How to Childproof Your Blinds

As parents, caregivers, or landlords, it’s our job to be vigilant about potential hazards in our homes. When we’ve got a baby on the way, we meticulously childproof our electric outlets and secure any sharp corners. But there’s one household item that often goes overlooked: window blinds.

Unfortunately, window blind cords are responsible for around two deaths every year. If you don’t make your blinds child safe, they can pose a dangerous and potentially fatal threat to children.

Why can blinds be dangerous for children?

The first step in creating a safe home environment is understanding why some blinds can be dangerous. Some designs are inherently riskier than others. Looped cords and chains on blinds are the primary concern, especially when they hang within a child’s reach. This includes cords used for lifting, tilting, and adjusting blinds. Children, especially those under the age of three, are naturally curious and love to explore. A hanging cord can quickly become a strangulation hazard if left within reach.

How to do a home safety check

Even seemingly secure rooms like bedrooms, playrooms, and living spaces can harbour dangers. To do a safety check on your blinds, walk through every room in your home with these questions in mind:

• Are there any hanging loops or dangling cords?
• Can a child reach these cords from nearby furniture?
• Are the blinds positioned near beds, cribs, changing tables, or play areas?
• Do the cords create potential entanglement risks in any other ways? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above questions, then you need to make your blinds child safe!

How to make your existing blinds safer

Don’t worry – in most cases, there’s no need to buy new blinds. We have some simple solutions you can implement to minimise risks:

Keep your cords out of reach and under tension Cord tensioners and wall-mounted cleats are your first line of defence. These simple devices can dramatically reduce the risk of loop-related accidents. When installing a cleat, ensure it’s mounted at least 1.5 metres from the floor so it’s well out of a child’s reach.

Where possible, you can also shorten the cords. First, tilt the blinds this way and that to figure out how much of the cord you can remove while still being able to operate your blind. Then cut with scissors and re-attach the end pieces. Some metal chains can also be shortened, though you may need to use pliers.

Safety advice for different kinds of blinds Different blinds require slightly different approaches.

Pleated blinds – Use a cleat to keep the cord out of reach of children.

Roller blinds – Install a cord tensioner to prevent cords from swinging freely.

Roman blinds - Add breakaway devices to the cords on the rear of your blinds. Breakaway devices still allow you to use your blinds normally, but they’ll separate under pressure.

Venetian blinds – Consider shortening the tilt cords where possible. Use multiple cleats to secure the cords at least 1.5m high on the wall.

Vertical blinds – If you have multiple chains and cords of different lengths, you may need to install multiple tensioning devices.

As you can see, there’s many easy ways to make your blinds child safe without having to invest in new ones. If the type of blind you have isn’t on the list above, give us a call or check this website for more specific advice.

However, you might already be intending to buy new blinds anyways. If you are, it’s important to ensure you invest in child safe blinds.

Buying child safe blinds

If it’s time to replace your blinds, there are two routes you can take. Due to legal requirements, all blinds sold in the UK must either come with child safety devices, or be child safe by design.

There are plenty of options available. The dangling cords that are typically found in some blinds can be tucked away – either in enclosed chains or wand-controlled systems. There are some other blinds that have done away with cords and chains entirely. Spring-operated systems can be moved by hand, as can some blinds that are designed to fit directly into the window beading. And if you’re interested in a more modern system, motorised blinds can be controlled by remote or smartphone apps for a completely hands-free experience.

Does everybody have to make their blinds child safe?

Even if you don’t have children of your own, we strongly recommend making these easy and simple safety modifications. You never know when a young visitor may come around – especially if you have friends or family members with little ones.

If you are a landlord, you have a duty of care to your tenants. It’s your responsibility to either make your current blinds child safe or to replace them. If your tenant wants to install blinds, it’s your responsibility to ensure they are child safe as part of your inspections. Note that this is necessary even if your current tenants do not have any children. These rules apply to all residential environments – even more unusual ones like caravans and boats.

Help is available

If all this sounds overwhelming or you’re not sure which safety device is right for the type of blind you have, don’t stress! We stock a huge range of safety devices and can help you understand how to install them in your home.

Don’t wait for an accident to happen – take action today. Get in contact if you need more help with making your blinds child safe.