Dear Abby today had a column regarding a grandmother who does not want to give up smoking, even in front of her grandchildren.  Abby did not mention any of the problems of smoking as specifically related to babies -- just encouraged the about-to-be new parents to make the rewards sweet enough that grandma will want to stop.

The snail address for this column is Dear Abby, Universaly Press Syndicate, P>O> Box 69440, Los Angeles, California 90069.

" Dear Abby:  Smoking is a very difficult habit to break, often in spite of very sweet rewards.  In this case, the sweetest reward would be the ability to be near her new grandchild.  Infants who must deal with a smoker's environment have higher incidences of asthma, other respiratory problems, and SIDS.  I would encourage DIL to tell grandma in no uncertain terms, there will be no smoking in or around her house, much less her baby, and if grandma can't abide by this rule, grandma cannot be with the new baby.  

Sincerely,  Chanita Stillerman, BSc, ADN/RN, CLC/IBCLC