Keep kids safe – choose cordless blinds & shades
Roller shades or wood blinds? Classic or relaxed roman shades? Which color, fabric or texture? With all the different options, choosing the right window treatments for your home can be overwhelming. There is one option that’s a no-brainer… when you have kids, be safe and choose cordless!
Like other parents, the safety and welfare of my children are my highest priority. That’s why my wife and I childproof, monitor social media and talk with our children about potential dangers. One often unforeseen danger to young children is window covering cords. In fact, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission considers corded window coverings one of the top five hidden hazards in American homes.
Go Cordless for Kids
About once a month a young child dies from window cord strangulation. Accessible window covering cords pose a deadly strangulation hazard to infants and young children between ages 7 months and 10 years. More than 16,000 children were treated in emergency departments for injuries caused by window treatments between 1990 and 2015. While the clear majority of injuries were cuts and bruises, about 12 percent involved cord entanglement and nearly two-thirds of children who became entangled in cords died. (Source: American Academy of Pediatrics, January 2018)
While strangulation accidents can happen anywhere, they occur most often in children’s bedrooms and in living rooms according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). For this reason, the CPSC recommends taking the following precautions in homes where young children live or visit.
- Install cordless or inaccessible cord window coverings that comply with updated safety standards. Examine all shades and blinds in the home and make sure no accessible cords are on the front, side or back of the product.
- Do not place cribs, beds, furniture or toys close to windows because children can climb on them and gain access to the cords.
- Make loose cords inaccessible. All tasseled pull cords should be as short as possible. Continuous-loop cords should be permanently anchored to the floor or wall.
Certified “Best for Kids”
Today, almost every window treatment is available in a cordless option. While older window treatments can be retrofitted for safety, true safety is only achieved by installing new cordless window coverings or those with inaccessible cords. To ensure your window treatments meet updated safety standards, choose blinds or shades that are “Best for Kids” certified.
“Parents with young children should replace their corded window coverings with the cordless products available,” says Peter Rush, Executive Director of the Window Covering Safety Council. “The new ‘Best for Kids’ certification label recently launched makes it easy for parents and caregivers to easily identify which products are best suited for their home.” (Source: WCSC)
Window treatment manufacturers must meet program criteria and submit their products to an independent third party testing laboratory to be eligible for the “Best for Kids” certification. Products bearing the “Best for Kids” logo either have no cords, no operating cords or inner cords that are not accessible and don’t create a hazardous loop. Made in the Shade Wichita partners with the following window treatment manufactures whose products are “Best for Kids” certified.
- Graber & Springs Window Fashions
- Alta Window Fashions
- Norman Window Fashions
If you can’t replace window treatments with cordless, the CPSC recommends taking precautions like moving cords out of children’s reach, ensuring tasseled pull cords are short and continuous-loop cords are permanently anchored to the floor or wall. For more information on child-safe window treatments or retrofitting older blinds and shades, visit the Window Covering Safety Council.
If you’re interested in upgrading to cordless window treatments, contact us at (316) 272-2173 for a free, in-home consultation. Also, for a limited time you can take advantage of our free cordless upgrade on select Graber, Horizons and Alta products.
