Window Treatment Options for Child Safety

Window treatments and infants can be a terrible mix. If you have not updated your functioning window treatments, perhaps it is time. The window treatment industry has been aware of the dangers of the hanging, dangling cords on:

• Honeycomb shades
• Horizontal blinds
• Pleated shades
• Roll-up shades/roller shades
• Roman-style shades

Today, there is no reason for us to lose another child through “Infant Cord Strangulation.” Does the following situation sound all too familiar?

Mommy puts her pearls around her neck, mimicking the “Standard Clutch System” that operates with a continuous beaded cord loop. How about Dad? He puts on a tie, and a child might try to mirror what he does every day.

The Window Covering Industry uses many methods to communicate the potential hazards of corded window treatments. The use of tags helps communicate the important message of child safety and the potential strangulation hazards of corded window treatments.

With the many operating systems from Hunter Douglas, dangerous dangling cords don’t ever have to be an issue. A few of the most popular are:

• LiteRise® and SimpleLift™ Operating Systems—these systems make raising and lowering blinds and shades easier than ever before. Simply push up to raise and pull down to lower. Your blinds and shades stay right where you put them.
• No lift cords for a clean, uncluttered look.
  • Proprietary design holds blinds and shades securely in any position—no constant adjusting.
  • Elimination of lift cords means increased safety for children and pets.
• Motorization—this option eliminates lift cords and provides added security.
  • Program PowerView™ to create the perfect room setting—morning, noon, and night.
  • Use the PowerView App on your tablet or smartphone to control and schedule your window treatments—even when you are not home.
  • PowerView Pebble Remote Control allows you to pre-set and operate up to six different window treatment groups—as a group or individually.
• Vertiglide™—this system has no lift cords, chains, or wants and is perfect for window treatments that open side to side, such as patio doors.
• Wand Control—a wand controls all functions without any cords. Perfect for vertically oriented window treatments.
• Clutch Lifting System—the spring clutch lifting system raises and lowers shades without any cords.
• Plantation Shutters—these treatments are cordless by design with the use of louvers.

To learn more and download the Hunter Douglas Child Safety brochure, click here 

Keep your kids safe by selecting cordless window treatments. To learn more about window treatment Safety, please click one of the following links:

• American National Standards Institute
• Window Coverings Manufacturers Association
• Window Covering Safety Council
• Consumer Product Safety Commission

To order a free retrofit kit for older window treatments, contact the WCSC directly:

• Phone: 1-800-506-4636
  Email: info@windowcoverings.org

More Options

Another option is to retrofit your current window treatments with a Safe-T-Wand. It is one of the newest cost-effective lifting systems on the market today. There are a couple options.

• The Fashion Wand is encases hanging, dangling, and strangling cords
• The ProLift™ System is what you use for woven wood and Roman shades; it will lock the strings in place so your children can’t get their head in the cords

Click here  to learn more about the Safe-T-Wand retrofit kits and where to buy them.

Child Safety in Phoenix, AZ

Altra Home Decor is your source for window treatments, custom drapery, flooring, and more! We serve the greater Phoenix area, including Peoria, Sun City West, Glendale, and Scottsdale, with a showroom in Surprise. Stop by our locally owned store to view our full-size window treatment displays and sample books. Contact us today to schedule an in-home design consultation!