Child Safety Tips

Female Speaker: Window blinds are functional, nice to look at, but potentially deadly for young children. Since 1989, 25 Canadian children have strangled to death on blind and curtain cords. So to keep your family safe, it's important to follow some basic precautions. Wendy McNalley is with the Consumer Product Safety Program at Health Canada.

Wendy McNalley: Children and window covering cords don't mix. When curtain and blind cords become accessible to young children, they become a strangulation hazard. Adults need to product young children by ensuring cords are out of reach.

Female Speaker: There are some basic rules to follow to keep window blind cords out of reach of children.

Wendy McNalley: Whether the blind is up or down, make sure children cannot reach the cords. Tie them out of reach. Never put a crib, bed, playpen, or high chair near a window or a patio door where a child could reach the cord and strangle.

Female Speaker: Recently manufactured blinds have some safety features built-in, such as breakaway plastic tassels at the end of the cords. However, if the cords are not tied out of the reach of young children, there is still a strangulation hazard if they should wrap the cord around their neck while playing.

Wendy McNalley: Whether old or new all window covering cords must be secured high and out of reach of children. For horizontal blinds, make sure there are breakaway tassels at the ends of cords. For vertical blinds, install tie downs. Both these products can be found at your local department or hardware stores.

Female Speaker: Use a clip close pin or a big twist tie to keep the cord high and out of reach of children. By taking some basic basic window blind precautions you can help to keep your children safe.

For more information on blind cord safety visit HealthCanada.gc.ca/blindcords or to learn about more child safety, call 1800 O-Canada. That's 1800-622-6232 or TTY 1800-926-9105. Sherry Dematarco reporting.


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