Curtain & Blind Cord Child Safety

Curtain and blind cord can be a real danger to babies and young children. Children, most of them are under the age of 3, have been strangled when they got caught in curtain or blind cords.

Fortunately, child safety is something that the window coverings industry has seriously addressed within the last few years, and major manufacturers continue to develop new features to ensure the safety of your home.


Cordless Options
For concerned parents who wish to have window coverings with no cords at all, please check the following products.

All vertical blinds are available with a single wand operation with no cord or chain.

Cellular shades have cordless and motorized options.

Shutters are always cord-free.

For cellular sliders check out the Ovation. Another great cord-free product.


Precautions
None of these precautions are 100% full-proof, and should not be considered an alternative to direct parental supervision. All cord safety it ultimately the responsibility of the parent.

Do not leave curtain and blind cords hanging. Keep the cords out of the reach of children.

If you already have blinds, make sure that they are safe by eliminating any looped cords.

Cut the cords short. Tie the cord to itself. Whether the blind is up or down, make sure children can't reach the cord.

Keep sofas, chairs, tables, shelves or bookcases away from windows to prevent children from climbing up to reach the curtain or blind cord.

Use a clip, clothes pin, big twist tie, or tie the cord to itself with a knot to keep the cord out of the reach of children.
Get rid of the loop in the cord by cutting the cord in half. Then, put plastic tassels or a break-away device at the end of the cords. Even with this adjustment, the cords can still be unsafe. Cords should still also be secured out of a child's reach. Please note not all lift styles can be adjusted this way.
Wrap the cord around a cleat that you have attached to the wall near the top of the curtains or blinds. To protect your children, Accent Verticals is pleased to provide upon request cord cleats free of charge with every shade that we manufacture.

Child Safety Guidelines
First and foremost, there is no substitute for direct parental supervision.

NEVER put a crib, bed, high chair or playpen near a window or a patio door where a child can reach the curtain or blind cord and strangle.

If you have blinds with looped cords, you can make them child-safe by cutting the cord and attaching a new tassel to each cut end (see directions above).

Many products now come with special features which enhance product safety. If you have small children, you'll want to look for these features:

• Break-Thru Safety Tassels break apart and separate when pressure is applied on them. Separated tassles or break-thru tassles, can still be VERY dangerous if the cord is still very long, or has even a small twist in it.


• The Continuous Cord feature uses a pulley-like system with a single cord, keeping the cord loop taut and eliminating dangling cords.

• The Cordless feature eliminates cords altogether. Blinds can be lifted or lowered by hand!

• Motorization features eliminate lift cords through battery operated remote controls. Shades can be lifted and lowered at the touch of a button, and should anything get in its way, the built-in Safety-Stop automatically stops the shade.

In addition to these great options, all of the blinds at Accent Verticals use lead-free paint, which is one less danger you'll ever have to worry about. Some imported vinyl mini blinds contain lead, and when children put their mouths on these blinds, they run the risk of lead poisoning.

No matter what choice is made for your window covering needs, please be careful and make the necessary precautions to help ensure your child's safety.

For additional safety tips and free repair kits, contact the Window Covering Safety Council.