Child-Proof Window Coverings by Eliminating Hazards

BBasic safety precautions and a little know-how can dramatically reduce safety threats.

Ptarents and child care-givers can make the biggest difference when it comes to protecting young ones in their homes. The first step is to remove or reduce safety threats. For window coverings, that can mean choosing the right products when updating window treatments or knowing how to eliminate potential hazards from existing treatments. In either case, the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) continues to urge parents to child-proof their window coverings from potential cord hazards. Despite increased awareness of cord safety, the development of cordless window coverings, and a dramatic drop in accidental window-cord deaths, WCSC executive director Peter Rush says several infants and toddlers still strangle in window cords every year. Most cord-strangulation incidents occur among children between the ages of 10 months and three years. Infant cord deaths almost always involve window cords within reach of a child's crib. Toddlers and older children frequently become entangled in the cords by climbing on beds or low-standing furniture placed near a window. BASIC SAFETY PRECAUTIONS A few basic safety precautions can go a long way to reducing threats in the home. WCSC officials say the key to window-cord safety is to eliminate or severely reduce a child's access to windows and window cords. WCSC recommends following these safety rules: • Move all cribs and low-standing furniture (beds, bookshelves, toy boxes, etc.) as far away from windows as possible, preferably against another wall. • Install cord stops on corded horizontal blinds and mini-blinds to prevent inner-cord access. • Secure all pull cords out of reach by using either a cleat or permanent tie-down device. • Eliminate looped pull cords on older (pre-1995) corded mini-blinds and shades by cutting the loop and attaching safety tassels to the pull-cord ends. Cord-safety devices, including cord stops, safety tassels and tie-down devices, can be ordered at no charge by calling the WCSC hotline at (800) 506-4636. ELIMINATE CORD LOOPS Two-corded mini-blinds and pleated shades manufactured before 1995 may have looped pull cords. These loops usually can be eliminated by cutting the looped cord just above the tassel; removing the tassel and equalizer buckle, if any; and attaching new tassels to the ends of the resulting two pull cords. It is important to note that looped pull cords on vertical blinds and certain draperies requiring a continuous loop cannot be cut and still operate. In such cases, use a tie-down device or cleat to pull the cord loop tight and secure it to the wall or floor. This will reduce a child's access to the loop. INSTALLING CORD STOPS In response to the latest identified hazard potential from inner or lift cords of horizontal blinds, the WCSC recommends retrofitting these cords with cord stops, small donut-shaped disks that are knotted onto pull cords near the headrail. Cord stops make it impossible for a child to accidentally loosen and pull out the inner-cord of a lowered blind. SAFETY KITS Since late 1994, WCSC has spearheaded a nationwide campaign to educate Americans on window-cord safety, and to provide consumers with free cord-safety devices and information. Through its 24-hour hotline, the council offers free window-cord safety kits for retrofitting corded window blinds, shades and draperies. The kits consist of cord stops, safety tassels, installation instructions and an illustrated cord-safety brochure. Consumers may also request tie-down devices at no charge.   HOW TO CHILD-PROOF WINDOW COVERINGS WITH LOOPED CORDS If your window looks like this: Do this: It should now looks like this: Two-Corded Horizontal Blinds: Cut the looped cord just above the tassel, remove the equalizer buckle, and attach separate tassels to the ends of the resulting two cords. Two-Corded Pleated and Cellular Shades: Cut the looped cord above the tassel, leaving cord stop in place. Attach separate tassels to the ends of the resulting two cords. Note: When shades are raised, another loop will appear above the cord stop. Keep cord ends away from children. Continuous-Loop System: For window coverings using a continuous-loop cord, affix a cord tie-down device to the floor, wall or window jamb to pull cord taut and reduce the chance of entanglement.   UNINTENTIONAL INJURIES MANY INJURIES AND DEATHS ARE AVOIDABLE Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death in the United States for people aged one to 34, reports the Centers for Disease Control's Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention. Each year, more than 90,000 people die in the United States as a result of unintentional injuries. During an average year in the United States, unintentional injuries account for nearly 31 million emergency room visits. The Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention monitors trends in unintentional injuries in the United States, conducts research to better understand risk factors, and evaluates interventions to prevent these injuries. Research and prevention programs focus on two categories of unintentional injury: motor vehicle-related injuries and home- and recreation-related injuries. HOME AND RECREATION INJURIES • Falls are the leading cause of non-fatal unintentional injuries and emergency department visits for children up to 14 years old. Each year in the United States falls among this age group account for an estimated 2.5 million emergency department visits. • Drowning is the second leading cause of injury death among children (ages one to 14). • Each year in the United States, 200,000 preschool and elementary school children visit emergency departments for injuries sustained on playground equipment (about one injury every two minutes). • In the United States, falls are the leading cause of injury deaths among people 65 years and older. One of every three Americans 65 years old or older falls each year. • Each year, almost 600,000 people are treated in emergency departments for bicycle-related injuries, and in 1998, 758 bicyclists died from this type of injury.   HOME SAFETY CHECKLIST Your family will be healthier and safer if you practice a little prevention. First, hazard-proof your home using the following checklist developed by the American College of Emergency Physicians. Second, enroll the whole family in CPR courses sponsored by the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross. Keep a first aid kit, including a first aid manual, handy at home and on vacation. Replace supplies as they are used or expire. Finally, keep up-to-date medical records for every member of the family. Help prevent injuries in your home. Begin with this handy checklist: Have a first aid kit with appropriate items handy at all times. Buy medicines and other household products with childproof caps. Be sure to keep these and all others out of the reach of children. When cooking, use back burners and be sure to keep pot handles turned inward. Set your hot water thermostat to no more than 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Be sure there are child-resistant safety latches on all cabinets and drawers containing harmful substances. These include medications, cleaning supplies and cosmetics. Don't put chemicals or medicines in food containers. Keep them in their original containers. Keep electrical cords out of the reach of children. Keep syrup of ipecac (used to induce vomiting in some cases of poisoning) in the home at all times. Use only on the advice of a poison control center or emergency department. Keep toys with small parts and other small objects out of the reach of toddlers and young children. If you have a pool, install a four-sided fence with an automatic child-proof gate. Be sure all windows are secure. Install window guards to keep children from falling out. Make sure your house number is clearly visible from the street. Be sure that plastic bags or other materials that may cause suffocation are nowhere near a child's crib or bed. Be sure the toy box lid is easy for a child to open and close. Heavy or hard-to-open lids are dangerous. Purchase toys appropriate for your child's age. In homes with more than one child, be aware that older children's toys may be hazardous for younger ones. Be sure there's a non-skid bath mat on the bathroom floor as well as in the bathtub. Keep emergency numbers on every telephone in your home. List an ambulance service, fire, police, the regional poison control center and the emergency department. Do not rely on a telephone's memory programming—it may not work in a power outage. Install smoke detectors and replace the batteries twice a year. Store firearms unloaded and locked. Firearms and ammunition should be stored separately