Safety in our home should be at the top of our list of priorities. There is no reason why beauty cannot be married with practicality and safety. Today I would like to review some points on window safety and specifically how it relates to children.

October has been designated as Window Treatment Safety Month for the last few years. One of the potential hazards that most people have heard about is that children can become entangled in window cords. But beyond that, there are many other hazards that exist and often there are simple preventative measures you can take to decrease the potential risk.

• Furniture and anything that could be climbed should be kept away from windows.
• Choose tempered safety glass whenever it is an option. This type of glass will shatter but the pieces adhere to the interlayer preventing exposure to shards of glass.
• When you open a window for ventilation, consider who has access to the open window.
• Check the locks on your windows and how easily they are operated.
•  Screens will not prevent falls so do not rely on them to do so.

As a general point of safety, practice safety drills with children. Small children tend to hide from fire or danger. It is important that you direct them to a safe place and familiarize them with the route.

I have only touched upon a few points here but as you can see, small changes can make a world of difference.

If you happen to have an older window treatment that is a hazard, free retro-fitting devices are available by calling 800-506-4636 or going to the website of the Window Covering Safety Council. The website has lots of information and a video to help you understand the cord hazard.

Tags: babies and children, bedroom

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007 at 9:38 am and is filed under babies and children, bedroom, window. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.