Anyone with a toddler knows that this stage of increased curiosity can be a challenging part of a child's development.
They are starting to walk and explore the world on their own.
Everything is new and exciting, and a toddler on a mission can make it from one room to the next before you realize they are no longer beside you.
Parents and caregivers are well aware of the dangers of stairs, sharp objects, and hot stoves.
However, they may not consider the potential dangers that windows and window coverings can pose.
Windows are particularly fascinating to curious young minds.
There is so much to see.
They are naturally drawn to them.
Once they are at the window, it is easy for cords, ties, strings, tassels, and draperies themselves to catch their attention.
According to the U.
S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), windows and window covering cords are among the top five hidden hazards in the home.
According to the CPSC, every month, a child between the ages of seven months and 10 years old dies from strangling on a curtain cord.
Important Safety Tips The CPSC provides the safety tips to keep your young child from being injured or worse:
The Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) offers free retrofit safety kits for curtains, blinds, and shades.
They are available at http://www.
windowcoverings.
org/ or by calling 800-506-4636.
The Safety Advantages of Plantation Shutters A good way to avoid the issue of cords, and also the danger of children climbing on draperies is to install indoor shutters.
Plantation shutters are a great choice for homes with young children because they have no dangling cords or strings.
They open and close with louvers mounted in a solid frame, with a tilt-rod in the middle or back of the shutter.
For this reason, interior plantation shutters are even used in schools.
Faux plantation shutters can be certified fire retardant, microbial resistant and free of chemical emissions.
Children are especially susceptible to chemical emissions and other environmental factors.
Check for the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute certification to make sure your interior plantation shutters are GREENGUARD certified for "environments where children spend significant periods of time.
" To find out which interior faux plantation shutter manufacturers have this certification, go to http://www.
greenguard.
org/en/CertificationPrograms/CertificationPrograms_childrenSchools.
aspx
They are starting to walk and explore the world on their own.
Everything is new and exciting, and a toddler on a mission can make it from one room to the next before you realize they are no longer beside you.
Parents and caregivers are well aware of the dangers of stairs, sharp objects, and hot stoves.
However, they may not consider the potential dangers that windows and window coverings can pose.
Windows are particularly fascinating to curious young minds.
There is so much to see.
They are naturally drawn to them.
Once they are at the window, it is easy for cords, ties, strings, tassels, and draperies themselves to catch their attention.
According to the U.
S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), windows and window covering cords are among the top five hidden hazards in the home.
According to the CPSC, every month, a child between the ages of seven months and 10 years old dies from strangling on a curtain cord.
Important Safety Tips The CPSC provides the safety tips to keep your young child from being injured or worse:
- Keep furniture, stuffed animals, and any other temptations away from windows to discourage children from climbing up to the window.
Make sure that there is nothing that can be pushed over to the window by a child and climbed on. - Even with that precaution taken care of, it is not difficult for a curious and determined child to find something to climb on (like the family dog) to reach a window.
Therefore, to be safe, install window guards to prevent children from falling out.
However, make sure that the window guards can easily be opened by adults and older children in case of fire. - If possible, install windows that open from the top instead of the bottom, and window stops to keep windows from opening more than a few inches.
- Never depend on screens to keep children from falling out of windows.
They are too easy to puncture, and before you know it, you have a child-size hole.
The Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) offers free retrofit safety kits for curtains, blinds, and shades.
They are available at http://www.
windowcoverings.
org/ or by calling 800-506-4636.
The Safety Advantages of Plantation Shutters A good way to avoid the issue of cords, and also the danger of children climbing on draperies is to install indoor shutters.
Plantation shutters are a great choice for homes with young children because they have no dangling cords or strings.
They open and close with louvers mounted in a solid frame, with a tilt-rod in the middle or back of the shutter.
For this reason, interior plantation shutters are even used in schools.
Faux plantation shutters can be certified fire retardant, microbial resistant and free of chemical emissions.
Children are especially susceptible to chemical emissions and other environmental factors.
Check for the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute certification to make sure your interior plantation shutters are GREENGUARD certified for "environments where children spend significant periods of time.
" To find out which interior faux plantation shutter manufacturers have this certification, go to http://www.
greenguard.
org/en/CertificationPrograms/CertificationPrograms_childrenSchools.
aspx