Baby Items

Question: What is a polite way to decline baby items from a smoker?

(Posted by: Pineapple Princess on 2009-06-02 17:36:47)

I do not want to offend them in any way because they are just trying to be helpful, but I don& #039;t want my baby in or around any items exposed to cigarette smoke. Anyone who has dealt with a situation like this before - please help! Thanks for the answers so far. This question wasn& #039;t intended to offend anyone, just to get a few ideas. It& #039;s a personal choice to smoke and I understand and respect your right to do it. But if you want me to respect your right to smoke, you also should respect my right to restrict my child& #039;s exposure to the toxin.

Posted by: TSM on 2009-06-02, 17:39:52

You can always wash things down. Even baby items like chairs and walkers.

Posted by: *Twiztid Ninjette* on 2009-06-02, 17:40:03

So just wash them,and it 'll be fine.

Posted by: You have angered the God on 2009-06-02, 17:41:01

Oh Jesus. Get over it! What are you going to spray down stair railings and elevator buttons in public too? Wash the stuff. Don 't be a jerk and decline gifts. Wash them!

Posted by: His girl on 2009-06-02, 17:41:07

Wash them. There would be more harmful chemicals in the air your baby breaths than touching something that was around a smoker once.

Posted by: chickenfarmer on 2009-06-02, 17:41:08

Wash them and then let them sit in the sun for a day or two.

Posted by: 37 weeks - boy :) on 2009-06-02, 17:43:19

Id just wash them ..and if youdont think youll use them just throw them out...

Posted by: Ari's Mommy on 2009-06-02, 17:46:01

Just be honest I would say. But, If you are that afraid that you will offend them, accept them anyway. For clothes, If you run them through 1 or 2 wash cycles, you should be able to get any smell out of them. I had to do this - 2 warm water washes with a little bit of Odoban (available at Sam 's Club) and there was no smell left. If you can 't, donate them to a woman 's shelter or good will or something. For other things - it just depends on what it is but even the covers of high chairs and carseats and things come off and can be washed.

Posted by: mom of 2 boys & twin girls on 2009-06-02, 17:47:36

I don 't allow anything or anyone who smokes around me or my family. So I understand. I also have two children and a husband who have extreme allergies, so people who say, " get over it ", need to understand, that for some of us, we can 't! I will tell them the truth. But as nicely as you can. I told people who smoked &/ or had pets the truth many times. I can 't help health concerns and conditions of my family. And if you 're a wee bit shy about just telling them "no ". Use the medical ploy.

Posted by: Inked Mama to my Beautiful Boy on 2009-06-02, 17:49:48

Well I am certain that if you put it all through the wash a couple of times there will be nothing left. Particularly as, chances are, the person won 't have let the cigarette smoke get anywhere near the baby stuff. I 'm unfortunately a smoker but none of my son 's clothes, toys or anything has been in the same vicinity as cigarette smoke ever ever not once, I only smoke outside and after he 's in bed, and I don 't touch anything until I 've thoroughly washed my hand either. Just because she smokes doesn 't mean anything her baby owns will be contaminated. But assuming you 've thought of all this already and still wish to decline - just say "Thank you so much but honestly, I 'm overloaded with stuff already and things aren 't going to get used, it really means a lot to me though but you 'll be better off saving them for the next person you know or donating it to charity, they 'll have better use for it than me. " - I said this a couple of times to people who offered me stuff I wasn 't interested in just because I didn 't like it, perhaps sounds harsh but better that than it be stuffed at the back of a wardrobe and never used! Good luck!

Posted by: Jill S on 2009-06-02, 17:49:50

I know what you 're going through-my husband 's whole family smokes (we do not) and they are giving us baby items left and right, and I hate to refuse them and seem rude, but I don 't want my baby around smoke-especially when we do NOT smoke. So this was my solution...We recieved a highchair-it was vinyl so it was easily washed down. I took it outside, washed it with sudsy water and sprayed it off, then I let it dry off in the sun. I did the same thing with a stroller-and I washed the parts that I could take off and throw in the washer. My MIL kindly gave my husband all of his baby books-and there are about 100-150, well they smelled of smoke from her so I took every book, and while I was flipping the pages I sprayed Lysol throughout them..then I wiped off the covers and bindings. They smell fine now. And we received a crib and I currently am leaving it out in the garage to "air out " even though it doesn 't have smells coming from it-but just to be safe. But I do this with almost everything I find second hand-I wash and scrub it down, throw it in the washer, or let it soak and hand wash it if needed. It 's worked so far, everything looks like new and I am very happy with it, as well as my husband. Oh and just so you know, I try to use free and clear detergent and a little Downy fabric softener-just to keep everything soft and smelling good. Well I hope this helps-and don 't decline that stuff! It 's saving you so much money, and then the people feel like they have really helped you out-which it usually is. Try washing the items first, if it still stinks-which it may sometimes, then you can try selling it and just tell the people politely that you found something different that you and the father both really liked and agreed on (or you could lie and say someone bought you it! lol) So good luck, I hope this helps, and congrats on baby! :-)

Posted by: Nani on 2009-06-02, 17:50:28

If you don 't want to offend them in any way then be gracious and take them. Wash them. Put some white vinegar in the rinse water. It will not smell like vinegar. Pass them on if you still can 't bear the thought. Don 't make it a "situation. "

Posted by: The Mrs. on 2009-06-02, 17:53:42

Well I live in a non-smoking household. My cousin who sends me clothes from his kids is a smoker. When I get the kids clothes they smell a combination of fresh laundry and cigarette smoke. All I do is toss them in the wash with some baking soda, vinegar, nice smelling fabric softener and laundry detergent and they come out smelling great. For the more stubborn one I just run them through the wash twice the same way and they are fine. There really no easy way to tell someone you don 't want their clothes because they smoke. You just have to be straight with them and say "I appreciate the offer but I don 't want my child exposed to cigarette smoke ". Personally I think your over reacting. Washing the clothes will do the trick.

Posted by: violets are cool on 2009-06-02, 18:05:00

Spraying them with lysol or the like, is simply covering one chemical with another, the chemical is still there and now you have covered it with another one. My aunt smokes and her clothes smell like smoke even after she has washed them. You could try lots of baking soda and/ or vinegar that might help. Personally I would decline them, tell them the truth(in a polite way) " Im afraid I can 't take the items because of the smoke Its hard for the baby to be around " "Perhaps you could find someone who might want them. " Smoking is gross there is really no way to politely say that To the person below me, smoking affects innocent people around the smoker, not just the smoker themselves. And yes there are lots of chemicals in the air, so why add more?

Posted by: diamond_butterfly24 on 2009-06-02, 18:10:28

Please keep in mind, not all smokers smoke in their home or around their belongings. I am a smoker, but since haivng kids, i only smoke outside my house. when i want one, i go out into my yard. so it is not in the air in my house. i know this is not the case with everyone, ,but there are a lot of us that dont smoke inside or around our kids. so you could find out if this is someone who smokes inside or outside, before you make an issue of it

Posted by: ♥The Mrs.♥ on 2009-06-02, 18:13:48

I understand if you don 't want anybody smoking around you, but turning down their gift is insanly rude. You are going to treat the smoker like crap and make them feel like less of a person because of what they do with their body? Say thank you and wash it. but I can tell you now, there are ALOT of worse things in the air and on things than the smell of smoke. I DON 'T smoke.

Posted by: Selar on 2009-06-02, 19:26:43

Say, no thank you I already have that stuff or too much stuff, but suggest another person who may like the stuff.