Our children bring a lot to our lives, but let’s face it, not every child is an angel. In fact, I’d venture to say that no child fits into that category perfectly.
Regardless of your child’s disposition, however, I’m sure there have been times when you wonder how they can get into mischief when you only turn your back for a few seconds. It’s almost like they are waiting for the opportunity!
Considering that all parents go through this, I would like to share some suggestions for safe blinds for your children. These suggestions will include tips on how to choose your blinds or how to keep the ones that you already have.
What Window Blinds Should You Not Use with Children?
If you have children, you may want to avoid the expensive variety of blinds altogether. Regardless of their price, they don’t do well when spaghetti is flung against them or if a flying ball hits them. The top blines in this category include day and night blinds (zebra blinds) and Roman blinds. It’s also a good idea to avoid authentic wooden blinds.
The three different blinds mentioned above have a few things in common. They are on the expensive side, don’t do well with moisture, and will not stand up to even a little bit of abuse. If you must use these blinds, keep them for the good lounge because you rarely ever visit it.
On the other hand, if you are determined to have some of those blinds in your home, you may just want to put it on your list of things to do. Wait until your children are old enough to respect the house, and then you can hang them to your heart’s content. I would say waiting until your children are 25 is a good plan.
I could give general advice to keep the blinds up and out of the way of children, but this suggestion has a problem. Patio doors and the blinds that cover them are within reach of even the little children in the home. In addition, once children start to grow, nothing will be out of reach in the house.
Hanging the blinds out of reach of your children may be an exercise in futility, but there is one thing you should keep out of their reach. Children should never be able to reach the blind controls, such as the chain or cord that raises and lowers the blind. It’s also a good idea to keep the stick or wand of tilting blinds up and out of reach.
This is more than something that will save your blinds from disaster. Your child’s life and safety are involved. Far too many children have strangled or hung themselves accidentally by sticking their heads through the blind cords. In my family, even my husband has been guilty of doing this. The bottom line is, keep the blind controls up and out of reach.
Fortunately, the UK now makes it mandatory for all blinds to be child safe. If you are purchasing used blinds from someone out of the trunk of their car, this may not apply.
Today’s blinds have safety features that cause the cord or chain to snap if it experiences any weight. Even if your curious child (or husband) decides to use the control like a noose, they will not be able to do so.
This is good news for parents and children alike. Regardless of how much your child tries to swing on the cords and chains, they will fail, and your blinds will succeed. You may be unable to keep them from flinging spaghetti against the blinds, but at least they will live to tell the story.
