Child Safety Week And Window Furnishings
By Ana Zuravliova
This week is the Child Accident Prevention Trust’s Child Safety Week – a week-long campaign that “helps families build confidence and skills in managing the real risks to children’s safety”. However, here at Blinds Direct making sure the home is safe is always of paramount importance, with child safety at the top of our list of priorities. All of our blinds have been manufactured to be child-safe and, as part of our ongoing commitment and in support of Child Safety Week, today we’ll be looking at how you can make your stylish window furnishings safe for everyone you live with.
Child safe blinds
Blinds and curtains are an important part of any décor. They make a space feel more beautiful, they limit external light and protect privacy. There is a wide range of exciting styles of blinds for children, but beyond that, there are some easy ways to keep your little ones safe. Before we get into the specifics of different window furnishings and their associated safety features, there are six main points for those with cords, chains, or tapes. They are:
1. Keep blind cords, chains, and tapes out of reach of children by using the correct child safety device.
2. Make sure your child cannot access the window blind by climbing onto furniture. This includes cots, sofas, chairs, tables, shelves, and bookcases, which should never be located beneath or near a window blind.
3. Ensure that all cords, chains, and tapes are properly secured to the wall and remain tight.
4. Ensure all cords, chains and tapes are well out of reach, at least 1.5 metres above ground.
5. Do not tie cords together.
6. When purchasing new blinds, consider cordless or motorised blinds.
Child safety at Blinds Direct
All of our handmade blinds are supplied with the necessary child safety devices attached to the blind. This makes the task of keeping your little ones safe much easier. Moreover, each of our blinds come with the necessary warning labels to prevent any potential injury. Some of our specific safety features include:
Breakaway connector – These have been specially designed and thoroughly tested to come apart under pressure. The amount of force required to break the chain provides an important balance between the lowest applied pressure as is feasibly possible whilst still maintaining effective mechanical operation. This is designed to clip back together afterwards. This technology is generally used on roller blind and vertical blind chains.
Tensioning device (P-Clip) – This device should be securely fixed at least 150cm from the floor, out of the reach of children and is generally supplied alongside our roller blinds, vertical blinds, and Roman blinds.
Cord cleat – This should be firmly fixed at least 150cm from the floor, out of the reach of children, The cord/chain must be secured in a figure-of-eight – after each operation of the blind. This device is generally provided with wooden blinds, metal Venetian blinds, and pleated blinds.
Cord consolidator – A breakaway connector enables up to four cords to be operated with a single cord. The cord connector is made in two halves and is designed so that if sufficient force is applied between the multiple cords, the connector breaks in half preventing them from forming a dangerous loop. This is generally supplied with wooden blinds.
Inner cords – An inner cord limits how the cords can be pulled and looped. All inner cord stops should be located as close to the head rail as possible, and not more than 5cm from the head rail when the blind is fully closed/lowered. This is generally used with wooden Venetian blinds.
Rear breakaway clips – These breakaway devices found on the rear cords on Roman Blinds are the perfect solution to meet child safety. The cord breakaways are designed to ‘snap’ away if excess force is applied, they can simply be ‘snapped’ back in again to resume normal operation of the blind.
The best child safe blinds
While every blind will arrive with the requisite child safety devices, there are some that don’t have any chains of cords.
Child safe vertical blinds
Vertical blinds – Vertical blinds can be operated with a chain, in which case you can have a chain tidy, but they are also available with a wand system. This simple device operates the horizontal movement of the slats, and their rotation.
Child safe cordless roller blinds
Cordless roller blinds – These innovative roller blinds remove the need for pull cords or chains. This makes them the perfect choice for the nursery, bedrooms, or any other room in your home.
Child safe motorised blinds
Motorised blinds – Motorised blinds remove the need for any kind of manual operation beyond the simple press of a button. By using a remote to control the motor, the need for cords and chains is completely removed.
Child safe perfect fit blinds
Perfect fit blinds – Perfect Fit blinds offer easy installation, clipping between the glass and beading of your window. These blinds are hand operated without the need for cords or chains. Moreover, perfect fit metal Venetian blinds and wooden blind come only with a wand.
Child safety could not be more important to us. For more information, you can read our child safety advice on the website, and if you’re still unsure, call our friendly customer services team
Shop some of our favourite child safe blinds:
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