You spent hours childproofing your house as your baby became a toddler.

The table edges were covered. The cabinets locked. Rugs were pulled up or secured.

Now it’s time to remodel your kitchen. If you think your old kitchen cabinets were tempting to a wandering 18-month-old, just consider how exposed electrical wiring, boxes of new cabinets and buckets of paint will appear.

There are many safety concerns when remodeling with children in the house. The best approach is to talk with the contractor early in the process. Then devise a plan for keeping little Kathryn out of harm’s way.

If the contractor will be working with lead paint or other hazardous materials, check with your local Environmental Protection Agency office for guidelines to follow. In most cases, you will want to remove the child from the house for the duration of that portion of the project.

The Daily Schedule

As you prepare for the renovation, ask the contractor about the work flow:

• How many people will be in the house each day
• What are the typical work hours
• What rooms will be affected by the construction

·           Will there be days when workers are carrying large building products into the house or producing large amounts of dust or releasing strong chemical odors?

• Is there an entrance they can use that is away from the child’s play area? This will help minimize the disruption to the child’s environment and prevent dropped tools or supplies from peaking her curiosity.

If possible, plan to have your child fed and dressed before the workers arrive. This will allow you to focus on the child’s needs before the flurry of activity begins.

If your child is in daycare, she will be out of the house during most of the construction activity. You will want to focus on safety during evening hours and the weekends.

Keeping the House Clean

Construction sites can be filled with dirt, dust and piles of building materials – a tempting combination for children. Discuss the following with the contractor:

·          Who will be responsible for cleaning the work site each day

·          Where will tools and building materials be stored?

·          Can open sections of walls and floors be covered at the end of each day?

If there are areas of the house that typically are off limits to your child, such as the garage, make sure the contractor is aware of this. You may want to put a note on the garage door asking the workers to close the door each time they walk through that area.  They also should be reminded to close all doors leading to the outside of the house to prevent a curious child from wandering outside.

As you prepare your battle plan:

·           Talk with your child about the work

·           Find a safe play area for her and a clean place to store her toys

·           Explain the dangers in ways she can understand

·           Stress the positive aspects of the project

Make a game out of it. Maybe she won’t notice all the noise overhead as she bangs pots together in her new campground in the basement.