This post was sponsored by Window Covering Safety Council as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
I can’t believe it’s already October and the weather is beginning to cool outside. With the change of season, comes increased indoor play for my three little ones and extra vigilance on my part to any potential safety hazards that might be present in my home. When childproofing your home, there are always the same core tips listed on safety checklists for infants and young children but one important recommendation is often not included. That one item in the home that can pose a serious danger to children is window coverings. Because October is National Window Covering Safety Month, it’s the perfect time to bring awareness to what may seem like a harmless part of your home, but actually could pose a real hazard to your child.
While you may not look to your windows when initially childproofing your home, window coverings with exposed or dangling cords can pose strangulation hazards to young children. If you currently have older corded blinds, shades and draperies, the best option is to replace them with new cordless window coverings. This can be a fun remodeling project while also maintaining optimal safety in your home. It’s super easy to find cordless products that meet the high safety criteria by shopping products with the Best for Kids™ Certification. These products are available at at major retailers across the country and meet strict program criteria while also receiving verification from a third party testing laboratory. Best for Kids™ Certified products have either no cords, no operating cords and inner cords that are not accessible, or if accessible inner cords are present in products with no operating cords, the accessible inner cords cannot create a hazardous loop.
If you are unable to replace your current window coverings with a Best for Kids™ certified window covering, there are other ways to help reduce danger to your little one. Always keep window covering cords up and out of reach from children while also moving any climbable furniture at a far distance from windows. Additionally, cords should be kept as short as functionally possible and cord stops should be utilized to limit movement of inner cords. The Window Covering Safety Council also offers a FREE retrofit kit that eliminate looped pull cords and includes cord stops.
Be sure to spread the word this month about the dangers of corded window coverings to young children! Head over to the Window Covering Safety Council which is an excellent resource for further window covering safety education.
No Comments