Child Safe Window Blinds, Shutters & Curtains
If you have young children living in or visiting your home, you know how curious they can be and how much work goes into making sure they’re completely safe. When a new baby arrives or starts to toddle around, you automatically set about baby proofing your home, anchoring furniture, locking cupboards, covering outlets and putting up baby gates in an effort to prevent any mishaps.
Did you know you also need to look to your windows when child proofing? Your windows and the blinds, curtains and shades that add a beautiful accent to your home, are a crucial and often overlooked area when it comes to child safety.
At the same time that you’re anchoring furniture to the walls and plugging in those little plastic outlet covers, your blinds, curtains and shades also need to be properly child-proofed or ideally upgraded to cordless options—particularly in children’s rooms and play areas. At Ruffell and Brown, we offer a wide variety of innovative and stylish window coverings designed with child safety at top of mind.
Why Child Proof Window Coverings?
The cords and chains used with older style window treatments pose a real threat to little ones who just cannot resist the temptation of trying to reach them. Children under the age of three are particularly at risk for injury and strangulation, since they might lose their balance while climbing furniture, looking out a window, or even just playing with a cord that’s puddled on the living room floor. Children can easily become entangled in these cords and disaster can happen in seconds.
In fact, there have been 39 reported strangulation deaths since 1989, according to Health Canada. Roughly one child will die each year from accidents related to unsafe or improperly installed window treatments.
Thankfully, these accidents are easily preventable with child proofing and updated window coverings, including cordless blinds, motorized shades and everything in between.
Health Canada recommends that corded window coverings are replaced with cordless for maximum safety and as of May 1, 2021, the Government of Canada will restrict the lengths of cords and sizes of loops allowed on all new window coverings sold in Canada. This greater emphasis on safety will make it easier than ever to extend child proofing to windows and doors.
Cordless Window Coverings are Safest
When it’s time to upgrade your window treatments, you can trust that Ruffell and Brown takes child safety seriously and offers many innovative cordless systems designed with safety, beauty and convenience in mind. Hunter Douglas is a wonderful example of a leading window covering designer that we carry that understands the importance of child safety features.
This wide range of fashionable and child proof blinds, curtains, shades and shutters is the perfect complement to the aesthetic of your home. The Hunter Douglas line of blinds, curtains, shades and shutters are also available in several ultra-convenient operating systems:
LiteRise touch system
With the LiteRise system, a touch of the handle will lower or raise the blinds or shades. The hidden control system keeps the blinds or shades balanced without the need of awkward cords or rods. The LiteRise system combines ease of use with a streamlined look and is an ideal solution for child proofing.
LiteRise is available on the following products:
- Country Woods Wooden Blinds
- Decor Mini Blinds
- Brilliance Pleated Shades
- Duette Honeycomb Shades
SimpleLift
A more cost-effective alternative to LiteRise, the SimpleLift system provides the same sleek appearance with no clumsy wands or cords. Just raise and lower the blinds or shades by pushing the button on the bottom rail.
SimpleLift is available on the following products:
PowerView Motorization
PowerView Motorization is available with the majority of Hunter Douglas window coverings and at Ruffell and Brown, we are leading experts on motorizing everything from shades to skylight covers. Motorization is a great option for keeping your window coverings hands-free, especially for hard to reach spaces and taller windows.
Using the PowerView App on the device of your choice, you can program your window coverings on a set schedule. If you’re away from home, you can close your blinds at the touch of a button for added security. You can also use the stylish Pebble remote control to reposition your window treatments while staying comfortably seated.
PowerView Motorization is available on most of the products offered including roller shades, banded shades, vertical blinds, horizontal blinds, side panels and draperies and more.
Wand Control
Wand Control is another convenient way to adjust vertical blinds without any dangling cords or chains. This all-in-one cordless system allows you to open, close and adjust vertical window coverings quickly and easily.
Wand Control is available on the following products:
- Cadence Soft Vertical Blinds
- Design Studio Side Panels and Drapery
- Luminette Privacy Sheers
- Provenance Woven Wood Shades
- Alustra Skyline Gliding Window Panels
- Somner Custom Vertical Blinds
- Vertical Solutions Vertical Blinds
Custom Shutters
Cordless by design, shutters are ideal for homes with small children. They are incredibly versatile and can match any decor beautifully, whether you prefer a rustic look, sleek and modern look, or anything in between.
UltraGlide
Especially for the very popular Duette Honeycomb line, the UltraGlide system uses a retractable cord or an ergonomic wand to adjust the shades. A constant cord length is maintained, providing exceptional child safety and ease of use.
UltraGlide is available on a wide variety of products, including most roller shades, banded shades, vertical blinds and horizontal blinds.
Child Proofing Existing Window Treatments
Older window treatments can be modified with the use of cord tensioners, anchors, or winding devices. While you decide on the ideal window coverings for your home, you can keep your little ones safe with these child proofing measures:
- Move cords up high and out of reach, or remove corded window coverings from children’s bedrooms and play areas. Never let cords or chains hang on the window sill or floor
- Avoid placing playpens, chairs, cribs, beds, or other furniture near windows
- Untie any cords that have been knotted and attach them to the wall using tension devices
- In a pinch, use a clothespin, twist tie, or a bag clip to keep the cord high and out of reach
- Review the child safety brochure from Hunter Douglas
With so many options to choose from, visit our Victoria, BC showroom to see our full range of child safe and beautiful cordless window treatments at Ruffell and Brown. Phone 250-384-1230 to book an appointment for a free consultation with our window treatment experts.
