Why parents should take extra care if they have window blinds at home
Window blinds aren't something one generally gives much thought to, but that could change after a study showed such fixtures to be a danger to small children.
After analysing figures from 100 accident and emergency departments across America over a 26-year period (1990-2015), it was discovered that almost 170,000 injuries in children under the age of six were caused by window blinds or shades. While the vast majority of cases (93.4%) were minor, around 271 proved fatal as a result of children becoming tangled in cords or chains.
It is clear that more precautions need to be taken to bring the number of blind-related injuries down. In a statement, the study's research team said:
"Although many of the injuries in this study were nonfatal and resulted in minor injuries, cases involving window blind cord entanglements frequently resulted in hospitalisation or death... A mandatory safety standard that eliminates accessible window blind cords should be adopted."
Safeguarding your children
To keep your kids safe at home, it is important that they know not to 'play' with blinds. Dr Gary Smith, co-author of the study from Nationwide Children's Hospital in Ohio, urged parents to be more proactive. He said:
"Kids live in a world designed by adults, for the convenience of adults, and child safety is all too often an afterthought."
The study's findings have prompted varied reactions on social media, with one user writing that "they should ban blinds, with the cords [sic]. My daughter almost died that way. I got the cord from her neck just in time," on Facebook.
For more information on child blind safety, read this factsheet from Direct Blinds or consider investing in cord safety clips.
The study was published in the journal Paediatrics.
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