Is it safe to occasionally expose my infant to 3rd hand smoke? my infant boy lives with me, the mother, in a smoke-free home. i was wondering if it was safe enough for my baby to occasionally visit his father's house? reason being, his dad is a smoker who

Of : Of course, any exposure to cigarette smoke is not ideal, but often you have to weigh the pros and cons. It's good that your child's father smokes outside or in the basement. Even better would be if he changed into clean, non-smoky clothing prior to spending time with his son. That being said, the benefit of your son spending time with his father probably greatly outweighs the risk of indirect cigarette exposure.

Dad smokes outside: If you have primary custody, it would be perfectly reasonable to insist that your child not be exposed to second hand smoke, and that visitation with the father needs to either occur in your home, or the father must smoke outside of his own home, so that there is no smoke exposure. Children exposed to even small amounts of smoke have increased respiratory infections, sinusitis and asthma.

Second hand smoke: In a perfect world, there would be no tobacco exposure for anyone to be exposed to, especially young infants and children. I would try to insist on no direct exposure, meaning no smoking in the house or car, and wearing clothing free of the scent of cigarettes when holding a baby. Try to present facts in a calm fashion because it is so important for children to know their fathers!