No more pencils, no more books, no more teacher's dirty looks! Summer vacation is just around the corner, and as children spend more time around the house these next few months, the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) is reminding consumers to check their homes for potential safety hazards.

Since 2000, nearly 40 percent of window-cord strangulations reported to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) have involved children between the ages of 3 and 6. Toddlers frequently become entangled in window cords while climbing furniture to look out a window. In particular during summertime with windows open and shades drawn, the more exposed cords cause a heightened risk.

 

Consumers can eliminate or severely reduce a child's access to windows and cords by following these safety rules:

 

• Move all cribs and furniture as far away from windows as possible, preferably against another wall.
• Install cord stops on horizontal blinds and mini-blinds to prevent inner-cord access.
• Secure all pull-cords out of reach by using a cleat or permanent tie-down device.
• Eliminate looped pull-cords on older (pre-1995) mini-blinds and shades by cutting the loop and attaching safety tassels to the pull-cord ends.

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