Childproofing your window shades and blinds is an important step you can take in preventing injuries to your child.
According to The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, these scenarios can pose a serious risk of strangulation:
- If a child's neck gets caught between the exposed inner cord and the fabric on the backside of a blind
- If a child pulls the cord out and wraps it around his/her neck
- In roll-up blinds, the lifting loop can slide off the side of the blind, and a child's neck becomes entangled on the free-standing loop
- If a child places his/her neck between the lifting loop and the roll-up blind material
Safety Measures
CPSC and the Window Covering Safety Council have urged parents and caregivers to follow these guidelines:
- Examine all shades and blinds in the home to make sure there are no accessible cords on the front, side, or back of the product
- CPSC and the WCSC recommend the use of cordless window coverings in all homes where children live or visit.
- Do not place cribs, beds, and furniture close to the windows because children can climb on them and gain access to the cords.
- Make loose cords inaccessible and keep all window cords out of the reach of children. Make sure to keep tasseled pull cords short, and permanently anchor continuous-loop cords to the floor or wall.
- Lock cords into position when lowering horizontal coverings or shades to prevent inner-cord hazards
- If your window shades, blinds or draperies were manufactured before 2001, repair them with retrofit cord-repair devices, or replace them with today's safer products.
- If the window shade has looped bead chains or nylon cords, install tension devices to keep the cord taut.
