https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 04 May 2026 19:49:14 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-your-one-year-old-tested-high-for-lead#post-2462325 Mon, 15 Feb 2016 17:03:26 +0000 Cole 2462325@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Ms maths: @junebugsmama: Thanks ladies! I am definitely not incredibly concerned, more wondering what lower level steps we can take. If it's not lower at her next visit, or heaven forbid, higher, we would obviously take much more drastic measures. I appreciate the reassurance that I am not crazy for not immediately jumping into lead mitigation. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-your-one-year-old-tested-high-for-lead#post-2462216 Mon, 15 Feb 2016 15:28:27 +0000 mrsbubbletea 2462216@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cole: for what it's worth, someone from the county came and was totally useless. She didn't even test anything, just told us info that we had figured out from a few minutes of research. I think if you don't have any major chipping, you should be able to remedy your situation pretty easily. Especially with these products people are suggestion. If you have s professional come do everything, you are gonna have to move out for some time and it's gonna be very expensive! Also I work at a children's hospital and was chatting with a coworker, one of the attending physicians who I totally trust. He said until recently the "danger"threshold was 20! Pretty crazy. But lead is everywhere in our environment. I am hoping the hand washing and cleaning is making a difference. Good luck! I am anxious to retest. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-your-one-year-old-tested-high-for-lead#post-2462183 Mon, 15 Feb 2016 15:01:41 +0000 Ms maths 2462183@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cole: Just as a reference point for the recommendation I got, my LO's lead level was 6.1 I think. (My mother is a pediatrician and supported our ped.'s recommendation, so following their advice seemed like the best choice to me. I was definitely worried until we got the follow-up tests, though. And I'm not trying to dissuade you from taking action but just trying to give another perspective.) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-your-one-year-old-tested-high-for-lead#post-2462140 Mon, 15 Feb 2016 14:19:12 +0000 Cole 2462140@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@kiddosc: I will look into the paint you're talking about, that might be a good place for us to start. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-your-one-year-old-tested-high-for-lead#post-2462124 Mon, 15 Feb 2016 14:11:36 +0000 Cole 2462124@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think her level was 6 and 5 is the cutoff. Obviously no lead is the ideal though. Our ped said contact the county health authority but they only send a pamphlet out without much helpful info and they only offer actual help if you meet income requirements which we do not. We also own the house.</p> <p>They will retest at 18 months. </p> <p>Our hardware is not painted and is all original metal so we are at least good there. Two of the bedroom doors are both painted and bad fits for the door frame and I didn't even think about that. Those might be a good place to start. One of the areas I know there is chipping lead paint is the landing of our stairs so I have started vacuuming and or wet wiping it daily to make sure we aren't tracking paint around. </p> <p>We have all hard wood flooring except bathrooms which are ceramic and only one rug which isn't cozy but certainly easier to keep clean. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-your-one-year-old-tested-high-for-lead#post-2462033 Mon, 15 Feb 2016 13:22:21 +0000 Ms maths 2462033@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Did your ped. give you advice on what level of action to take?</p> <p>(Our ped tests at 9 months the first time and retests at 1 year if any lead is present. LO1 registered trace amounts of lead at 9 months, but the finger prick tests errors on the high side--because of contaminants on the skin--and ped. recommended no action. I did wet-mop the whole house but we didn't do anything else. LO1 had no measureable lead at 1 yr and 2 years. I'm guessing the ped.'s recommendation was a combination of pretty low levels of lead from the test and that taking active measures can introduce lead dust if not done properly.) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-your-one-year-old-tested-high-for-lead#post-2461959 Mon, 15 Feb 2016 12:34:05 +0000 blackbird 2461959@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cole: Oooo. I see. So...I work with a lot of toxic metal based paints at work and I'm pretty sure you have to contact the EPA office to see what your options are, legally. Lead paint is heavily regulated. So unless you have like...15K to devote to a professional removal, your options are slim, I think. They make heavy coatings that you can paint over to sort of trap the paint inside. It's the dust from the old primer that is the problem-so it chips off, you track it around your house, breathe it in, your kid eats it, etc. