to want a non-smoking nursery key worker for my baby?

[jkklpu]

My ds2 will be joining ds1 at my work nursery for 3 days/week when he's 9 months old. Nursery is fantastic with lovely staff and low turnover.

The thing is, there are 4 f-t staff in the baby room and 1 is a smoker. I know this because she's usually outside the building finishing her fag when I drop ds1 off in the morning. I really don't want my baby to spend much of his day being cuddled by someone who stinks of cigarettes and am thinking of asking the manager discreetly whether he can have any of the others as key workers instead.

What do you think?

School and nursery very different. A teacher doesn't generaly spend that much time in very close cuddling environments with a pupil. A key worker and baby would.

quite right, hulababy, but I suspect that they wouldn't disallow her from looking after babies because of it...

YANBU, the smell of stale smoke can be replusive to non smokers and for this and other reasons I would not want my child cuddled by a smoker.

well, it is harmful for babies to be held by someone who is a smoker
to what extent I don't know, and what risks you find acceptable, I don't know either, but it does have an effect - parents who smoke don't remove all the ill effects from their children just by smoking outside - their bodies 'breathe out' toxins afterwards also

it's why it;s not recommended to co-sleep if you ot your partner smoke - the baby is getting a dose of the chemicals from the cigarettes every night

No, but would be asked to deal with it, esp if complaints from paying parents. If this woman does smell of smoke I would expect the same treatment and for the woman to be asked to deal with the issue, even if it meant not smokking in the last couple of hours before work. It is still a hygiene issue.

I can def understand why people would not like thier child to be subjected to breathing in stale smoke smells all day.

and don't forget to make sure all the staff are not allowed to eat peanuts/peanut products either.

It wouldn't bother me but I can understand how it might some people. I don't really see what you can do about it tbh.

Actually you can refuse to employ someone because they smoke

I do

The Jobcentre has told me that I cannot refuse to employ someone because they don't have a car because that is discrimination on the grounds of possibile poverty, but that I can chose not to employ who smokes as that is their choice

FandZ was going to add this to my post but wasn't in the mood to flame things IYKWIM

As smoke particles stick to clothing there is ongoing research to discover if this holds the same risk as passive smoking for cot death. Whilst some may say there is no research to say it does, I would say there is no research to say it doesn't either so I would be unhappy for my child's key worker to be a smoker.

Yes I agree with you. I think that if someone wants to work in a nursery with small children then they shouldn't smoke.

I think it's really bad form that they allow smoking of staff outside the building - I think it looks BAD for accompanying small children who might have 'graduated' and are picking up younger siblings.

YANBU, you are the customer, I also wouldn't want to leave a 9 month old with a smoker as a key worker.

I think it is the smoker breathing out the stuff, curlywurly, long after they have finished their cigarette

found this from an NHS report on co-sleeping:

"Smoking remains a very high risk. If a two week old baby shares a bed with a smoker, the risk of the baby dying is 27 times higher than if the baby?s parents are not smokers, and the baby sleeps in a separate cot."

so it has a real and very measurable impact to spend the night breathing next to someone who smokes

what impact it could have to be cuddled by a person who smokes through the day I don't know - but there will be some effect

Is this discrimination anyway? Surely it is only discrimintion if it is something you can't help/have no choice in - colour, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, health issues, disabilities, etc. Smoking is a lifestyle choice, not soemthing you have to do.

oh fgs.

What about someone who lives with a smoker? Should they not be allowed to work with children either?
I smoke - but last time I checked children were not dropping dead around me because of toxins emanating from my body.
There is no evidence at all to show that smokers are a risk to children when they are not smoking.
I take it you have all checked that your children's teachers/key workers etc etc are non-smokers??

"There is no evidence at all to show that smokers are a risk to children when they are not smoking."

See below re. cot death link, etc.

Nervousal, there is evidence to show that being in close proximity and breathing next to a smoker (NOT while they are smoking) puts young babies at risk

I can understand it's uncomfortable to think about it, but there is evidence to back this up - we aren't making it up

As a childcare manager I ensure that none of my staff are smokers/smell of smoke or have patners who smoke so heavily it would affect the smell of the person I employ

I feel it is vitally important and have 'not employed' severa people because of this

"There is no evidence at all to show that smokers are a risk to children when they are not smoking".

I don't know about that.

But smokers stink of smoke, and the OP has every right to raise her concerns with the setting that she is paying to take care of her child.

i am also surprised that she is allowed to smoke directly outside the building. When dd went to a similar establishment, I only ever saw staff smoking when they were off-duty and right out on the street, out of sight of the children.

I would be more worried about the fact that she is giving bad example to the children than the smell tbh

Fortunately dd2's first lovely key worker was not a smoker. But her second keyworker was & smoke is one of my least favourite smells (smoke and the smell of cooking fat make me heave), but dd was by then more mobile and I have to say this young woman was a fab nursery teacher. Nor did she wreak of smoke. So I would prefer them not to be a smoker, but it would depend how smelly they were tbh.

I thought the evidence re smoking and cot death related to being in a ouse with a smoker - rather than being looked after by someone who smoked? I don't think you're making it up - I just think you are taking it out of context and reacting out of proportion to any increased risk.

Just would like to agree with Hulababy that smokers as a group are not protected from discrimination.

You even ask if their partners smoke..........thats a bit much surely?

Hmm are all the people who are saying YABU actually smokers ... ?

see here