more-than-a-mom

[more-than-a-mom]

Smoking with a baby

Being a new mom is hard and there are way too many judgemental people out there that shame moms for smoking. If you're one of the few that cut out smoking completely when youre little one arrived that's fantastic and kudos to you! But for alot of parents who arent ready to quit there's alot of guilt surrounding them and worry that their baby will be affected. Well here are some must follow tips that I do myself EVERYTIME I go out to smoke to ensure my baby stays healthy and happy.

1. Don't ever no matter the circumstances smoke inside your house with baby, always go outside. Not even in a car with the windows down. The smoke can still get on them and cause breathing problems

2. Always wear a coat, cardigan whatever you can find to completely cover up your chest and arms when you go outside to smoke. Even though you're outside the smoke smell will cling to whatever you're wearing and get on baby when you go to hold them. Leave the coat youre wearing outside when you go in to ensure no second hand smoke is near or around the baby.

3. WASH YOUR HANDS and I mean from elbow down wash with anti bacterial hand soap with warm water and scrub for atleast 30 seconds. If you're out running errands and stop for a smoke before you enter the vehicle hand sanitizer is your bestfriend. I always keep 3 bottles around the house at all times and one in the diaper bag just incase.

4. This one seems tedious but it's worth it to have a healthy baby 100% brush your teeth. After every smoke break if you know youre going to be handling your baby immediately after, brush your teeth thoroughly or chew some minty gum. Youre going to be kissing and hugging your baby alot and they dont wanna smell that nasty cigarette breath.

5. The best time to get that smoke break in is nap time, that way you'll have plenty of time to finish and ensure you're clean and santized by the time they wake up. Trust me you dont want to be rushing around like a mad women trying to clean yourself off while your baby is screaming for you.

Hope this helps for all new parents out there I know being a parent is stressful and we all deserve a little break but we must make sure we're not jeopardizing our little ones health in any way. If you have any more tips feel free to add them to the list!

[more-than-a-mom]

This is a great tip, if your little one is anything like mine you will find that he/she has a very flaky scalp and you dont wanna scrub that away cause it will cause redness and irritation. The best thing to do is moisturize and gently comb upwards against the hairline.