Hi, Jesse! Congrats on being a parent.
A couple of things:
Toxicity is based, in large part, on exposure to a substance (the dose). How often you perform a task, how long it lasts, the materials used (incuding conentration and chemical characteristics), and environmental conditions (i.e., available ventilation, etc.) all factor in to determine how much of a dose is received by the body. The dose received and the body's ability to effectively metabolize any potential toxicants determine overall toxicity. It's also important to realize that materials such as acrylic paints are only RELATIVELY less toxic than enamels. Brush painting is going to result in less dose received than if you are spraying; however, both acrylics and enamels contain organic solvents that are going to become airborne and present a potential inhalation hazard. While acrylics may not contain the faster evaporating solvents like xylene or toluene (as found in enamels and lacquers), they may contain alcohols and glycol ethers, that when inhaled present the same basic toxicity hazards as enamels. So don't throw that respirator away just yet! In addition, pigments from paints can also be hazardous. While most manufacturers have gotten rid of pigments containing heavy metals (cadmium and lead), chromium (including the carcinogenic zinc chromate) may still be used in some applications. Spraying these products may cause pigment to settle on some horizontal surfaces. If your daughter begins chewing on these surfaces (e.g., during teething), then there is a risk of exposure to her via ingestion.
As far as gluing is concerned, there are "non-toxic" glues available (Testors, I think), but their ability to hold parts together effectively is somewhat diminished. This is one of those frequency/duration tasks where I don't think a great deal of exposure is going to occur. For example, two nights ago I glued a 1/48 fuselage together and may have used 15-20 drops over a period of 5-10 minutes (actual glue time). I would consider my own exposure minimal, even though my nose was near the work task in progress. I use Tamiya extra thin, which contains butyl acetate and acetone, two solvents that are much less toxic than, say, Ambroid or Tenax that contain methylene chloride (a carcinogen). Testors liquid cement contains methyl ethyl ketone, another relatively safe solvent. Insofar as your daughter is concerned, I would consider her exposure minimal, unless her proximity to you during this task is very close.
As far as putties go, I don't personally know of any considered non-toxic.
There are some things you can do to minimize potential exposures:
1. Keep caps and lids on paints and glues when you are not using them.
2. Use minimal amounts--only the amounts necessary to complete the task at hand.
3. Don't toss rags or paper products containing solvent-based materials in the trash can in your hobby room. Get up and throw them someplace where vapor concentrations won't accumulate.
4. Don't spray paint during your daughter's time in the room with you. For her safety and yours, consideration should be given to obtaining a spray booth. If a spray booth is not yet feasible, make sure you perform a wipe-down of all surfaces in the room that she might come into contact with during her play time. For your own safety, open a window and get some air movement going in the room. Better yet, don't spray in the house. Take your work outside, in the garage, or over at your neighbors house.
5. When gluing or puttying, keep a small fan blowing across you breathing zone to both disperse and dilute vapors being generated. Crack a window to allow some fresh air to come in
6. If you have a spill, clean it up immediately, and refer to no. 3 above. Get some air movement going to disperse vapors.
7. While not toxicity-oriented, it may be a good idea to keep a fire extinguisher handy, just in case....
Remember that it doesn't take as much dose for your daughter as it does for you to reach some level of toxicity in her system; however, given the frequencies and durations of the work tasks performed during modeling and her location relative to yours during those tasks, eposures should be minimal, except for spray painting.
I apologize for rambling. I have about 100 more things to say, and I know I've missed several things I should have said. If you have any questions, please feel free to shoot me an e-mail. I know there will be good suggestions from others on this forum, as well.
Hope this helps.
All the best to your new family!
Gip Winecoff