smoking table to one side....but have never plucked up the courage.

[honeytea]

My dp went down to the apartments without balconies (they are the ones who smoke by the front door) and asked them if they minded smoking a little further away from the door and making sure the doory is closed, the problem is that after 9pm the door is locked so when they have parties their friends stand in the door holding the door open and smoking so lots of the smoke just goes into the building. They were all lovely and said they hadn't realised and they would smoke a little further away from the building.

I think moving is the only real solution unfortunatly.

[VitoCorleone]

Taping up your letterbox? Thinking of moving? Most OTT thing ive ever read on here

[Freddiemisagreatshag]

I really mean this nicely, but are you this anxious about other things to do with your baby? Because this is an ott reaction.

[Earthworms]

Hmm, you do sound over anxious.

Been there myself, and it turned into full blown PND


First, if you are worried about the smoke, get the gp to carbon monoxide test you, like they do at smoking clinics to see if the smoker has really given up, that should show you if there is a real problem in your flat or not. They are extremley sensitive and even picked up that dh had walked along a busy (polluted) road to get to the clinic.

Second, talk through your anxieties with the midwife, I know I needed outside help to get any sense of perspective in those early weeks.

Third, untape the vents, if your boiler or water heater is running without the ventilation it was designed to have, chances are you are at serious risk of carbon monoxide poisoning which is potentially fatal for all of you.