Home BABY HAZARD - please read

[Allison D.]

I''ve just read an incredibly sad story about an 18-mo old boy who became tangled in the cord to the window blind and did not survive.

His crib was positioned under the window, so he was able to get at the cord.

Please make sure the cords aren''t anywhere within reach of your precious little ones. I cannot imagine the heartbreak these parents must be feeling.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

I'm afraid this has happened a few times, it's just heartbreaking. One of our neighbours lost their 3 year old daughter last year. I can't imagine their grief.

One way to improve the safety of loop cords is to pull them taut, then fix a round door handle securely to the wall at the bottom of the loop, so the cord loop is anchored to the wall but can still be pulled up and down. I'm not explaining this very well, but I can take a pic if anyone wants to see it.

You can buy blinds with safety release mechanisms, basically cords that will detatch from the roller if enough weight is put on them. However, the mechanism is plastic and if it hangs at a sunny window for a long time, I don't know how reliable it would be in an emergency.

ETA this is not just a baby hazard. Curious little people of all ages have hurt themselves or worse on blind cords at home.

 

[Steel]

That is so sad.

I remember now, that we got a note with our IKEA blind to say they were offering, free of charge, little secure mechanisms to attach to our wall so that the cord is not loose. I think many new designs come with separated cords for safety.

 

[lulu]

Deaths have also occurred when kids'' hoodie strings get caught on a slide.

 

[Shoopy]

It is a good reminder. We also cut the cords off of her toys. She had a couple of those pull and play toys with really long cords and of course the cord was the only thing that interested her.

 

[NovemberBride]

So very sad. Due to the fact that a number of these deaths have occurred in the US, there was a voluntary recall of almost all blinds manufactured in the US and there is a website you can go to to get free mechanisms to fix the issue. I''ll see if I can dig up the website.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 4/25/2010 10:14:50 AM
Author: fiery
It is a good reminder. We also cut the cords off of her toys. She had a couple of those pull and play toys with really long cords and of course the cord was the only thing that interested her.

We also cut the cords when the kids were younger. Now that I have a 7 month old kitten, I''ve been doing the same for him. lol

 

[snlee]

So sad. Thanks for posting. This is a good reminder.

 

[snlee]

Date: 4/25/2010 12:21:46 PM
Author: NovemberBride
So very sad. Due to the fact that a number of these deaths have occurred in the US, there was a voluntary recall of almost all blinds manufactured in the US and there is a website you can go to to get free mechanisms to fix the issue. I''ll see if I can dig up the website.

I posted about the voluntary recall - more info here - https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/voluntary-recall-of-all-roman-shades-and-roll-up-blinds-controlled-with-a-cord.131867/

 

[heb1976]

There is also a risk of strangulation with the strings shortened or out of reach. Children can become entangled on the strings inside of the blinds as well. We use only curtains or plantation shutters to avoid the risk altogether. I feel so horrible for the children and families who have had to deal with this.

 

[TravelingGal]

Thanks Alj for posting this. We have a cord accessible from the video monitor that we''ve been meaning to move (but became complacent because I told Amelia not to touch it and she never has that I have seen). TGuy put it int he wrong spot when we first installed and we hadn''t changed it. We''ll change it asap.

 

[janinegirly]

Thanks for this. We have pleated horizontal shades with long cords (none near crib though). I usually tuck them high up, but would like to order the kits--anyone know which kit is need for these cords? We are changing all windows so its a good time to address this hazard.