Cutting-edge technology now helps you protect your most precious assets.
When Esther Sadowsky, principal of the New York City-based design firm, Charm & Whimsy, designs a kid’s bedroom, she goes all out.
Like a giant tree filled with stuffed animals or funky words and numbers woven into the décor. “A child’s room should be fun, nurturing and practical," believes Sadowsky, who’s even placed a faux city bus with bicycle wheels in the middle of one elated child’s bedroom. But no matter how fun it is, she says, “a child’s room must be safe.” And one of her first concerns are windows.
And for good reason. A study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2003 estimated that in the previous decade one child got strangled in window cords every two weeks. According to the study, almost all of these deaths occurred to children under the age of three. In 85 percent of the cases, the parents were home. And the accident happened exactly where parents think children are safest—in their cribs.
How does it happen? Simple. Little hands iinnocently tug on outer cords, pull them to their face and get entangled. But it’s not just the outer cord. Between 1991-2004, at least 20 out of 200 strangulation deaths involved the inner cords that run through horizontal blinds. And children aren’t the only ones at risk. As baby boomers become elderly, the ill and bed-ridden might face the same problems.
The good news is that since September 15, 1995, federal regulations have mandated that all new window treatments must eliminate loops on miniblind cords and use a tensioning device on the continuous loop cords used primarily in vertical blinds. If you own pre-1995 corded miniblinds and shades, you can retrofit them by cutting the loop and attaching safety tassels to the pull-cord ends. Free retrofit kits, as well as cord stops, safety tassels and tied-down devices, are available by phoning the Window Coverings Safety Council hotline at 800-506-4636 or visiting www.windowcoverings.org.
Update your technology.
Instead of risking ill-applied antidotes, however, why not invest in the latest safety technology? Child--friendly designers like Sadowsky make it a priority. “Whenever possible, “ she says, “I use the LiteRise® Touch System from Hunter Douglas.” An option found on Duette® honeycomb shades, Country Woods® Collection wood blinds, Brilliance® pleated shades and Modern Precious Metals® aluminum blinds, the system eliminates the pull cord altogether; it only takes a gentle touch of a button on the bottom rail to lift and lower. Another option is the UltraGlide® system, in which the pull cord retracts to a pre-set position, making it less accessible to young children. It’s available in Duette honeycomb shades, Silhouette® window shadings and Vignette® Modern Roman Shades.
If you’re still crazy for tassels, the Break-Thru® Safety Tassel available on Hunter Douglas Modern Precious Metals aluminum blinds, consists of two small pieces that snap together to join the two ends of the cord. Should a child become entangled in the cords, the tassel is designed to break apart with minimal downward pressure, causing the cords to separate.
Why not just make safety automatic?
The smartest, safest window treatments for children are those that put the power back in your own hands (as long as you remember where you hid the remote). PowerRise®, Hunter Douglas’s battery-operated remote control system which operates shades at the touch of a button, is available on Duette honeycomb shades, Silhouette window shadings, Brilliance pleated shades and Vignette® Modern Roman Shades. The PermAssure® Safety Wand features a single control that replaces the chain and cord on select Hunter Douglas custom vertical blinds. For window fashions with continuous cord loop systems, the Hunter Douglas Cord Tensioner is a standard feature that helps prevent injury by keeping the cord loops taut using spring tension with a specially designed cord weight and bracket.
And don’t forget your child’s skin!
As the ozone layer splits wider, caring for your child’s skin indoors becomes a top priority. When ordering window fashions, make sure they have UV protection; some Hunter Douglas fabrics offer up to 95 percent. Luminette® Privacy Sheers are unique treatments that bond sheer fabric facing to soft, rotating vanes that rotate to provide privacy, diffused light and UV-protection with a view. Add the PowerGlide® option, a remote controlled motorization system that operates with any standard 110V wall outlet, and you’ll get style, automation and good health protection all in one.
More Window Tips to Save Your Child’s Life
• Move the crib. No matter how tempting the fresh air and sunlight is, move all cribs and low-standing furniture (beds, bookshelves, toy boxes, etc.) as far away from windows as possible, preferably against another wall.
• Protect from falls. To help prevent serious falls, use window guards and safety netting to help prevent falls from windows, balconies, decks, and landings. (Note: make sure at least one window can be easily used for escape from a fire.)
• Guard against allergies. Cut down allergic reactions by installing screens that prevent dust and insects from entering your child’s bedroom. (Note: screens are not effective in preventing falls.)