Co-sleeping / smoking?

[Boymama301]

My baby is 9 weeks old and I have started co sleeping with him, we both love it and sleep so much better however I am an occasional smoker, I started again after pregnancy as my baby spent his first weeks in NICU due to a blockage in his bowel and I stupidly picked up the cigs again to get me through the nights without him.

Now I’ll have a couple a day but my general rule of the thumb is i will never smoke indoors, it is outdoors only with all windows and doors shut and once I’ve had a shower or bath in the evening I won’t smoke anymore so when I get to bed I am cleaned, teeth are brushed and my clothes / hair etc will have no smoke - I also mouthwash etc etc.

Is anyone else co-sleeping and a smoker? Or can anyone tell me if this is still a big no?

I wouldn't. Smoking is one of the leading causes of SIDS and thats the key reason second hand mattresses are a no-go so actually being a smoker in the same bed isn't wise.

Do you breastfeed? Do you have a partner in the bed that also smokes?

You don’t want to quit?

@PinkPlantCase I’m not breastfeeding and my partner is a social smoker

I used to do the same and my kids are fine but am sure a million MN users will be along soon to let you know you're worse than the devil x

Could you try quitting? Im an ex smoker (stopped a year before i fell pregnant thankfully) so I know how bloody hard it is but surely it's not worth the risk. Especially if your partner also smokes socially.

@EyesAsGreenAsAFreshPickledToad yes definitely , but currently I’ve been having a few and this is why I’m asking the question. I don’t want to get in to what has been going on but unfortunately my quick escape from reality has been a cigarette in silence for a few minutes and I know it’s not a great excuse but it’s helping me cope at the minute

The fact that you shower, wash your hair, put on clean clothes and brush your teeth after your last smoke before bed every night would make me think the risk is minimal.
Obviously it's not ideal and I've never been a smoker myself but from seeing my DP try to quit when our baby was born, it isn't an easy thing to do so it's not as easy as "just stopping"

Don’t do it

It is not safe to co sleep if either you or your partner (if also in the bed) are smokers.

I know how hard it is to quit, believe me, but please don't co-sleep. You're FF and a smoker, 2 known risk factors.

The lullaby trust advises not to co-sleep if you or your partner smoke.

Smoking increases your babys risk of SIDs, especially if not BF and co-sleeping.

It wouldn't be worth it for me personally.

If any person in the bed smokes then bedsharing is not advised due to it being unsafe.
Have a look at safe cosleeping and bedsharing advice if you want to cosleep safely.

Thank you everyone - I am packing in the habit as I did it before pregnancy I know I can do it again. I know it’s not worth it. But quick question, My baby mostly sleeps in his Chicco next to me - assuming this is OK?

www.lullabytrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/fact-sheet-smoking.pdf
It’s not recommended. Smoking is a really significant risk factor for SIDS. Maybe try to switch to nicotine replacement therapy or vape?

Do not co-sleep if you or your partner smokes. Research has shown that the link between co-sleeping (even using a co-sleeper cot) and SIDS is greater if a parent smokes. If either parent smokes, consider keeping your baby in a bedside bassinet in your room rather than a co-sleeper cot

The above was on a website about co-sleeping with a bedside cot - www.cosleepercots.co.uk/guide/ it looks like they apply the same rules to bedside cribs as actual bed sharing

It’s a massive no. Probably the most important safe sleep rule.

You have to stop either the smoking or the co-sleeping right away.

I thought part of the issue with smoking and babies was that your carbon monoxide levels are elevated after smoking and as it’s in you, you can’t wash it off or make it leave your body any faster. So after smoking you are literally breathing a toxic gas onto your baby?

I may be wrong though as I’m not a smoker so I’ve never paid much attention to the anti-smoking literature surrounding birth and babies.

You will soon be smoking 20 a day....please stop now!

@HavelockVetinari

I know how hard it is to quit, believe me, but please don't co-sleep. You're FF and a smoker, 2 known risk factors.

Yep, this.

Its not ideal if smoking and FF but if you can't stay awake and don't have someone to look after the baby it might be the least worse option.

We have a 2 month old baby and DH smokes. DH sleeps in the spare room and tbh I barely let him sit on the bed in our room. I wash the sheets if I'm worried he's "contaminated" them by lying on them. Baby sleeps in a next to the bed crib and I do feed him lying down on the bed in a morning as I BF.

I think DH is selfish to smoke when we have a baby but I can't stop him so I try to minimise the risk to baby.

Ouch, I'm not a smoker, but some of these comments are harsh.
Having said that though, I would not cosleep if I were you, no. As mentioned you have 2 risk factors.