When is it safe to decorate the nursery?

Ques­tion: When is the best time to paint the nurs­ery? My sis­ter says the fumes could harm the baby if I strip paint in my first trimester?

Answer

Preg­nant women should be banned from the dec­o­rat­ing. Many par­ents want to make their baby’s room safe and beau­ti­ful, they rush around in the last weeks strip­ping wall paper, sand­ing and paint­ing. How­ever,  mums-to-be should stay away dur­ing dec­o­rat­ing because preg­nant women and their fetuses are vul­ner­a­ble to tox­ins from plas­ter, old paint (which may con­tain lead) as well as VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) fumes from new paint.

Safe Dec­o­rat­ing Nurs­ery Tips

• Ban preg­nant women from the dec­o­rat­ing site and close off rooms if possible.
• Dec­o­rate the nurs­ery at least 2 months before your due date, as fumes, dust and gen­eral mess can take weeks to dis­perse. How­ever, your baby is most vul­ner­a­ble dur­ing your first trimester (weeks 0 – 13) because your baby’s organs start to develop. Harm­ful fumes or chem­i­cals at this stage could affect your baby more severely, so the win­dow for dec­o­rat­ing is between 14 and 30 weeks.
• Choose safer paint for the nurs­ery that is low or free from VOCs because they emit less fumes and chem­i­cals. Water-based paints are less haz­ardous than solvent-based ones, but even they might con­tain metal-based pigments.
• Check that the paint to be stripped and sanded from old door frames and win­dows does not con­tain lead. Lead in paint was banned in Aus­tralia in 1906 and the US in 1978, how­ever lead paint was sold and used in the UK until 1992. If your house is older get some­one to do paint strip­ping and sand­ing for you. If you are unsure get a lead test­ing kit from you DIY store.
• Use your instincts and if it smells too strong stay away. This goes for all baby fur­nish­ing too; cot mat­tresses, car­pets, sheets, paint.
• Make sure any room that is being painted is well ven­ti­lated, by open­ing any windows.
• Hard­wood floors with nat­ural rugs are a good alter­na­tive to newly installed car­pets which tend to emit chem­i­cals from fibers, dyes and back­ing material.

(17/02/10)

References
NHS Choices, Can paint fumes affect my baby?
Volatile organic compounds in the home, Cranfield University, www.cranfield.ac.uk
Stripping Lead Paint, Daily Telegraph, 2009

RELATED ARTICLES

• How to get baby to sleep alone?
• How to Select A Safe Cot for Your Baby
• How to choose a healthy cot mat­tress for your baby