Convinced childminder is smoking in the presence of my child

barbarawright

claire16c wrote: »

Who wants their kid coming home stinking of smoke? How disgusting. I cant believe anyone would put up with that. Id change child minders if I found out it was coming from them or their home.

Children don't go to their teachers houses all day, play with their toys, eat in their kitchen, go in their car etc

And actually yes some babies die of cot death which has been linked to the parents smoking.

It's a smell. No more disgusting than lots of other smells that people find distasteful. It's not going to give the child lung cancer. I am baffled as to why the OP doesn't just talk to the child minder about it.

Morglin

Personally, rather have a minder that smells of smoke rather than a drinker or someone that takes illegal substances in their leisure time!

Smoking is legal and you cannot prevent children bring exposed to it.

The smell of smoke alone will cause a child less harm than traffic pollution!

Lin

GobbledyGook

I'd ask the childminder if they've had any guests over Christmas or have been anywhere different. Just bring up with her that your LO smelled of smoke when they came home and you just wanted to highlight it to her in case she hadn't realised. Gives her the chance to say that a rellie stayed over Christmas and New Year or whatever.

You need to find out if the smell is because of a residual smell in the house or on the childminders clothes or coat or if the minder is smoking around the child.

The smell might not be particularly harmful (though I wouldn't like it), but someone smoking around the child certainly could be. And before anyone jumps on me I said 'could' before you all rattle off the tales of how you smoked 90 a day around your kids and they were fine. Some children may be fine, but others aren't.

Tiddlywinks

barbarawright wrote: »

It's a smell. No more disgusting than lots of other smells that people find distasteful. It's not going to give the child lung cancer.

The residue is harmful:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third-hand_smoke

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130620132459.htm

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2345815/Pioneering-study-claims-THIRD-HAND-smoke-causes-significant-genetic-mutations--danger-increases-time.html

GwylimT

I very much doubt the childminder just being a smoker could cause your daughter to smell, my grand mother smokes and when she comes to our home and gives lots of cuddles to the little ones they never end up smelling of smoke, and I cannot stand the smell of cigarettes.

I would ask her if she was smoking in the house or letting anyone else smoke in there, if the answer was yes I would be finding a new childminder immediately, and I would take time off work until I found suitable care.

christineperseus

could be from one of the other children - if their coats are all hung together - the smell would transfer - could do a sniff test on all the other inmates - may be blaming childminder wrongly?;)

olgadapolga

GwylimT wrote: »

I very much doubt the childminder just being a smoker could cause your daughter to smell, my grand mother smokes and when she comes to our home and gives lots of cuddles to the little ones they never end up smelling of smoke, and I cannot stand the smell of cigarettes.

I also hate the smell of cigarette smoke.

I took my children to my mother's last week. My mother had given up smoking earlier last year but it turns out that she has stupidly started again. Her house stank. We were there just four hours during which my mother did not have a cigarette. The stench of old cigarette smoke really clung to us, it was disgusting. It was so bad that when we got home we all had to strip off and wash our clothes as well as take baths.

The smell of cigarette smoke infiltrates the fabric of everything. My mother's house was rank. We knew she'd started smoking again before we'd even opened the door to her house as it was that bad.

I think that if the childminder smoked, you'd smell it in her house, on her and on her breath. Even if you didn't notice it on her, you'd certainly notice it on your child if at the childminder's for several hours.

My children and husband have said that they don't want to go back to my mum's. Unfortunately, I agree with them; it may be my mother's choice and right to smoke if she desires but it is my and my family's choice NOT to breathe second-hand smoke and we certainly don't want to smell as if we are smokers. So we will have to make alternative arrangements to see her as we will not be going back to her house.

claire16c

barbarawright wrote: »

It's a smell. No more disgusting than lots of other smells that people find distasteful. It's not going to give the child lung cancer. I am baffled as to why the OP doesn't just talk to the child minder about it.

Most other smells don't linger in the same way.

Why would you be ok with your child smelling of stale fags? That's gross!

And it can be harmful hence why the advice now if someone smokes and holds a baby they should change clothes and shower etc before hand.

My friends school coat used to smell sometimes, her dad smoked but only outside. He's stopped smoking now but unfortunately took having a heart attack and almost dying first.

wildwestfan

I do hope none of the evangelical non/reformed smokers ever have to use public transport on a regular basis or you will never be out of the bath and will be changing your clothes several times a day.

I am a non smoker and yes I can smell whether someone is a smoker and sometimes they even sit near me. I don't feel the need to strip off and have a shower though.

duchy

It's a bit embarassing when the reformed ex smoker starts stripping off in the middle of the bus

I was listening to a bunch of Yummy Mummies in a local wine bar whining on about smokers .....the irony of them sitting swigging back wine in front of their pushchaired little darlings appeared to escape them completely. (and at least some of them were driving)