Smoking Pipe around Children...

[Sig]

I don't have kids.
But if I did I would hope they were piping by age 11.
I see 15 year old Amish kids piping all the time. Im not sure if they are allowed, or if they are just badasses.
In all seriousness, use your judgement.
My dad grew up with his dad smoking pipes and cigars in their tiny house.
Grandpa lived to 101, my dad is currently 86 and going strong.
My wifes mom and aunt grew up with a cigarette smoking dad. He died of lung cancer, my wifes mom died of lung cancer at 68, she was a smoker, and her aunt was just diagnosed with lung cancer at 66. She quit smoking 25 years ago.
My point is, a lot has to do with genetics. And I believe cigarettes are far worse than pipes and cigars.
That said, I smoke outside because my wife and pets are non smokers.....and I don't like the stink.
Also, inhaling anything into your lungs is not ideal. There are some good air purifiers that I hear work great.

 

[Kobold]

I smoke around my kids but I mainly smoke outside or in my garage. Occasionally in the winter I smoke indoors.

 

[Some Joe Blow]

I smoke around my kids but I mainly smoke outside or in my garage. Occasionally in the winter I smoke indoors.

This is what I find myself doing, just smoking in the garage while woodworking. This past winter there was often I would of liked to smoke but it was far too cold too often to enjoy it.

 

[Some Joe Blow]

I don't have kids.
But if I did I would hope they were piping by age 11.
I see 15 year old Amish kids piping all the time. Im not sure if they are allowed, or if they are just badasses.
In all seriousness, use your judgement.
My dad grew up with his dad smoking pipes and cigars in their tiny house.
Grandpa lived to 101, my dad is currently 86 and going strong.
My wifes mom and aunt grew up with a cigarette smoking dad. He died of lung cancer, my wifes mom died of lung cancer at 68, she was a smoker, and her aunt was just diagnosed with lung cancer at 66. She quit smoking 25 years ago.
My point is, a lot has to do with genetics. And I believe cigarettes are far worse than pipes and cigars.
That said, I smoke outside because my wife and pets are non smokers.....and I don't like the stink.
Also, inhaling anything into your lungs is not ideal. There are some good air purifiers that I hear work great.

The area I live in has alot of Amish as well, and i've seen the same thing. You're certainly right that it has a lot with genetics. And wouldn't hurt to get a window fan and or a air purifier.

 

[Some Joe Blow]

No.
Not while holding an infant. Not only are you exposing them to the smoke but to the occasional hot ember flying up from the bowl. I have too many t-shirts with burn holes to risk burning an infant.

I have never had a problem smoking my pipe while around children when I'm outside. As a personal rule, I don't smoke inside because I don't want to risk the smell of burning pipe tobacco lingering in the house.

Very good point on the embers. Again I wasn't looking for the green light on smoking whilst holding my Child.

As for smoking inside I've heard alot on the lingering smell which I have yet to notice, after I smoke. My Study is fairly large though and a tall room so maybe there is more room to space out and linger.

 

[Some Joe Blow]

If there are kids around I will move to a place away from them to have a smoke just to be mannerly. If people decide to move to where I am I will keep puffing away. If they don’t like it they should go away.

I like this.

 

[Some Joe Blow]

The thing in my opinion is that children are developing but are also resilient. I wouldn't do it myself. I also wouldn't get out the pitchforks if you do it. Though I'd still say not only is it not worth the risk, it's a risk put on the most helpless and vulnerable type of person.
Mostly I also think quantity is a big factor. If you're on a porch occasionally smoking around the child that's one thing, if you're fogging out a small room with the child in it day after day hour after hour, that's going to increase their chances of serious issues.
One thing too is even if you don't cause any long term issues, do you really want to increase the chances of the child having any kind of upper respiratory illness or infections? And even a smaller amount of smoke can increase their chances of getting acute and temporary respiratory illnesses. Irritants which smoke is can increase the chances of asthma developing. Also just the fact that it's an irritant just seems a little lightly mean to do to a baby who's already about as soft and sensitive as possible.
Not going to call cps if you do it. But in no way would I also wave it off and condone smoking around an infant. The risk isn't worth enjoying a pipe.
And maybe most importantly you smoke around the baby then you have lost the chance to use the pipe as an excuse to get a break spending some time alone on the porch or where ever with the pipe.

Great things to consider. I want to make it clear that I was not looking for the green light on holding my Child and smoking in their face. The question was more around smoking in another room in the house and whether anyone had thoughts on it.

 

[Some Joe Blow]

All very good and valid points, I appreciate everyone's thoughts on this, the overwhelming opinion is stick with smoking outside, which with the current weather we are having is a great idea anyways. Eventually when older, I may consider smoking in my study with proper ventilation and putting it out when children are around. But certainly never planned on smoking in my child's face and wasn't looking for the the green light on that.

Much thanks everyone!

 

[ofafeather]

The question was more around smoking in another room in the house and whether anyone had thoughts on it.

I personally think that would be fine. In the event that it’s leaking into a space you don’t want it to, you can address it. That sounds like it’s unlikely, though.

 

[Sig]

This is what I find myself doing, just smoking in the garage while woodworking. This past winter there was often I would of liked to smoke but it was far too cold too often to enjoy it.

