The Shirley Journey

Finding Joy in the Journey

Two Weeks in Ireland with Kids

We took a trip to Ireland last year, but it was just us. We knew immediately the kids would love it, so this time we brought the kids to Ireland! Day 1 We left the house Monday, August 14th about noon and arrived at Newark International Airport at about 2:30, breezed through security, and sat […]

Safer Window Coverings for Kids

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I received free window coverings in exchange for this post, but my love for keeping kids safe is all my own!

October is Window Covering Safety Month! Did you know that’s a thing? Well, it is and it’s a very important issue to address. Because window coverings with cords are cited as one of the top 5 hidden hazards in the home, we jumped at the opportunity to work with Blinds.com to make our window coverings safer!

Window Covering Safety Month

We moved into our townhouse about 6 months before we were married. We knew we would have children in this house, but didn’t think about everything that entailed house-wise. The blinds that came with the house are what stayed up until just recently. Once we had Charlie, we tried some of those cord keepers for the blinds, but they seemed to fall off and become more of a hassle, so our cords were often draped through one of the top blinds to keep it out of his reach.

In our house, we spend the majority of the day in our living room, so this is definitely the first room that needed a safety makeover! Our dining room is connected to the living room though, so the kids have free range in there as well. The vertical blinds that came with the house (again, these are the ones that we left up for over 4 years) were missing half the blinds, didn’t come with the cord to close them, and were pretty much a wreck. This room obviously needed an upgrade too!

Before Blinds.com

We took a look at a couple different roller shades and cellular shades and then ordered some free samples to help us decide. Take a look at the infographic below to see what kind of window coverings are best for you.

I love natural light, but I need to be able to have privacy too, so we decided to go with the Blinds.com Architectural Light Filtering Roller Shades in Stria Sky Blue for the living room. It’s a double window that’s just really huge, but I liked the idea of covering the whole thing together instead of two blinds like it had previously.

After Blinds.com Living Room

I absolutely LOVE how much light comes through them, yet I still have the privacy I need with a big window in the front of a townhouse. The roller shade installed really easy. The trickiest part for my hubby was deciding where to place the brackets. It came with 5 since it was a big one. I’m sure it would have been even easier for him had we gotten two smaller ones for each window instead of one for the whole opening.

And something I think is really awesome? Look how nicely it rolls up! We’ve had other roller shades that fly up when you try to put them up, but this is not the case here.

 

For the dining room, I loved the look of the cellular shades just covering the windows on the french doors instead of the vertical blinds that seemed bulky. We decided on Blinds.com Light Filtering Cellular Shades in Glacier.

After Blinds.com Dining Room

The whole room looks cleaner without those vertical blinds all bunched together on the side. We get a ton of light through these too. They’re really easy to put up and down, and the best and most important part: they’re completely cordless! The kids won’t be playing with them anymore! And if they play with these, I don’t worry if they’re safe or not.

 

5 Tips to Make Window Coverings Safer for Kids

1. Make the switch to cordless blinds or shades. Check window coverings for exposed cords that could pose a strangulation hazard to infants and young children. Replace corded window coverings with today’s cordless safer products. Draperies, shutters and cordless cellular and roller shades are a few preferred cordless options. Shop Blinds.com’s Safer For Kids Collection to find the perfect replacement.

2. If you cannot install newer products, ensure that all window cords are out of sight and reach, and that they are inaccessible to young children. Order a free window cord retrofit kit from www.windowcoverings.org.

3. Prevent Access to Cords. Move all cribs, beds, furniture and toys away from windows and window cords, preferably to another wall. These items could act as unintentional “step stools” that allow a child to reach a window or cord.

4. Continuous-loop pull cords on draperies and vertical blinds should be pulled tight and anchored to the floor or wall with a tension device.

5. Be sure cord stops are properly installed and adjusted to limit movement on inner cords on blinds and shades.
All recommendations via The Window Covering Safety Council.

Thanks to Blinds.com, one Mom’s Messy Miracles reader will win a $100 Blinds.com gift card!

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Also, Blinds.com is doing a $2,500 giveaway! Be sure to enter that too!

Comments

  7. I need these in my life. My folks own the house I live in and our living room is devoid of blinds. We’ve been begging them to install some but they’re slacking, so winning this would be amazing!

    Reply

  35. Christina, what nice tips that you provided in writing on how to make blinds safe for kids. My wife has also been concerned with the roller blinds that we have around the house. Mainly for their cords that seem very long and she is worried that the kids might get tangled with them.

    Reply

  36. I agree that it’s better to use cordless shades if you have kids. Sometimes, kids will play with the cords. Some kids even think it’s fun to put them around other kids necks because they do not realize the extreme danger this poses to physical safety.

    Reply

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