October Was Nationwide Window Cord Safety Effort

So, this is a bit late but the message in itself is not late and for some reason it seems October is the month to do all sorts of awareness campaigns.. it's a not overwhelming...no not at all.  Regardless of how many campaigns we have in October, one of the most important ones to pay attention to if you have small children is one to promote the safety of  window cords.


Window cords?  Yes the unassuming , yet dangerous, cords that allow you to raise your blinds up and down or open and closed can be extremely dangerous to young children because they can pose a strangulation and entrapment danger.  Scary stuff here...

Window blind cord

When I attend the professional product safety seminars, window blind cords are always brought up.  The risk of strangulation and entrapment is so high  that since the year 2000 there are 44 listed recalls for window blinds on the CPSC website  and 1 redesign notice from 1994.   Many might say, "my child would never be so stupid as to get caught in the cords" but really based on the stats, I don't think any parent or caregiver can really say that with 100% certainty.  These cases are accidents after all and are the result of kids being kids in exploring their world in ways that us adults have forgot. In fact, the more intelligent and curious the child, they might actually be more apt to get caught in the cords. This is post is not meant to be fear mongering but a way to get the word out. 

Manufacturers of window blinds are very serious about mitigating this hazard, there are  FREE retrofitting kits available via the Window Covering Safety Council or via phone by calling the toll-free number at 1-800-506-4636.  There is also this little baby called "super baby" who stars in some very informative videos. And don't think that just because your blinds are newer (say like mine and less than 10 years old) that you are ok because the recalls on these have been tremendous.  You can check saferproduct.gov to see if your blinds have been recalled or simply review your blinds after reading through the Window Covering Council's site and determine for yourself if you need to do some retrofitting.  I actually have a few recalled ones installed myself and am awaiting my kits as we speak...and yes the nesting instinct is hitting home now.

 Lastly don't forget to install and use the cleats to get the cords up and out of the way of those curious little fingers and necks.

Window Blind Cord Cleats Keep Little Hands Away