Window treatments add beauty, style,and protection to your space. But if you have children, you need to take extra care when choosing blinds, shades, curtains, or drapes. Before you buy, take a look at the do's and don'ts of choosing window treatments that can keep your kids safe.
Do Go Cordless
There were a total of 50 infant/child fatalities resulting from window cord strangulation incidents between 2012,and 2017, according to the
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). When it comes to injuries, a study in the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) journal
Pediatrics found there were over 16,820 blind-related injuries in children six and under between 1990 and 2015.
Dangling cord scan quickly trap a child-leading to serious injuries or strangulation. The easiest way to minimize cord-related risks is to eliminate
the problem completely.
While removing all window treatments from your home would certainly keep your child safe from cords, this isn't a practical (or an aesthetically
pleasing) idea. Instead of leaving your windows bare, consider swapping older corded models of blinds for new cordless versions.
If you absolutely don't want to give up your corded blinds, you can decrease risks by using safety devices such as cord blind cleats or covers or.
Even though the use of safety devices is better than doing nothing at all, it's still riskier than choosing cordless blinds.
Don't Assume Only Babies Are at Risk
Your baby isn't the only on eat risk for potential window treatment-related injuries. Even though an infant won't listen to your rules (about not
touching window treatments) in the same way that an older child would, age doesn't remove the risk.
Whether you have a baby, toddler, preschooler, older child, or all of the above, you need to child-proof window treatments. Child-proofing
provides a basic safety measure that can decrease risks when an older child can't or won't follow verbal rules.
Do Move Furniture
Replacing window treatments isn't the only way to increase home safety. Never place a crib, toddler bed, or a child's bed against, under, or near
the window. Not only does this pose a fall risk, but it also gives your infant or child easy access to the window treatments. While using cordless
blinds decreases the likelihood of serious injury, a child could still pull heavy drapery or a curtain rod down.
Along with crib sand beds, move couches,chairs, toy boxes, dressers, desks,and other furniture away from the windows. Your child could climb
onto these items, providing easy access to the window treatment or curtain rod.
Don't Forget About Other Spaces
The nursery isn't the only space to child-proof. Even though your child may spend more time in their bedroom than in other home areas, safety in
all other rooms is equally as important. This means you need to assess the risk potential of every window treatment in your home.
Remove all corded window treatments, swapping them for cordless models. Again, if this isn't possible, use safety devices to reduce the danger.
Along with removing cord risks, move furniture away from window areas.
Do Opt for Style
You don't have to sacrifice style for safety. There area variety of decorative cordless blinds, as well as cord-free curtain sand drapes, to choose
from. These include motorized blinds, spring-loaded models, clip holders (these take the place of cords, holding the shades up), or curtains.
Beyond replacing your blinds for safety's sake, this change can also add a new design aesthetic to your home. Trading your older corded blinds
for new cordless ones (or another type of window treatment) also adds a sense of modern style that can freshen any space.
Do you need new window treatments? Contact Sylvan's & Phillip's Drapes & Blindsfor more information.
