Beauty, color and design are not the only considerations you should make when deciding on window treatments. How about the safety of your children, grandchildren or pets? October is Child Safety month, a good time to remind us all of this very important issue.

Consider products without cords such as plantation shutters, motorized treatments, spring operated roller shades, or the many child safe products offered by Hunter Douglas.

There is no reason that you cannot have a beautiful coordinated design and still maintain safety for children and pets. When we work with our clients in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachussets we always consider the ramifications of our design and product choices.

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Childproofing your home can be a daunting task. Today there are tools and tips that can childproof any room in your home easily and cost effectively. Any safety device you buy should be sturdy enough to prevent injury to your child, yet easy for you to install and use. It’s important to follow installation instructions carefully. Use Safety Latches and Locks for cabinets and drawers in kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms and other areas to help prevent poisonings and other injuries. Also use Safety Latches on appliances, such as your refrigerator and stove. Safety latches and locks on cabinets and drawers can help prevent children from gaining access to medicines and household cleaners, as well as knives and other sharp objects. Look for safety latches and locks that you can easily install and use, but are sturdy enough to withstand pulls and tugs from children.

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One of the easiest and most effective ways parents can protect children from window-related hazards is to eliminate a child’s access to windows by keeping cribs, chairs and sofas away from windows and dangling cords. This also will make life easier since parents won’t be constantly fixing mussed-up blinds! But this is just the first step, children are naturally curious and surprisingly inventive, so childproofing dangerous window coverings is a must for a safe family home.

There are several ways parents can childproof unsafe window coverings (most made before 1995) without running out to purchase new products. If uncertain about the year window coverings were manufactured, a quick check will identify existing child safety features and help determine if simple safety repairs are needed:

• Do the pull cords connect at the end to create a loop? If so, is the plastic end “tassel” one solid piece, or will it break apart easily, breaking the cord loop? (If it separates into two pieces, it probably is a safety tassel)
• Can the inner cord (between the blind slats) be pulled out?
• Does the continuous loop (on some vertical and horizontal blinds) dangle freely?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should consider making a few childproofing modifications to your window coverings. Below we’ve listed the most common child safety issues and sources for free safety repair kits. One solution or a combination of solutions may apply, depending upon the window covering’s style, use and how accessible it is to young children

Exciting Windows! can provide these devices, or call The Window Covering Safety Council at 1-800-506-4636 to request free safety devices.

Read more at: KidSmartLiving.com

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