To ask you to think about looped blind cords

[MissMoro]

A lady local to me has started a campaign to ban the sale of blinds which have looped cords after her daughter was killed in an accident with them.

I think she is being very brave as she has had loads of stick in our local paper from people who think they are better parents than to ever let an accident happen.

www.facebook.com/legacyforlucyban?fref=ts

Please have a look, sign and share

Sorry to be a bit stupid here but wanted to check I've understood correctly. Is it the pull cord that is dangerous not the actual blinds? So blinds which have 2 separate cords you pull to lower/raise the blinds are safer than ones where it's a continuous loop and you just pull one half of it depending on if you want to raise/lower it? So to solve that you just snip the loop so it's 2 seperate cords dangling? Or have I massively misunderstood?

That's what I was wondering bebop

We have cordless blinds. If you can make something safer, then why not do so? Not everyone is as smart as those of you who say you fastidiously tie up the cords?

Thanks for the battery info. Need to watch that as they are in hexbugs (albeit screwed inside not just in a cover).

The woman whose chest of drawers fell on one of her twins purposefully publicised the story widely to make people aware that they should secure furniture to the wall.

Yes, you have to draw a line somewhere, but when it comes to simply, quick things that could make everyone a bit safer, I can't think of one good reason not to do them.

bebopanddoowop - yes it is the looped blind cords, yes you can cut them, if you brought them and you see the safety advice. The people whose children die will not have realised, the idea is to make the simple change to stop them being a lethal danger

Just as a word of caution. We had looped blind in a bedroom, where we thought it was too high for do to reach. Turns out it wasn't, i caught dc1 playing with it round his neck. Shared the absolute s@@t out of me, so much so that I had nightmares about finding one of them hanging. Have since attached a safety clip (all the other windows have them) and am anal about checking that any cords are tied up at GPs/ friends houses. I have also given them a huge lecture about putting anything round their necks (ie dressing gown ties etc) as it really does petrify me.

When my eldest was born in 2002 a toddler local to us at the time died after being strangled on a looped blind cord, I had never realised it was a danger until then - I immediately went round and cut off all the loops and cut back the curtain cords at the same time, I have done this for the last 11 years in every new house.

It is clearly something which is still happening all these years on, not a year goes by without another child being killed in the same way, so that means that there is still not nearly enough publicity about this.

The blinds should come with the safety breaker as standard, not allowing the option for the continuous loop. I obviously wouldn't ban blinds, but YY to banning all looped cords.

Of course you cannot account for everything and I have never been a 'baby-proofer' to the extent that others do, but this is something that needs to be done IMO.

if the looped cords were banned tomorrow it would still be many years before all the blinds were gone from houses.

so the precautions to take need to be publicised.

And keep the hair straighteners out of reach too!

A colleague of mine lost her 8 year old grandson to this. He was autistic and the danger just didn't occur to them. They should be banned where there is a perfectly viable inexpensive alternative. Isn't that what makes us a civilised society

I have cords looped up, but think I will go and cut them now - didn't realise they would still work if cut. The more modern blinds (ie Ikea) have a thing you screw to the wall at the bottom to hold the bottom of the cord taught. BUT, the blinds themselves do they pose a risk - venetian type horizontal blinds?

Thanks for clarifying, miss Moro.

Why would you not change this if it would stop less deaths occuring?

Seatbelts didn't use to be standard issue in cars, ditto carseats for small children - they are now because it is recognised it is safer with them.

I haven't signed it yet as I'm at work and it will only allow me on select websites (MN is obviously ok!) but I will do when I get home.

Perhaps there should be a mumsnet list of accidents that just wouldn't occur at first glance.

I look like a tidy freak because I always put a cover on the rotary washing line when I put it down ...nothing to do with being tidy obv, loose lines are as appealing to a small child to play with as blind cords. I also refuse to have a water but in the garden...

If these blinds were banned they then could not be used anywhere public, I go to a group in a community hall where there are looped blinds, I watched one the the DC's feel the blind cord and then run it under their neck to see how it felt...(that was a never ever ask 'what if' moment).

ItsIg, if you put the blind to half way up/down then cut the bottom of the loop you can still put the blind all the way up/down.

Obviously there's still a hanging cord risk, but this is a calculated minimal risk compared to a loop that you can easily put round your neck IYSWIM.

We switched out our blinds to cordless ones. I do think they should be banned because they are so dangerous.

I am very thankful to the poster on MN who posted an article about drowning. I had no idea it was silent. I think hanging is the same.

When our blinds where fitted, they had a saftey thing that screws to the wall.

Still looped but ypu couldn't get the cord away from the wall from about 3 or 4 cm.