Home Window Blinds and Child Safety

About once a month in the United States, a child between 7 months and 10 years old is strangled in the cords of window blinds and shades.

Typically, the child wraps the cord around his neck or pulls on cords—which are not clearly visible but are accessible—then gets tangled up in the loops. Strangulation deaths and injuries can happen quickly and silently, and they occur no matter how vigilant parents are. More than 180 kids were strangled in the cords from 1996 to 2012, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The CPSC has recalled (PDF) millions of window coverings with cords in recent years. Manufacturers operate under voluntary safety standards, a situation that does not adequately address the problems. The rate of injuries and death has not significantly declined over the years that Consumer Reports has covered the hazards of cords on window coverings.

Consumers Union, the policy and advocacy arm of Consumer Reports, has pressed companies to make window coverings safer, and we’re part of a coalition that has petitioned the CPSC to develop formal rules. The group includes the Consumer Federation of America, Independent Safety Consulting, Kids In Danger, Parents for Window Blind Safety, Public Citizen, and U.S. PIRG. In a unanimous vote last month, the CPSC agreed to move forward on our petition and begin the process of rulemaking.

The coalition has pointed to the fact that safer window coverings are already on the market and that such designs can be used on the vast majority of blinds and shades. Since the industry has resisted calls to eliminate dangerous cords even though those safer options exist, we believe a mandatory standard is necessary to ensure unsafe products will no longer be sold.

Consumers Union and other groups will continue to work to get a strong rule established as soon as possible.

How to keep your child safe

Follow this advice from the CPSC.

• Examine all shades and blinds in your home. The CPSC recommends cordless window coverings in all homes where children live or visit.

• Make sure there are no accessible cords on the front, side, or back of the window covering.

• Keep cribs, beds, and other furniture away from windows with shades or blinds. Children can climb on the furniture and gain access to the cords.

• Make loose cords inaccessible.

• If the window shade has looped bead chains or nylon cords, install tension devices to keep the cords taut.

To learn more about what you can do to avoid a tragedy in your home, visit the CPSC’s window covering information center.