What are the harms of having a baby around someone who smokes frequently?

Smoking frequently leaves a smoky odor on the body, and when holding a baby, this can cause the infant to inhale large amounts of secondhand smoke, which may negatively affect the baby's respiratory and nervous systems.

The smoky smell on an adult who smokes is a form of secondhand smoke, which typically lingers in the surrounding air. When caring for a baby, this exposes the infant to significant levels of secondhand smoke containing numerous harmful substances. Nicotine in secondhand smoke can enter the baby’s lungs when being held, potentially irritating the respiratory tract and leading to inflammation of the trachea and lungs. Other toxic components in secondhand smoke may also irritate the baby’s respiratory mucosa, causing chronic inflammation. Prolonged exposure to secondhand smoke may further lead to symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and reduced appetite in infants. In severe cases, it could impair the baby’s growth and development and damage the nervous system, potentially resulting in decreased cognitive ability. To protect the baby’s health, parents should ideally avoid smoking altogether and minimize the baby’s exposure to secondhand smoke.

If adults continue to smoke and have smoke odor on their clothes or body, they should尽量 minimize holding the baby, or change clothes and take a warm shower before caring for the infant, to reduce the smoke odor and its potential impact on the baby’s health.