Should you paint a nursery before or during your pregnancy?

Question

My wife isn’t pregnant yet, but hopefully will be soon since we are going to try for a baby in a few months.

I heard pregnant women should not be in a house that has paint fumes in it.

We have one of our rooms picked for a nursery.

Should I paint the room now while she is not pregnant?

Or should I paint it when she is pregnant but make her leave the house all day?

The room was our guest bedroom, but is now nearly empty.

Answer 1

My wife threw up so much when we painted the babies room the first time. I would suggest painting it before she's pregnant.

Answer 2

For some reason the fumes from the paint are not as strong as they used to be. I would do it before the baby, because then it gets too hectic. Maybe half wallpaper and half paint may be better, although I would assume the glue for wallpaper might have fumes.
Just paint in a well ventilated area. Close the door to the room with the windows open and just tell her to run a bunch of errands or spend more time outside that day. Paint dries fairly quickly. Put a quick light coat on at first so it dries quickly then go over it with a think coat to make sure you get could coverag, it takes only a few hours to dry all together.

Also maybe the person at the paint store could actually recommend something that has milder fumes from personal experience or something.

Answer 3

Depends on what you paint it. If you paint it a neutral color then go ahead and get the nursery set up! It will be ready and this will be one less thing to do while she's pregnant. Or you could wait to see what the sex of the baby is and then do it when you're wife is not home. Open windows and run fans to move air through the house. Just make sure she isn't there when you do it.

We painted our son's room while I was pregnant and I just left the house that day. Good luck!

Answer 4

I painted our nursery all by myself (including two coats of primer) when I was 8 months pregnant. Just make sure you have the room well ventilated and use latex paint. If your wife helps, buy her a mask from The Home Depot. Not one of those flimsy dust masks, but one of the heavy duty ones that's made specifically for keeping fumes out. She should be fine. As long as you have the area ventilated, you can paint with her in the house and she'll be OK.

Answer 5

You can paint now...you can paint when she is pregnant. She doesn't have to be out of the house, just not hanging in the room all day painting with you. She is perfectly safe even checking up on you. You sound like your excited to be a Dad and now your the one who is finicky not the Mom! :) Good luck with all. I have a newborn baby girl and she is heaven sent!
As long as she is not painting the room with you, she is fine...even if she is in the other room.

Answer 6

I would wait until she gets pregnant and have her leave for the day. Maybe she could go shopping for some of the things you will need for the baby's room. I am only saying this because if you have a difficult time getting pregnant, it would be stressful to already have a baby room made up and waiting.

Answer 7

I would wait. First, because maybe the baby room would put too much pressure on you both during the period you are trying to conceive. Second, because if you find out the sex you may want to change colors. Painting the room during her pregnancy is fine...You may want to wait until she is a through the first trimester and her morning sickness eases. Latex fumes are ok.

Answer 8

well i would do after she is preg and you know the sex of the baby and have her go out all day and go shopping for the baby and get items and go out for lunch with a friend or a family member that way she will be surprised about the room and she can show you the items she got for the baby and make sure you leave items that you both can shop together and if you decide on a theme after the paint dries you both can decorate it!!! and good luck in the future baby are so awesome and wonderful!!!

Answer 9

Depends if your going to do the nursery in a certin theme if you want to wait and see if your having a boy or girl then wait to paint. If your doing colors that will be ok for both a boy and a girl then go ahead paint away. If you do wait to paint send your wife out for a full body massage.

Answer 10

I'd say wait until you know what sex the baby is, unless you're going to paint white or yellow. Just make her leave the house for the day, and open all the windows in the room, and let it air out realy well before you let her see it.