wood burning fireplace and RSV

loree

my parents watch my girls 3 days a week. they have a wood burning fireplace and basically need to run it in the winter to keep the temperature high enough for the girls. they sometimes smell like it when they come home. it just hit me yesterday that this may be very very bad. they pay a fortune to heat their house and it would sky rocket if they stopped using that wood burner. i'm going to call the doctor on monday. there are no other options for childcare.

 thoughts? oh, and the girls to get synagis monthly.

preemieparent

Since RSV is a virus I don't think the wood burning stove would have anything to do with that specifically.   Inhaling any of the smoke could affect their lungs in general however.   I would ask your pedi about that.   

Can your parents to keep them as far away from the stove area as possible?

april062604

last year we were told by our neonatologist not to use the wood burning fireplace b/c of lung concerns...i have asthma and it bothers me sometimes so i thought it would bother their preemie lungs so i asked. ? this year we use it all the time and have no issues...they're older now, but have no chronic lung disease. ?ask your doctor, it can't hurt. my babies get synagis monthly too, but it's for RSV, and the fire can't cause the virus. ?the concern would be that the fire could irritate their lungs.

RubyRed7

Maybe they can get an air cleaner? We have a small one. I'm not sure how much good it would do, but it couldn't hurt, and it would be cheaper than using the heat!

armo

I wouldn't want my DDs in the same room as a fireplace.  DH loves using ours but we havent used ours since i was pregnant with DDs.  The smoke can make the air less 'clean' and, if some of the stuff burning from the wood could potentially be toxic and cause some long term damage in certain people - ask your pedi but if s/he is clueless then page me and i'll try to find the papers i had read on this.

If you have no choice, be diligent that it is vented as well as possible - make sure they've had the fireplace cleaned recently.

Lastly, i've read from numerous sources that a fireplace makes the room you are in *feel* warmer, but for overall house warmth efficiency, it is less efficient than using your heater.

Instead of the fireplace, we now use electric heaters - i bought some from target for $40 that have thermostats so that they automatically shut off when they reach the temp, as well as if they have been moved, so that they are safe.

 

TazDev

I misread part of the post so I am editing.

Do they have a glass door that closes on the fireplace?  If so then I would say the only time that could be of concern is when it is opened.  If it is open then I would be a bit more concerned. 
 

SuwaneeGirl

You definitely need to ask your pediatrician on this one.

While RSV is caused by a virus, smoke is not a factor. HOWEVER, smoke is an irritant for everyone--not just preemies. Lungs in preemies are still growing and any irritation to those lungs during growth may be a bad thing.

I can't stand to be around a wood-burning anything. It irritates my lungs and eyes, and sometimes I end up having an asthma attack, even though my asthma is very well controlled.

Please post back and let us know what your pediatrician says.

armo

Yes, i should have clarified in my post - i was ignoring the RSV part of your question and just answering to the question of  a fireplace for even a healthy preemie.