Going cordless is the safer choice when you have children. Even for pets, cordless blinds and shades are the way to go. Because pets and small children can get entangled in the cords, going remote controlled, cordless, or motorized is the way to go to avoid any freak accidents.
Blinds and shades should always be kept out of reach and touch by small children. This ensures that your children or pet can’t get tangled in the cords. Choose roller shades instead of long drapery or corded blinds for minimal choking hazards.
Limiting contact with corded blinds and
shades dramatically decreases the risk
of choking or falling. Locations like the
bed, couch, crib, and other climbable
furniture make it too easy for your child
to get caught in an accident. Prevent
access to cords by positioning furniture
away from window treatments or doors.
Corded blinds or shades need to be locked in so that children and pets are unable to mess with them. Dangling cords or strings can become a threat or hazard. To secure the cord, it needs to be anchored down and locked into the side of the shade. ShadeMonster window treatments always come with a cord anchor to tightly secure chains and cords.
To be sure that your blinds and shades are properly installed, get help from ShadeMonster’s step-by-step installation guide and video. If you’re still concerned, hire a professional installer so you can be absolutely sure that your corded blinds are properly installed. This ensures the locked cord won’t come loose and become easy for your child to grab.
When we think of all the precautions that we take to make our home the safest for our children, we often overlook window cords as a
potentially serious risk. When you have young kids, being aware of these risks could save their life. The statistics below may shock
some people, but here at ShadeMonster we believe in raising as much awareness as possible about the safety of window treatments.
According to the report of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC):
– When children become entangled, strangulation can occur in less than a minute.
– Window cord strangulation is often silent, so parents or caregivers nearby may not realize that a tragedy is unfolding.
– On average, about nine children aged 5 and younger die every year from strangulation in window blinds, shades, draperies and
other window coverings with cords.
– About 200 incidents involving children up to 8 years old occurred due to strangulation hazards on window covering cords from
January 2009 through December 2020, according to CPSC data.
– Injuries ranged from a scar around the neck, quadriplegia, and even permanent brain damage.
The Window Covering Manufacturers Association (WCMA) set new standards for child safety, to take effect by December 15, 2018. The revised
guidelines state that cords on any custom-made window covering can’t be longer than 40% of the height of the window covering.
