Smoking is a dangerous habit that puts not only the smokers, but also the non-smokers who inhale the second-hand smoke, at risk. There are various terrible effects of smoking cigarettes, and it causes health problems too numerous to mention.

Older people have a hard time dealing with the problems that cigarette smoke causes, how much more babies and little children? Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, including truly nasty things like cyanide, lead, and at least 60 cancer-causing compounds.



For pregnant mothers, when you smoke during pregnancy, that toxic brew gets into your bloodstream, your baby’s only source of oxygen and nutrients. It increases your chances of miscarrying, and a shortage of oxygen can have devastating effects on your baby’s growth and development. On average, smoking during pregnancy doubles the chances that a baby will be born too early or weigh less than 5 1/2 pounds at birth. Smoking also more than doubles the risk of stillbirth.

Even setting aside pregnancy, parents who smoke cause many health problems for their children. Some of the problems they cause are; making asthma worse, bringing on more colds and ear infections, and worst of all, increasing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Tobacco smoke gets into the air and its residue stays on walls, floors, furniture, toys, and clothes. The smoke that adults carry around with them is called third-hand smoke, so, even parents who smoke outside do not fully protect their children from the terribly harmful effects of tobacco smoke. So, the child can still come in contact with anyone of those 4000 dangerous chemicals. When you hug your child or even sit in the same room as your child, you are emitting harmful chemicals. These chemicals remain on clothing and in hair as long as you continue to smoke and for months after you quit.

Children who have Asthma, GERD, Acid Reflux, Lung Cancer, Emphysema, and other disorders are especially at risk. In fact, just by being a smoking parent, you may have unintentionally caused the disorder. Children who suffer from these symptoms should not be exposed to further cigarette smoke. It can worsen the symptoms and effects of these disorders.

Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure to children (even in small amounts) has been linked to SIDS, ADHD, poor cognitive performance in school, reduction of IQ scores, asthma, lung cancer, other cancers, mental retardation, numerous behavioral disorders, GERD, and many other diseases and disorders. When studies were done, the amount of exposure was taken into consideration and children who were only exposed to a minimal amount of ETS were still affected.

Your innocent children should not have to suffer for your bad habit. They should be able to live life to the fullest, and not be held back by diseases and illnesses that could have been prevented. The best thing to do for your children if you do smoke is quit. Quitting cigarette smoking can greatly improve your health as well as the health of your child.

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