Child safety and sanding

[Drew Sanderson]

My three year old son attends a Montessori school and I recently received a newsletter and in one part it said "The children are very excited about the new addition to our welcoming hallway. The vanity will be refinished by our toddlers. We will be sanding and painting for our auction item this year."

Instantly the woodworking safety side of me was activated thinking about all the wood dust and wondering about current finish is that the children are physically removing.

Am I overreacting or should I point them to some safety articles? I really just need a reality check. I honestly think most people think that sanding wood is harmless.

[Mark Rakestraw]

I would definitely say something. For fresh wood I might just point out the fact wood dust is harmful and emphasize the importance of clean-up and having the kids wear decent dust masks. Sanding an old finish I would try my best to have them reconsider, and not have my kid participate. If they need a woodworking project maybe you can help them come up with something more appropriate? Maybe I'm overreacting, after all a three year old's attention span won't have them at it for hours (maybe minutes?), but still it seems like good practice should be instilled.

[johnny means]

I would say your worrying about nothing. Exactly, What harm do you think might occur in a few minutes if sanding? The vast majority of woods are not harmful amd those that are require long term exposure to have any real affects. Wood dust can be an irritant, especially for asthmatics. So a dust a mask might be useful for those prone to attacks.

Keeping things in perspective, the most dangerous thing your child will do that day will be the ride to school.

[Mike Heidrick]

My Megan would be taking the Legos out and making a knock down spray booth.

[Prashun Patel]

I think you should request that they at least do the sanding and finishing outside. I'd suggest that they use a cheap box fan to blow some of the dust away from the area, but that poses its own safety problems for little fingers and minds mesmerized by spinning propellers.

I think the bigger concern is whether those toddlers will be able to sand with the grain

[Neil Brooks]

I sorta' think ... if it were me ... I would take a few minutes to chat with the appropriate teacher.

I'd just like to get a sense of whether they understand the *possible* risks associated, and what plans they have to minimize them.

If they know, and have a plan that seemed thoughtful, I'd feel better.
If, OTOH, they seemed clueless, I might take a minute to discuss the issue with them, and suggest a few precautions they might take.

Personally, though, I would try to avoid assuming, one way or the other, until I knew what they did or didn't know.

Good luck !

[Daniel Smith]

How long do you think sanding will hold the attention of 3 year olds? I know for me, I want to stop after a couple of minutes and I have 40 years on them. I just don't see a concerted, productive effort by the class that's going to put a significant amount of dust into the air.

[John Coloccia]

I'm thinking that the odds of 3 year olds making any appreciable sanding dust are pretty slim. After 10 minutes one of the teachers is going to realize the error, sand it themselves and let the little'uns take one swipe each with the paint brush.

[Neil Brooks]

OhByTheWay: if these kids DO get into it ... I may like to contract them

[Stephen Cherry]

why not buy a box of disposable dust masks and donate them to the school. This seems like a double opportunity- the kids can learn to sand a little, and they could learn that you are supposed to use a dust mask.

[Jim German]

The amount of exposure a toddler is going to get from sanding something themselves is insignificant. They're probably going to be far more harmed by walking past someone smoking a cigarette then spending 5 minutes sanding.

[Van Huskey]

I think the reality as others have mentioned is they will each make three swipes with the sand paper and be done. Whomever is teaching them will sand the item and prep it for paint. I assume they will be using child friendly finger paints and then clear coating it. You are not going to keep a dust mask on a toddler without super glue! This will be like all the projects I "built" with my dad when I was little, he built it I was somewhere in the general area. That said when it does get sanded the kids need not be right on top of the sanding, no need to expose them to real amounts of sanding dust, their systems don't handle stuff like that as well as adults.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Ask for clarification before you go over the top. I mean if your child helped me prune, I would not hand them a chain saw. Well, I might, but a responsible adult would not!

[Van Huskey]

Ask for clarification before you go over the top. I mean if your child helped me prune, I would not hand them a chain saw. Well, I might, but a responsible adult would not!

Chaps, gloves and a face shield and they will be fine....

[Guy Belleman]

Yes, I think there is a lot of over-reacting to this issue. If concerned, then go to the school and talk to the project teacher. Three year-olds. I suspect that sanding for a couple of minutes and getting finger paint on a surface will be about the limit.