D is for DON’T SMOKE near the baby.

Information from the March of Dimes:

The Link Between Secondhand Smoke and SIDS

Secondhand smoke is the combination of smoke from the lit end of a cigarette and the smoke breathed out by smokers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it contains more than 7,000 chemicals, including hundreds of toxic chemicals. About 70 of those chemicals can cause cancer.

Experts think that the chemicals in secondhand smoke affect babies’ brains and their breathing. Because their bodies are still developing, babies and young children are even more at risk to the poisons in secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke causes many health problems in babies and children, such as:

• More frequent and severe asthma attacks
• Pneumonia
• Bronchitis
• Ear infections
• SIDS

Research shows that:

• Babies who die from SIDS have higher concentrations of the drug nicotine in their lungs and higher levels of cotinine (a chemical in tobacco products) than babies who die from other causes.
• Babies of moms who smoked during pregnancy are more at risk for SIDS than those babies whose moms were smoke-free.
• Being exposed to secondhand smoke raises a baby’s risk for SIDS.
• The risk of SIDS increases even more if a parent who smokes shares a bed with a baby.

Preventing SIDS

One of the most important ways to prevent SIDS is to make sure that your baby sleeps safely. Other tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics include:

• Not smoking while pregnant
• Not smoking around your baby and not allowing others to smoke near your baby
• Not drinking alcohol or using illegal drugs while pregnant
• Breastfeeding your baby
• Visiting your baby’s health care provider for regular checkups
• Offering your baby a pacifier at nap time and bedtime. If you are breastfeeding your baby, you may want to wait to use a pacifier until after your baby breastfeeds easily.

The best way to create a healthy environment for baby is to quit smoking. If you need help quitting, tell your health care provider or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669). Sometimes people must try many times before they successfully quit smoking. That’s OK. Keep trying! You’re doing what’s best for you and your baby.

(https://www.marchofdimes.org/find-support/blog/secondhand-smoke-and-your-baby)