When it comes to child safety in the home, window coverings are frequently overlooked as a potential hazard. Making the choice of cord-free products and transitioning to safer window treatments are reliable ways to childproof your home and shield your children from accidental injuries. We hope that with a bit of knowledge and a list of child-safe shades, you’ll have one less thing to worry about.
Safety in the Home
Conversations about child safety rarely include window coverings but there are risks that you should be aware of. According to the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission), more than 600 children are injured by window cords and on average about nine children under five years old die from cord-related incidents each year. Children as young as18 months can climb to reach cords and cord-related injuries are most likely to occur between the ages of 7 months and 7 years old. These accidents are preventable with educated choices and new standards in the manufacturing of window coverings.
Prioritizing Child Safety
In an effort to enhance child safety, the Window Coverings Manufacturers Association introduced new standards for corded window coverings. Effective June 1st, 2024, all free-hanging corded window coverings were discontinued in the United States. This means that the majority of window coverings that are available are cordless or motorized, making them much safer for children. Any corded window coverings that are manufactured must have a tension system in place as a failsafe to operate, ensuring that a cord is not easily accessible to a child.
What to Consider when Choosing Window Coverings
Although free-hanging cords have been eliminated from window coverings, there are still levels of safety to consider.
- • Blinds: Slatted products like wood, faux wood and mini blinds continue to have exposed cords that run through the slats, known as ladders, that pose risk of entanglement.
- • Shades: While all shades are inherently safer than blinds, some are more so than others. We recommend products that either have no cords to operate, like roller and solar shades or products with hidden cords, like cellular shades. Roman shades and natural woven woods shades have exposed cords on their back side but there are measures in place to maintain child safety and limit potential injury.
- • Cord Loop: This is the only corded option still available for window coverings, operated by pulling on a chain cord to lift and lower. While the tension mechanism has been updated to comply with safety standards, it is still an accessible cord. We recommend cordless and motorized shades to enhance peace of mind and limit potential injuries.
Child Safe Window Coverings
Cellular Shades
A favorite for any window, Cellular Shades are an ideal pick for child-safety due to their easy operation, lightweight design and slim headrail. Their tension-based design ensures that they stay in place when raised and lowered and minimal headrail depth allows the shade to remain recessed inside the frame of a window to avoid potential injury.
Roller Shades
These modern marvels are ideal when looking for a sleek, easy-to-operate option for layering. They partner perfectly with drapery, allowing for maximum blackout coverage during the daylight hours (who doesn’t love a light afternoon snooze?). Easy to clean and with a much smoother design than in previous years, today’s roller shades are available with two different types of cordless lift operation and affordable motorization options.
Cordless
Our recommended lift for any window covering is to choose cordless. They’re easy to operate, have a clean visual appeal and are the most widely available lift option in blinds and shades.
Motorized
We love motorized window coverings for all the benefits of a cordless shade plus the extra bonus of hands-free control and scheduling features that allow parents to program when shades lift and lower, perfect for maintaining a sleep time routine.
Not ready to replace the cords in your home? We understand that it may not be in everyone’s budget to replace window coverings with a safer option. There are ways to ensure an increased level of safety for corded blinds and shades in the home.
- • Out of Reach: Utilizing cord cleats and/or shortening the cords on blinds and shades are a good way to remove temptation from curious minds. You can order free window covering retrofit kits on www.windowcoverings.org.
- • Restrict Access: Proximity of furniture to corded window coverings increases the risk of injury in the home. Consider placement of furniture in each room to limit unsafe climbing, grabbing and playing.
- • Add Tension: With the use of a tensioner, continuous cord loop blinds and shades will eliminate a free-hanging cord.
When it comes to our homes, keeping little ones safe is always a parent’s top concern. By eliminating cords, your kids can be kids who explore and play with one less thing for you to worry about.
