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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to want my son to have a carbon monoxide detector with him on holiday

126 replies

Continuewithfacebook · 14/08/2023 08:28

18 YO DS is travelling around Europe staying in assorted accommodations, most of them for just the one night before he moves on to the next destination. Am I silly to want him to have a small portable carbon monoxide detector with him?

OP posts:
Frabbits · 14/08/2023 11:59

HoppingPavlova · 14/08/2023 11:00

I’d want a smoke alarm before a carbon monoxide one, as sure more people have died from being trapped and smoke inhalation/fire than carbon monoxide poisoning.

Most hotels/ hostels etc unless they are really scummy will already have fire/smoke alarms. CO alarms significantly less so.

It doesn't hurt to take one, they are easy to chuck in a case. Don't see the harm in taking one abroad.

gjg · 14/08/2023 12:12

I think I'm laid back, but when my 18 daughter said her air b and b in Barcelona stated it didn't have a carbon monoxide detector or fire alarm I bought one ( that did both ) for £15 from amazon and it took up no room in her luggage. I don't know why you wouldn't really, it is a risk and we have one at home so why not other places your asleep, especially as teens could well be drinks and sleeping heavily and less likely to wake themselves or each other.

GodspeedJune · 14/08/2023 12:19

I’ve got a fire angel model and the batteries last for years, 7 I think. I think it’s a good idea to take travelling, a small device that could save his life.

SpanielsMatter · 14/08/2023 12:19

Yes, just more or less insisted that friend’s daughter who will be living ( sharing digs) and working in London is bought one and uses it. Was part of our ‘When you are in England’ discussion which is now entering its 3rd week.
Youngsters travelling abroad need practical advice and care.

ImNotReallySpartacus · 14/08/2023 12:28

I think he should take a bodyguard and a personal food taster too.

BatheInTheLight · 14/08/2023 12:35

I don't think it's OTT. It's an odorless gas that you can't detect which can kill. Cheap peace of mind.

Missingthegore · 14/08/2023 12:41

Pulse oximetry is not a substitution
Do not advise it as a solution
I am pasting exactly what has been said earlier
Oxygen saturations measured with a pulse oximetry (ie what an Apple Watch or Fitbit uses) will appear normal in carbon monoxide poisoning, even if they are actually very low. The devices can’t differentiate between oxygen bound to haemoglobin, and carbon monoxide bound to haemoglobin, so it mistakes the carbon monoxide for oxygen and produces unreliable results, so shouldn’t be relied on if you’re worried about carbon monoxide poisoning.

A CO monitor is a lot less useful than a box of condoms.

FlakiestCornflakeInTheCerealBox · 14/08/2023 12:42

It's probably overkill but now that you mention it I wonder if we should always be doing this...

Lindy2 · 14/08/2023 12:46

You can buy carbon monoxide detector tabs/strips which are cardboard that changes colour if CO2 is detected. They would be very easy to carry in a rucksack.

Tartareistasty · 14/08/2023 12:47

Looking at main sources at home for carbon monoxide, no.
Dependa where he goes but most placea in europe as far as I know don't have gas fires, usually have electric water heaters or gas/solid fuel heater systems in basements, not gas indoor like in UK etc. Let alone in bedrooms😶
I know no one back in native eu country who had them except few who had gas boilers in flats.

MouseKeys · 14/08/2023 12:50

I got a new wall mounted one for our house this year and also ordered a small portable one which I can take with me when we go away. It cost nothing and is about the same size as a travel alarm clock, what's not to like!

Netcam · 14/08/2023 12:57

Lindy2 · 14/08/2023 12:46

You can buy carbon monoxide detector tabs/strips which are cardboard that changes colour if CO2 is detected. They would be very easy to carry in a rucksack.

Good idea. I have a small portable carbon monoxide/smoke detector that I have taken on holiday in the past. But if I tried to tell my 19 son to take one, he wouldn't take any notice and would find it embarrassing in front of friends. One of those strips might be a discreet option if you could convince him, but I think most older teens at the most want to be informed of risks and make their own decisions.

maddiemookins16mum · 14/08/2023 12:58

I was working in the travel industry when Bobby and Christi Shepherd died in 2006 (yes, that long ago). I never go anywhere abroad without my CM detector.

BCCoach · 14/08/2023 12:59

Where is he going that is going to be running their gas central heating in August?

WhosAfraidOfVirginalWolves · 14/08/2023 13:04

Until this thread, I've never heard of people taking CO detectors with them as standard, would never think to do so myself, and would have looked at my mum like she'd grown a second head if she'd ever suggested it.

I guess if you're used to doing it on family holidays, then he might agree to it. Otherwise, I doubt it would ever leave the packaging.

Lindy2 · 14/08/2023 13:08

BCCoach · 14/08/2023 12:59

Where is he going that is going to be running their gas central heating in August?

@BCCoach people still need hot water, even in the summer.

A gas cooker can also cause a Carbon Monoxide build up.

MasterBeth · 14/08/2023 13:08

maddiemookins16mum · 14/08/2023 12:58

I was working in the travel industry when Bobby and Christi Shepherd died in 2006 (yes, that long ago). I never go anywhere abroad without my CM detector.

Availability bias.

outdooryone · 14/08/2023 13:10

One of mine is solo travelling globally at the moment - 18 and currently in Asia.

I am more worried about many other things than carbon monoxide. That does not mean it is not a risk, but I think in context the likelihood is low.

Cupcakekiller · 14/08/2023 13:56

I have a 17 yo and in a year if he went off travelling alone, I'd be more concerned about him being a victim of violence/theft than carbon monoxide poisoning. It seems an obscure thing for you to focus on.

Tessisme · 14/08/2023 14:07

I always roll my eyes at DP when he suggests stuff like this, even though I know deep down that he's right. Nobody likes to think about the possibility of a tragedy happening on holiday, so we tend to stick our fingers in our ears and concentrate on how many pairs of knickers to bring.

YANBU, but you might have a job on your hands persuading him ...

Irridescantshimmmer · 14/08/2023 14:19

Thats a great idea.

Just make sure it has the BS numbers on it ( British Standard) and not the dodgy ones sold by some online sellers which don't work.

alexdgr8 · 14/08/2023 14:24

good idea.
we all should.
get him a good, non-bulky one.
might need a plug adaptor too.
or rather two adaptors, as he will probably be using one for charging etc.

Oblomov23 · 14/08/2023 14:25

Seems like overkill. Won't get used.

Excited101 · 14/08/2023 14:25

I don’t blame you op, booking Airbnb for France the other day, and it was quite scary how many didn’t have smoke or carbon monoxide alarms

Pekkala · 14/08/2023 14:38

I've just bought one for travel. It's very small and light. I'm a seasoned traveler in my 50s and not at all anxious but it seems like a very useful piece of kit as we will be travelling through several countries with rather cavalier attitudes to safety.
Even when I was a young backpacker I would always check accomodation for a fire escape/2nd stairway and refuse anything on a high floor without sufficient ways out. Even in 5 star places we go to now I make sure I know the exit routes. To me this is just common sense.