Is your home safe for kids when it comes to window treatments like curtains, blinds and shades? The answer may lie in the date your window coverings were manufactured. KidSmartLiving@Home has published a very useful and comprehensive guide to kid-safe window treatments that will make you think twice about an often overlooked element of home decor. According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), nearly 160 children died nationwide from strangling on window blind cords with loops between 1991 and 2003. CPSC worked with the window treatment industry in 1994 and 2000 to fix the problem, but the hazard still exists and KidSmartLiving@Home provides some proactive ways to protect your kids such as installing cord stops, cord cleats, and safety tassels for pull cords that separate potential loops.

KidSmartLiving@Home also notes that children can reach longer window treatments and bring down a rod, an end cap or other potentially dangerous parts. To protect against these hazards, the blog suggests either tying your draperies out of reach or buying child-safe window coverings such as Mini Blinds and Roller Shades. Whatever window treatment you use, make sure to do your research. That means finding out when your curtains, blinds or shades were made and testing them out for yourself before you buy, replace or fix them. Children can get pretty creative, so try assessing your window treatments from their point of view. The extra time you invest today will give you peace of mind down the road.