| Each year emergency rooms treat the victims of | | | | were placed near a window may end up strangling |
| many preventable accidents. It could be a fall | | | | to death in their own cribs. Toddlers tend to die |
| down a stairs, an accident in the kitchen or | | | | this way after climbing up to see out of a |
| bathroom, or something to do with roller blinds | | | | window, falling, and getting caught in the cords of |
| and windows. Each year there are thousands of | | | | the roller blinds. Fortunately strangulation by blind |
| children with window related injuries that are | | | | cord deaths are preventable. Since roller blinds |
| admitted to emergency rooms. Fortunately these | | | | purchased before 2001 pose the greatest |
| accidents are preventable with just a couple of | | | | strangulation risk, there are a couple of things you |
| easy safety measures. | | | | can do. You can purchase an upgrade kit that will |
| The following are three of the most important | | | | include safety tassels and stoppers for your older |
| safety devices you should use if you are | | | | roller blinds, or the best action you can take is to |
| concerned about your child's safety around | | | | install new roller blinds that are made with child |
| windows. | | | | safety devices. |
| Window StopsA window stop might be a suitable | | | | Window GuardsSince window screens are not |
| safety device if you have windows that normally | | | | effective for preventing children from falling out |
| stay closed, as the window stop will prevent a | | | | of window, windows guards are one of the best |
| window from opening more than ten centimetres. | | | | solutions on the market today. Window guards |
| The only downside to using a window stop is that | | | | can help prevent serious falls from windows as |
| you will not be able to open the window fully, so if | | | | they act like a gate. Installed in front of the |
| you are looking or a safety device that will allow | | | | window, window guards are available in both |
| you to have more ventilation you will want to go | | | | horizontal and vertical bars. When looking for a |
| with the window guard option. | | | | window guard you will want to find one that has a |
| Safety Devices for Roller BlindsMost roller blinds | | | | release mechanism so that it can be fully opened |
| manufactured before 2001 may not meet the | | | | in case of an emergency, like a fire. In order to |
| current child safety regulations because older roller | | | | prevent a child from squeezing through, the bars |
| blinds tend to have long cords that sometimes | | | | of the window guard should be a maximum of |
| form a loop. A long cord, especially a looped one, | | | | ten centimetres apart. |
| is a danger to a child’s safety as children can | | | | |
| easily get tangled up in the cord and strangle | | | | Ultimately window safety is the choice of the |
| themselves. Some of the older roller blinds have | | | | parent. If you are at all concerned with the safety |
| cords without stoppers, which make them | | | | of your child you may want to look into |
| accessible to children. These horrible accidents | | | | childproofing your windows and roller blinds. |
| usually occur to infants and toddlers. Infants who | | | | |