Blind cords - safety

[Roastchicken]

We're moving to a new house which has blinds on just about every window. I have a 4yr old and 2 yr old and I'm absolutely paranoid about the safety/strangulation risks. Does anyone know if there's anything one can do, short of cutting the cord, to make them safer? They were installed about 10 years ago and so have no safety features on them.

Thanks!

[feedthegoat]

I've done a DIY job on the blackout blind in ds's bedroom. I just put a stick on plastic hook right at the top of the window frame where ds couldn't reach and loop the cord several times on the hook.

There is no way he could reach it even with his best scrambling techniques! I suppose that depends on what the windowsills are like though. Ours are high and very narrow.

[MyNameIsInigoMontoya]

If you won't be using the cords you could tape them to the wall or windowframe? Not so good if you will be using them lots though.

[wonderingwondering]

I loop the cords round a hook attached to the window frame. Takes about ten mins to tack on and saves much worry.

[sinclair]

or, tie a knot every 6" or so down the cords with the blind down - and once the blind is up wind it tightly on a cleat positioned too high for little fingers (as others have said)

[crokky]

I took blinds down in nearly every room when we moved in here. The ones I had were extremely dangerous, but also a total PITA to operate.

[Roastchicken]

thanks.

[Fizzylemonade]

Is it a roller blind or roman?

Our roller blinds have safety cords which means there is a plastic thing that the blind cord is threaded through and that attaches to the window frame.

Before I got these I removed the actual cord and hand rolled the blind up in ds2's rooms as he is 3 and played with opening and closing the blind

[ninedragons]

You can buy a special little hook to stick high up on the window frame - you wrap the cord around it in a figure-of-eight until there's no cord at all dangling.

[bigstripeytiger]

I cut the cords on all the blinds in my house. It doesnt look as good as if they were still looped, but I was too concerned about the risk to leave them.