I stop smoking pipes and cigars around the beginning of November, until March. I can warm up the garage, but when I do that im working on old cars. There may possibly be nothing worse than smoking a pipe while there are fumes from a 60 year old, oil burning engine hanging in the air like an early morning fog. Talk about inhaling bad smoke!!
The 32'x36' garage is insulated, but I use wood to warm it. It takes an hour to get it to the low 50s when its 0 degrees outside. Low 50s is great for working on a car, but not great for smoking. This sounds odd, and not backed up by science probably, but 50 degrees inside is MUCH colder than 50 degrees outside. Think about it, 50 outside you're like, "huh, not bad".....50 in your house and you're swearing like a trucker!!
So, I just stop smoking until the thaw.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Last thing I want is to hang out with little kids. I'm glad that mothers seeing me constantly smoking pipes keeps them and their kids away from me. If I never have to hold someone's baby, I will live a much happier life.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

I rarely find myself around young’ns.
I never had any, and my brother and sister both have avoided it (up til recently at least- my sister is expecting her first in a couple months).

As most have said, considering the majority of smoking is done outdoors, it’s not a major consideration.
My cousins daughter comes over once a week. She’ll arrive as I’m having my morning pipe. I’ll hold her on my lap with it in my mouth, but I’m not actively puffing.
She’s quite enamored by the pipe..

 

[bobpnm]

One thing our world seems to sorely lack is curtesy. As my grandfather used to tell me, “Bob, we come from a long line of southern gentlemen. Take your place among us“. I accede to the wishes of my grandchildren’s parents. They ask I not smoke in situations subjecting their children to heavy second hand smoke. Out of curtesy, I wouldn’t subject anyone to that.

 

[Some Joe Blow]

One thing our world seems to sorely lack is curtesy. As my grandfather used to tell me, “Bob, we come from a long line of southern gentlemen. Take your place among us“. I accede to the wishes of my grandchildren’s parents. They ask I not smoke in situations subjecting their children to heavy second hand smoke. Out of curtesy, I wouldn’t subject anyone to that.

Spoken like a true Gentlemen!

 

[Some Joe Blow]

Last thing I want is to hang out with little kids. I'm glad that mothers seeing me constantly smoking pipes keeps them and their kids away from me. If I never have to hold someone's baby, I will live a much happier life.

Not much of an option for me as a Father to not "hang out with little kids." or to never have to hold my children.

 

[SBC]

Everything we do -- including with our children -- falls somewhere along a sliding scale of risk. Discerning where on that scale you're comfortable might involve comparison to other activities, including those which probably pose equal or greater risk and yet somehow aren't controversial.

I'm bearing in mind that you're asking only about
(a) your own children (because, obviously, you do whatever other parents want regarding their children)
(b) indoor smoking (because I can't imagine anybody worrying about anything outdoors)

I'm blessed with 7 children, ages 2 to 17, and I'll share our take on this for whatever it's worth:

My kids all love my pipes and pipe-smoking. Some are more fascinated than others. They all have preferred pipes that they ask me to choose (and that they ask to inherit someday), and many have preferred tobaccos (RE: the room note). Commenting critically on the room note has turned into a minor facet of our family culture. For them the pipes are a feature of Dad, and perhpas of Dad-ness.

Our home is large and the smoke tends to dissipate quickly and easily. We don't notice any lingering smell the next day (granted, I typically smoke one pipe every-other day ... the results might be different if I were smoking multiple pipes every day). It doesn't concentrate in an area in a way that creates an obvious danger-zone.

What with heavy incense in church, and wood smoke, oil lamps, and candles in the home, it's hard to believe that my few pipes a week change the situation much. Which has been a pretty standard situation through history.

Having said all this, I do stop smoking inside the house during a baby's first year. Is that really necessary? I don't know, but I play it safe for that first year of lung development.
In the case of our youngest, he was a preemie who spent 5 weeks in the NICU, so I played it extra safe and didn't smoke inside the house for 18 months, just to make sure that he was really thriving first. (Now he has his own cob that he sticks in his mouth whenever I smoke. He sits beside me and asks to borrow the tamper. Seriously.)

 

[anotherbob]

Great things to consider. I want to make it clear that I was not looking for the green light on holding my Child and smoking in their face. The question was more around smoking in another room in the house and whether anyone had thoughts on it.

I mean if you occasionally smoke in the same house but in a different room. I'd personally wait till they're a little older, but unless they have an allergy or the air circulation sucks they probably get exposed to worse things at higher concentrations all the time.

 

[folkleaf]

I have teenage to adult kids... grandkids who are 4 yo to newborn. If I'm inside, I smoke alone in my office. Outside, anyone is welcome to join. The young ones are generally encouraged to sit on the other side of the deck.

 

[smudgersmissingleg]

I smoke outdoors as the infants come out of school; small boys in particular are fascinated by my pipes and my evident enjoyment. Such a sight becomes a commonplace in their formative minds, to be imitated in play and a naturally desirable manly habit as they grow up. I'm farming the next generation here, folks. Mwahaha

Hahahaha

 

[jpberg]

I know we’re talking specifically about pipe smoking, but I hope all the “I don’t do its” are just as careful about what the kids eat, drink, watch, listen to, etc.