Smoking and children's health

What happens in the first few years of a child’s life can shape their whole life.

Cigarettes contain lots of chemicals, which have a harmful effect on you and your children. Not smoking is the best way to protect you and your family and give your children the best start in life.

Quitting is much easier when you get the right support, and there are lots of options to choose from. Even if you’ve tried before, maybe more than once, you can still succeed. What you’ve already learned will help you reach your goal of becoming an ex-smoker.

If you're finding it hard to quit smoking and you're breastfeeding, it's still recommended that you continue to breastfeed as breast milk will still protect your baby from infections and provide nutrients they cannot get from formula milk.

If you or your partner cannot stop smoking, making your home completely smoke free will help protect your children's health. You may need to ask friends and family not to smoke near your children, too.

Passive smoke is dangerous, especially for children. Children who live in a household where at least 1 person smokes are more likely to develop:

• asthma
• meningitis
• cough and colds
• chest infections
• ear infections

The risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is greatly increased If you or your partner smokes while you’re pregnant or after your baby is born.

The NHS and the Lullaby Trust have more information about the risk of smoking and how to keep your baby smoke free:

• Reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (NHS)
• Smoking during pregnancy or after birth increases the risk of SIDS (lullaby Trust)

Someone who smokes 20 cigarettes a day can save over £2,500 per year if they stop smoking.

Between 2 weeks to 3 months after you stop smoking, your heart attack risk will have started to drop and your lung function will begin to improve.

Get help to stop smoking

You are 3 times more likely to quit with help and support.

Our skilled CYC Health Trainers offer free support for all York residents with help to stop smoking. The CYC Health Trainers provides one-to-one behaviour change advice, which can support you to change your smoking behaviours, and advise you which medications to buy, if necessary. They offer free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and e-cigarettes.

The NHS has information on stop smoking services.

Further information and support

• Smoking in pregnancy
• Breastfeeding and smoking (NHS)
• Smoking, Smoking Cessation and Breastfeeding (The Breastfeeding Network)
• Passive smoking (NHS)
• Action on Smoking and Health fact sheets (ASH)