Am I Freaking Out for Nothing?

Wouldn't you treat this the same way as if he was using cigarettes?
Like...don't leave them out and don't do it around kids?

I would tell him it's fine if he wants to do it, but the same rules as cigarettes apply in my house. Nothing left where the kids can reach it and only smoking outside. Simple as that. These things are so new there isn't much evidence of what the effects of it secondhand are and I wouldn't want to risk it.

I would tell him that she's copying him and that she has gotten ahold of his vape. That she is no longer an infant who doesn't pick up on things and you all need to be mindful of what she sees and can reach. She didn't push the button this time. But next? He needs to either keep it out of her hands or out of the house. I never wanted to smoke my father's cigarettes. But this is juice-flavored.

I would also not be happy if my husband picked up an addiction. Low nicotine is still nicotine. Will his habit affect life insurance rates? Health care premiums? If you are concerned about your child's health, talk to her pediatrician.

I'm with Mamazita on this one. Nicotine is a known addictive drug (far more addictive than the pot she mentioned) and should be used away from the child, period.

Last summer, our house was being worked on-- one of the guys, who we do like, smokes like a chimney. The deal was that he kept it outside and was safe with it (regarding ashes/butts, not setting the dry grass/house on fire, ha)...kids will see adults doing stupid things like this, but we as parents can also point out that those things are bad for our bodies and dangerous.And we did do that at times. The guy was a poster for why one shouldn't smoke-- bad breath, coughing fits at times, yellowed teeth, and sometimes the smoke drifted into the house anyway.... those were things that kiddo noticed. So, while we liked the guy, it was easy to point out all the reasons smoking was pretty disgusting. Not so easy to use one's spouse in the same way.

I'd also be concerned that your husband is *choosing* to do something he knows is highly addictive and is setting a bad example, because you don't want to have to explain that 'what daddy is doing isn't good for his body', but he's putting you in that position, b/c this is really not something you want to see your kid doing in future years. And if he's being irresponsible about leaving it out where Kiddo can reach it... esp. if it's being marketed to kids (because why the hell else does a grown-up 'need' flavors? this is really being pushed to younger people)... the whole thing is just not a good idea.

IMO if it is not meant for children it shouldn't be left out. Would he leave scissors or a glass of wine where your child could get it? Also I doubt your 18 month old knows what he is doing with those items ALL babies put everything in their mouths (which is normal) and he should not be leaving it out.

I understand you not wanting your child around it, it is not the same as cigarettes (a lot less chemicals in the vapor). If it bothers you that much then ask him to use it in another room away from the family.

Kids do the same thing with regular cigarettes when their parents smoke.

My DD used to do it with her grandparents cigarettes when she was able to get a hold of them.

I always just took them from her, and told her, "no-no, these are Grandpa's yuckies. Not for you!"

I also made a point of making sure that they were out of her reach most of the time. I think you should have your husband find one place where his vapor thing goes...

I wouldn't make him stop though... It is a MUCH better alternative to smoking. He gets his nic fix without pumping all the poison of cigarettes into his (and the entire family's through second-hand smoke) lungs. It's not like he is doing anything illegal, or anything that will affect her. So long as he takes basic precautions in storing the thing, I would be OK with it.

ETA: I know what you mean... It's something I worry about too. I think kids picking it up is more of a peer-related issue than parent though... My dad smoked in the house, in front of us the entire time he was raising us, and out of the 13 siblings I have, only 2 smoke... Where my aunt and uncle were non-smokers and all 6 of their kids are smokers now. (actually, now that I think of it... out of the over 50 cousins I have, I think maybe 9-10 are nonsmokers, and very few of their parents smoked or smoked around them.)

I think a good compromise would be to ask him to avoid smoking it where she will see, (step outside or into another room) but not make a huge deal out of it if she happens to see it once in a while. :)

I don't know - I wouldn't want that around my kid. Smoker or not - I wouldn't tolerate having packets of cigarettes ( albeit unlit) in my house with my kid - so vaping would be out. I also wouldn't want my kid being exposed to watching someone smoke because it subconsciously reinforces it as a good behavior. As an adult - you can't do whatever you want in front of your kid. Unless he's inspiring for his kid to start vaping with him at 18..... It's the same way - we don't really drink in front of our kids - because you don't want them seeing you in that light.

