Smoking when a baby is around

[emkaren]

I've just come back from a week in Germany (where I come from). One thing that really annoyed me (again) was that in Germany it's near enough impossible to find a restaurant which has a non-smoking section - usually you're allowed to smoke anywhere, which both puts me off my food and which I won't accept if I have my 11 week old daughter with me. My friends in Germany couldn't believe it when I said I would only have lunch with them in a place where there wouldn't be any smoking - they thought I was seriously exaggerating. So I was wondering what you Mumsnetters thought - do you take your babies to places where people smoke? At what age would you start to get more relaxed about it? With dd1 I've been less paranoid about it since she turned one, as one of the main reasons I take it so seriously is my fear of SIDS, but I still try to keep her away from a smoky environment whenever I can.
Would be very interested to hear other people's opinions on this!

I feel the same way as you - especially at 11 weeks. I did become better about it probably when DD turned around 1, if I had no choice. Basically, I always try to keep DD out of a smoky environment even now that she is 19 months.

I agree with you, Emkaren! Occasionally we did find ourselves in places where people smoked, and used to take him out, or to another room if possible. When we visited people's houses, we always found that the smokers would just not lihgt up, or go outside, without any prompting from us. Must be different in germany. DS is now 2, and I still don't take him into smoky places. have you seen those horrible freaky passive smoking ads, with smoke coming from babies nostrils? Perhaps they should show them in Germany!

I would not take my 7.5 mos baby inside to a smoky environment. I could tolerate sitting outside a cafe and someone somewhere smoking though I wouldn't be happy and would leave asap once we'd finished. I also feel the same about my 8 yr old son.

I agree with you totally emkaren, there is no way I would take DD or DS into a smokey environment, its bad enough going out for the night and clothes stinking of smoke when you get home. I think it is a worry when they are very small, slightly more relaxed with DD who is 3.6.

I'd never take our DS's smoky places too and don't let anyone one smoke in my house either, infact when my Mum came to visit recently I even said no to smoking in the garden as well as she still smells horribly smoky when she comes in and she flicks the cigarette ends over the fence.....into next doors garden.
If DH goes out he has to get undressed in the bath room as the smell of smoke on his clothes in the bedroom makes me feel ill.

Yuk Yuk Yuk it disgusting.

Emma I make DH get undressed on the landing. But the smoke still gets off his hair onto the pillow and he has a number 2 all over so not much hair. Agree with the risk to babies because of SIDS.

Emkaren - both my dh and I smoke, but I feel the same as you. We do not let people smoke in our house.... we smoke in the back garden.

When ds was very young I didn't smoke at all except when we went out for a night out. But DH always washed his hands before handling ds.

My parents never quite grasped this concept. The Germans must be of the same thinking as them.... its not rrrrreally going to do any harm. Well it does!
It caused a huge rift between my Mum and I when I found out she was actually SMOKING in the room ds SLEPT when he stayed over night at hers!!!!
(long story)

Anyway.... what I'm saying is although we smoke we both feel the same about smoke around babies and children. We are a bit more relaxed now. Ds is 2.3yrs though.

Your post really surprised me, are your friends not parents? We know quite a few german couples or couples where one half is german and they seem to take this sort of stuff very seriously. Perhaps it's the people we know thouh, tend to be a bit Steiner...

I wouldn't have taken an 11 wk old anywhere smokey and even now avoid fag fumes as much as poss (she's 2.8y)

dh and I quit smoking when I got pregnant (nearly 2 years ago!) which is great, but several of our smoking friends won't visit us any more because we won't let them smoke in our house. Very sad that cigarettes come before friendship - guess it's one way of finding out who your real friends are.

No I won't take my dd into a smoky environment, and often quite militantly in restaurants make loud stage whispery comments about how vile smoking is (I really am an opinionated person - must be more tolerant!)

Actually even pre dd when it was just me and dh I would avoid smoky environments because I am a chesty person (no not big boobs!!) and would develop a smokers cough for a day or so after exposure to smoky environments.