Is it still safe to paint the nursery?

welly01 · July 2012

We originally didn't plan on painting the nursery because 1) I don't feel like "redecorating" a room every few years as child ages and 2) kinda worried about if the paint fumes are okay for baby. As we get closer to due date, I'm kinda wanting to maybe paint the nursery. This may be totally silly and hyper-paranoid but does anyone know if it is still safe to paint the nursery? Baby will probably be in our room for the first couple of months anyway for sleeping, but we may use his room to BF, naps, etc.

welly01 · July 2012

Ok, thanks!

lavet22 · July 2012

I'm pretty sure Lowes or other paint stores carry nursery-specific paint that you can get that cuts down the fumes and is specifically designed to be okay for pregnant women and childrens rooms. I'm not totally positive, so I may have just made that up, but I believe I saw that when DH and I were painting our home 3yrs ago.

rachael_c26 · July 2012

lavet22:
I'm pretty sure Lowes or other paint stores carry nursery-specific paint that you can get that cuts down the fumes and is specifically designed to be okay for pregnant women and childrens rooms. I'm not totally positive, so I may have just made that up, but I believe I saw that when DH and I were painting our home 3yrs ago.

Yes I love when I give "this" advice...

but I'm pretty sure I've heard that somewhere too...

LuckyMissus · July 2012

My husband believes that it is unsafe for me to be around any paint, or even in a freshly painted house. So he's having painters come and do the nursery, our bedroom and a few spots we need to touch up while we're on vacation. I have no plan to tell him that it's safe as long as well ventilated..

rosebuddie618 · July 2012

We're going to be painting (well, I'm not, but others will be) when I'm about 30 weeks, including baby's room. We're going to use low VOC paint which I have been assured has very little or no smell and doesn't off-gas like regular paint, meaning it should be safe for me and the LO.

Though I admit, I am going to stay at a friends while the actual painting is going on.

megs2011 · July 2012

The low VOC paint isn't bad. There's hardly any smell to it. I didn't do the painting but I probably could have... I was more worried about my back.

llevine · July 2012

Low VOC paint would be best if you want to avoid the fumes, however the fumes will be gone by the time baby arrives. If you are going to be around I would use low VOC paint. My husband plans to paint in the next month and will probably leave the house for the day.

boilerbaby12 · July 2012

Low/No VOC paint is safe to use during pregnancy, but still make sure you're in a well ventilated space and not exposed for long periods without a break. Low/no VOC is also better for baby, as VOC paints can off gas over the course of a year.

zockrockwife · July 2012

BEHR premium offers a low-VOC paint (they market is as zero VOC, but it does actually have VOC in it) that you can purchase at Home Depot or Lowe's. We actually moved when I was about 4 months pregnant and we painted the entire house with the paint. We waited until we found out the sex of the baby, and then painted the nursery. You should be fine painting...even using the low-VOC paint, I would still encourage you to open the windows and use a fan because it still had a slight smell to it.

Beeautiful · July 2012

My husband is a professional painter and he has heard one too many health scares related to painting so he won't let me near the nursery while he paints it. I, however believe it is perfectly fine as long as the area is well ventilated and I would even go as far as to wear a hospital mask while doing it (very cheap at pharmacy).

Chloeannie14 · July 2012

If you do, definitely use NO VOC paint (volatile organic compounds). It costs a little more, but definitely worth it. I know Benjamin Moore and Sherwinn Williams both have a line of no VOC paint.

https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/for-your-home/paint-products/natura-waterborne-interior-paint?lang=en_US&role=H#s_gr=envirofriendly&advs=0&tab=2

There are also other options like Milk-Paint that are completely non-toxic.

https://www.milkpaint.com/

sadsadie · July 2012

Yes, it is safe. You probably have more to worry about in terms of sore muscles or falling (don't get on a step ladder or stool, let someone else reach the high places) than toxic paint fumes as long as you are using a water-based latex. Like others say, throw open the windows and get a fan going in there too!

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