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-your-one-year-old-tested-high-for-lead#post-2461946 Mon, 15 Feb 2016 12:14:22 +0000 littlejoy 2461946@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would hire a professional to assess and fix the problem. </p> <p>Is your hardware (door hinges) painted? Window frames? If doors are painted, every time they are opening, the lead dust will "spray" into the air. I believe that this kind of issue is more about particulates, vs. your baby ingesting big pieces of lead paint. Older lead paint generally isn't an issue ... but something is causing the lead particulates to be spread through your house. </p> <p>Our friends went through this. They ended up hiring professionals to fix the issue. They also had to replace their carpeting &amp; rugs (since the lead dust was in it) ... they mopped every day, and used damp cloths to wipe window sills &amp; door frames every few days. </p> <p>I'm sorry you're going through this. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-your-one-year-old-tested-high-for-lead#post-2461941 Mon, 15 Feb 2016 12:07:19 +0000 Greentea 2461941@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Do you own this property? Personally I would hire a specialist to remove all lead. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-your-one-year-old-tested-high-for-lead#post-2461933 Mon, 15 Feb 2016 11:57:46 +0000 mrsbubbletea 2461933@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are in the same boat! My husband did some minor painting projects on the trouble spots (Windows, built ins). But we really need to replace all the doors/frames because those all are old and fit poorly. For now I just wash his hands very frequently, try not to let him near the trouble spots, and vacuum every day. I was planning to mop more frequently too but it's so hard to keep up with it.</p> <p> What was her level? My son's was 10.8. Which is pretty high. We need to recheck soon and I am worried we haven't taken enough action. @Cole: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-your-one-year-old-tested-high-for-lead#post-2461921 Mon, 15 Feb 2016 11:42:29 +0000 catomd00 2461921@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'd just suck it up and paint if you plan on being in the home for a while. Much easier than dealing with replacing lead pipes! I'd start with the rooms that tested positive that you spend the most time in and just go room by room as soon as you can. Will they retest on 6 months or at 2? How high her levels will would also help determine how quickly you need to act... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-your-one-year-old-tested-high-for-lead#post-2461824 Mon, 15 Feb 2016 10:26:35 +0000 LuLu Mom 2461824@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would start by painting the two areas in questions, as your child gets older they will start exploring more, and you will want every room/hallway/ect. to be safe. It's a huge undertaking to all at once, but if you take it one room at a time, it's more manageable. Safety is most important though and for me I would want my house to be safe for my child (and any future children if you choose) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-your-one-year-old-tested-high-for-lead#post-2461818 Mon, 15 Feb 2016 10:22:27 +0000 kiddosc 2461818@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It looks like you can buy clear lead encapsulation coatings. This might be a good temporary solution while you save up for being able to paint and seal the whole area properly. </p> <p>I would start the repainting process little by little as soon as possible though. Will it be a pain? Yes, but it's important. If you're working on it little by little you can spread out the cost and effort and probably do the majority of it yourselves. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-your-one-year-old-tested-high-for-lead#post-2461809 Mon, 15 Feb 2016 10:10:37 +0000 Cole 2461809@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@blackbird: sorry, I meant to specify that the water and tub were tested but the only thing positive is the paint. They would most certainly be my first step if they were positive. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-your-one-year-old-tested-high-for-lead#post-2461774 Mon, 15 Feb 2016 09:37:25 +0000 blackbird 2461774@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would think the water is more of an issue than the paint?....Can you invest in a better filtration system and replace the tub? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-your-one-year-old-tested-high-for-lead#post-2461752 Mon, 15 Feb 2016 09:14:56 +0000 Cole 2461752@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What steps did you take next? Our one year old is a little high but I am kind of overwhelmed. We live in an older house that was completely repainted a few years ago. It's peeling in a few places but repainting those places basically means repainting the whole house except the bedrooms which will be incredibly expensive and is too challenging for us to do. Ww keep her away from the two areas in question but what else? What things helped your family?</p> <p>(We have tested the water, tub and paint, the under layers of paint are what is positive.) </p>