neighbour smoking in car with new baby

[rosabelrain]

ok so I was dropping dd's off at school and I passed by my neighbours car. Her husband was in the car smoking a cigar with the windows shut and their 6mnth old baby in the back.
The baby has asthma and has had lots of chest/ cough/ breathing problems over the past 6 months.
I didnt know that the husband smoked and was really shocked to see him smoking with the baby in the back.

To me this counts as child abuse, especially as the baby has all these health issues.

Bacically what should/ can i do?

do i ask the mum what she thinks? do i ask the dad?

do i tell the health visitor?

I dont feel i can just sit back knowing that he is smoking arround the baby and it is probably greatly contributing to her health issues.

any advise on how to deal with this tricky situation without totally falling out with my neighbours.

It's awful, and probably the reason the baby has asthma in the first place, but not really any of your business, I'm afraid.

I've never heard of a baby having been diagnosed with asthma at such a young age.

How do you know about all the health problems the baby has?

My neighbour smokes in the car too with 3 DC inc a baby. It's grim but tbh nothing you can do about it, it's not illegal to smoke with kids in cars although I believe the British Lung Foundation have launched a campaign to ban it.

Unless your neighbours ask for your opinion or the issue otherwise lands in your lap, stay out of it.

They wont class it as asthma until, I think, they get to 3. But baby could still have lots of chest problems.

Smoking definitely wont be helping.

Could you have a chat with the HV? They may be able to have a quiet word.

This is really not any of your business, you know. There is absolutely nothing that you can do that won't make you come across as an interfering busybody. Sorry but I think that's the truth. There are no laws against this - not yet, anyway.

i know it's not really any of my business but i dont feel i can just sit back and watch when i know how ill baby is. my oldest dd is best friends at school with their boy so we do have some relationship in that our children play together alot. i think maybe i'll talk to the health visitor and see if she can say something ...

That sounds pretty grim... is is still legal in UK? I live in a middle eastern country where you can smoke pretty much everywhere still, but they have made it illegal to smoke in a car with anyone under the age of 12.

rosabelrain You say you can't just sit back and watch, but...well...it's not your baby and although it's not good, it's really nothing to do with you.

Sorry!

id prob have a word with the hv. might be interfering but feel that as the baby has no one to stick up for her then you could do this.

i know i probably come accross as an interfering neighbour. but like you say 'brian...balls' the baby has no one to stick up for her.

The mum is 32 yrs younger than the dad, he seems to dominate the relationship. i know she doesnt smoke and is, from what i've gathered from past conversations, fairly anti smoking. so i feel that maybe a bit of support from other people might help get him to stop smoking arround he baby.