Small children have died from drinking the e-liquid, so no, you are fine freaking out. Nicotine is a poison. Your husband is an adult, he can make an adult choice to suck down whatever substance he wants, but doing it around your daughter carries all sorts of risks. She could absolutely model the behavior. Children of smokers are 80% more likely to become smokers than children of non-smokers. The latest science has shown that the vapor is most definitely NOT just water vapor. That is what the industry would like you to believe. It may be less dangerous than cigarette smoke in some ways, but in some ways it is the same or even worse- ultrafine particles, thought to cause most cardiac effects of cigarette smoke, are similar or higher in concentration in e-cig "vapor." Heavy metals like cadmium and lead are higher. Plus, any study by anyone is only applicable to that single unit studied- these things are made in China in unregulated factories, a country whose monitored factories have produced lethal dog food and baby formula (both highly regulated products). Even worse, people literally mix up the "e-liquid" in their bathrooms and basements and sell it on the internet or in retail stores. You know it contains an addictive toxin and have NO IDEA what else is in there, because no one double checks. The producers slap on a label with whatever they want to say on it, end of story. I would not let my kid be anywhere near these things and I absolutely would not want my child's other parent modeling smoking behaviors in my home.

The flavored juice contains nicotine.
Nicotine is a drug and it's very addicting.
So what if it's a legal drug? - it's still a carcinogen (and makes a great insecticide).
An electric cigarette (or a vapor) is a drug delivery system.
It's right up there with needles/syringes as far as I'm concerned and leaving his drug paraphernalia around for the kids to find/play with is not good parenting.
No research has been done to confirm that second hand vapor is harmless.

http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/smoking-cessatio...

You know hookahs are famous for more than smoking tobacco in them - hashish and opium.
I can imagine e-cigarettes can be used for the same thing.
Although they are reusable, they are still expensive.

I would not be ok with anyone vaping at all whether they did it in front of the kids or not.
In our house, smoking anything is considered an irreconcilable difference.
If either of us took it up a divorce would result from it.
We've been to too many funerals of friends, relatives and co-workers who were smokers (one chewed tobacco and died of mouth/throat cancer) and died before their time.

If it bothers you, you need to talk to your husband around it. I think this is one of those issues where there is a wide range of "acceptable" behaviors that one will tolerate.

My husband switched to vaping from smoking, and while he does vape in the house and in the car, he pretty much doesn't do it where they can directly see him. He's smoked cigarettes for more than half his life and tried to quit several timees. He's tried Chantix, laser therapy, hypnosis, lozenges, gum, etc. For now, vaping is a decent "compromise."

My girls (4 and 2) know that they are not allowed to touch his vape stick, but they know he has it. I figure it's kind of like seeing a grown up with coffee/beer/wine/something-that-kids-aren't-supposed-to-have. They sometimes catch a whiff of the vapor (the vanilla/coffee one smells really good!) but we don't make a huge deal about it.

I wouldn't be at all concerned that she put it on her mouth because she observed him doing it. She put it in her mouth because she's 18 months, and that's what they do - put EVERYTHING in their mouths.

You have every reason to be concerned. It would have made me sick to my stomach to see my little girl pick something like that up. There is probably no point in arguing with him the fact that it is harmful for him, but I would make it very clear that it should never be used around her or left anywhere that she can access it.

he's being foolish...is the watered down version of what I really want to say-why not pick up a different habit-seriously? He is supposed to lead his family by example and protect them with his very own life-falling a wee short, wouldn't you say?

My daughter has 7 kids and she smokes but none of her kids have ever seen her smoke inside the car or the house. They hardly ever see her smoke at all because she goes outside and they don't come with her to watch.

One of her kids that lives with me didn't realize she smokes until he was nearly 6. There's discretion to be had in this instance.

What kind of "juice" goes into it?
And for what it's worth, I know some very nice and responsible parents who smoke pot, regularly, but they don't do it around their kids.
Hopefully your husband is man enough to keep his adult habits and hobbies away from his little girl.

I've never heard of it, but it doesn't sound like something I'd want in my house. I'd have to find out more about it before I could really give an answer, but the fact that she's imitating it would bother me, too. To me, putting things in your body like that isn't a "hobby" and if the juice has nicotine in, as others say, then it is not harmless.

Well, I read last week that one city at least is classifying the vapor cigs as regular for public smoking. Meaning you must be so far from the doors/vents of buildings etc and no indoor smoking. They are also re-evaluating the e-cigs and other new types of smoking.

vape and e cig are the same thing. Your daughter was probably not mimicking his behavior as babies put EVERYTHING in their mouths but I would not want that as an example for my kid. I Imagine Most likely there is a warning of some sort that says keep out of reach of children and I do believe that due to the nicotine content you must be 18 years old to purchase/use so he needs to be made aware of the requirements for using and taking responsibility for his actions.