Hilary Duff smokingPoor Hilary Duff. The new mom got a rare night out with her husband Mike Comrie at Rock N Reilly's Pub in West Hollywood, and the paparazzi was there to document her naughty mama moment. Turns out baby Luca's mom hasn't given up on her cigarette habit.

Eek. That doesn't exactly scream "mama has got it together," does it?

Hold up, I am not calling Hilary a bad mom. Her son was nowhere around when she lit up her cancer stick. But what she has done is a pretty common "new mom mistake."

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Moms figure that on their off hours, they can smoke. Makes sense, right? No baby around to suck in secondhand smoke. No baby around to see mommy doing something naughty and ape it. I don't fault her. Because this IS a common new mom mistake, and the science that tells us it's a mistake at all is new too.

But I'm still going to burst her bubble. Even without your baby in the vicinity, smoking is bad for baby. Ever heard of thirdhand smoke? It's new. But it's also real. And it's scary. Scientists say the carcinogens in cigarette smoke actually follow you from your grand night out without the baby back home to snuggle time. Even if you're a fab celeb like Hilary Duff, you can't escape it because it can settle in your clothes and cling to your body.

Kids don't have to be right there sucking in the fumes of your ciggy to get sick. The stuff that sticks to your apparel and wafts out of your hair is toxic enough. the exact effects are still being studied, but they say it's not good.

Here's hoping a little education is enough to make this mama kick the habit for good.

How about you? Do you smoke when the baby isn't around?

 

Image via Pacific Coast News