Choosing Nursery Blinds and Curtains: Cordless Options and What RoSPA Advises

Blackout blinds, pretty roller blinds and soft curtains all make a nursery feel finished, and they are often the first things parents choose. What is easy to overlook is that many blinds have a cord or chain, and that cords are a recognised child-safety issue. The good news is that the choices are straightforward: choose a blind that is designed to be safe, and position furniture sensibly. This guide summarises advice from RoSPA (the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) and the British Blind and Shutter Association (BBSA), and applies to homes in the UK.

Why 2014 is the year to remember

The BBSA says all blinds produced and sold after February 2014 must comply with specific child-safety requirements, in a standard it names as BS EN 13120. The industry’s Make it Safe campaign adds that since 2014 all internal blinds made and sold in the UK must meet these requirements, including blinds brought in by UK-based importers, and warns about unsafe blinds bought directly from non-UK suppliers. RoSPA adds that a new blind with a looped cord or chain today should come with a safety device already installed or included for you to fit, but that this does not solve the problem of the many blinds installed before 2014, which may have no safety features at all. If yours cannot be made safe with safety devices, RoSPA says they should be replaced.

The safest choice is a blind that is safe by design

The Make it Safe campaign describes a blind that is “safe by design” as one that is cordless or has concealed or tensioned cords. Its examples include spring-operated blinds, blinds pushed or pulled into position, motorised blinds, wand-operated blinds and styles that are lowered or tilted by hand. RoSPA’s advice for a nursery is the simplest of all: never fit a blind with a looped cord or chain in a child’s bedroom, and choose a cordless model if you are buying new. RoSPA’s strangulation-prevention advice adds that you should choose blinds without a cord, particularly in a child’s bedroom.

Placement matters as much as the blind

RoSPA recommends positioning your child’s cot or bed away from the window, and keeping furniture away from windows generally. It also says not to place a playpen or highchair near a window. Cots and beds are natural places to think about this, but the same advice covers every room your child spends time in, not just the nursery. RoSPA adds that corded curtain tracks can pose the same risks as blinds.

If you already have corded blinds

Many families move into homes with blinds already fitted, or inherit them. RoSPA’s practical checklist is:

• check the blind cords and chains in every room your child uses;
• use tidies, tensioners or cleats to make cords and chains safe;
• secure cords around a cleat in a figure of eight, with the cleat fitted at least 1.5 metres from the ground;
• do not cut cords or chains, because that does not remove the risk and may damage the blind;
• read the manufacturer’s instructions, and install any safety devices supplied with a new blind;
• buy from a trusted retailer.

The Make it Safe site also hosts short videos showing how to make roller, vertical, Venetian, Roman and pleated blinds safer, which is handy if you would like to see the fitting done before you try it.

Renting, and staying away from home

RoSPA says that if you rent, your landlord has a duty of care to tenants, including keeping the property safe, and that landlords should make sure blinds with cords or chains are safe. For holidays, RoSPA suggests checking blinds at any accommodation where you stay. If you arrive at a holiday home and find no safety devices, it advises telling the owner, managing company or booking site as soon as possible; until it is resolved, move any cords or chains out of reach of babies and young children, and move cots and beds away from window blinds and anything a child could climb on.

Choosing blinds you will actually enjoy

These are our own practical thoughts rather than RoSPA advice. A cordless blackout blind is often the easiest option in a nursery, because there is simply nothing to tidy away. If you like the look of a blind that does have a cord, ask the retailer to show you the safety device before you buy, and fit it on day one rather than leaving the packet in a drawer. Whatever you choose, do a quick “cord check” whenever you rearrange the room, because it is easy to move a cot without noticing where the window is.

The bottom line

For a nursery, choose cordless or otherwise safe-by-design blinds, keep the cot away from the window, and add cleats or tidies to any corded blinds you inherit. RoSPA and the BBSA are consistent on these points, and the changes are cheap, quick and easy to do.

Sources

• RoSPA, “Blind cord and chain safety”
• RoSPA, “Keeping Kids Safe: Preventing strangulation and asphyxiation risks”
• British Blind and Shutter Association, “Make it Safe”
• British Blind and Shutter Association, “Child safety”