[Pandora114]

Acctually you'd be suprised how easily a top heavy highboy dresser can fall over.

Seriously, if your house is just a LITTLE un-level *and most houses are* your dresser can go kerpow. Kids climb on it, make it heavyer at the top than at the bottom BOOM squished kiddo.

Bookshelves are also another icky culprit for this too.

I don't like the look of blinds...When I have my own house *I'm in base housing right now* I'm gonna get some real nice curtains. What's the point of getting nice curtains now when they won't fit the windows *acctually I'm gonna MAKE the curtains..*

FTR: Only have two sets of blinds in the house, one, in the kitchen, where DD isn't allowed anyway *gated off* and one above the dining room table *where she can't reach* I can't wait till they go.

BTW: Unfortunately in this day and age, Too many people are short changed when it comes to common sense.

 

[TortelliniMama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hottmama It takes two adults to even move my dresser, there is just no way my son could tip it over!

Actually, we chose not to anchor our son's dresser because it flares out at the base and we don't think he could tip it over. It's a call that we made. If you don't think it's worth it, then don't do it. We have, however, anchored our bookcases to the wall, because we do see them as tipping risks.

Quote:

And it's not as simple as using a carseat, or do you really think no kids die in carseats? I'm sure many, many more than 16 kids died in 2003 even while properly strapped into the car.

I'm not really sure what point you're trying to make here?

Quote:

And electrical fires kill more than 16 kids, I'm sure- why don't you move to a house without electricity, to be safe? In fact, the bubble wrap outside sounds like a great idea, except I'm sure some kid somewhere has been suffocated by bubble wrap, so scratch that too. What's a mom to do with danger lurking in every corner, window, and piece of furniture?

You educate yourself and decide what precautions you're going to take. I'm sorry, but, yes, danger is "lurking in every corner, window, and piece of furniture". That's life. It may not always be a big danger, and I'm certainly not suggesting that we can or should remove every bit of danger from our children's lives. That's why I say we should educate ourselves about what can happen. You don't see these as big enough dangers to warrant your effort. You're putting your energy elsewhere. Fine. I really wasn't trying to be snarky when I hoped that your family would stay in the majority and be safe on this issue. I have the same hope for my family on the issues which I've decided we don't have the time, energy, or resources to make safer. But I don't think it's appropriate to mock those of us who do see these particular things as important. I mean, heck, this is MDC. You've never before read a post where someone is passionate about something that makes you go

? You read it, shake your head and maybe chuckle at the screen, and move on. :LOL

 

[Chey's Mommy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boongirl Except that the website referenced above says that all of these are hazards, too. I am a bit frustrated because have a house full of all different kinds of blinds, all installed one year before our 2 yr old was born. We cannot afford to replace them so we just have to anchor the cords up high and be very, very aware of where dd is at all times. Thank god for a small house! A short rant: I wish sites like that would offer some suggestions instead of only trying to scare us. It is a small risk, by the way, not a huge one. More children die in cars daily by far.

http://www.pfwbs.org/Safer%20Alternatives.htm

I used to have that "It can't happen to me attidude."
I did however child proof my house with common sense. Then, as I walked into my twins bedroom, there was my precious girl hanging from the inner cords of a window blind. My pull cords were tied up out of her reach.
I learned quickly that it can happen to anyone.
Thank you to all of you who have supported our site.
I cannot sit here knowing the information I know about window blinds and just watch more children die. Its just not right. Its my calling I guess.
I humbley thank you for comming, please read the Products we recommend page, it will help you decide what safer products are out there.
Chey's Mom Forever

Ps. I appaud those of you for taking window cord strangulation seriously.

 

[SKK]

Chey's mom - I am so sorry...

We are looking into those cellular shades for the kids' rooms and play rooms even as I type. Thank you for sharing your experience.

 

[Pookietooth]

I'd love to get rid of all our corded min-blinds, but we rent our apartment, so we can't exactly redecorate. Should I try to approach the apartment management (we live in a huge complex, so it's not like we know who they are or vice versa)

 

[Chey's Mommy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pookietooth I'd love to get rid of all our corded min-blinds, but we rent our apartment, so we can't exactly redecorate. Should I try to approach the apartment management (we live in a huge complex, so it's not like we know who they are or vice versa)

This is a problem. Many of these deaths have happened in Apartment complexes. As of right now, all the landlord are reqired to do is have the so called "safety" kit attached to the blinds. Since we know that children still continue to die with these kits attached, there is still a serious threat of strangulation.
It would not hurt to ask if they could put something safer in your home. Its a very long shot, I have only met a few landlord that ever removed window treatments to the renters disgression. Some never removed them even AFTER a child had strangled and died in one of thier apartments.
My suggestion is to remove the blinds from the brackets on the wall. This is fairly easy and just takes removing the front cover plate on the bracket.
You can install a curtain in the children's room and other rooms they might play in. They have these spring rods, just like we use for our shower curtians that would not take any hardware to install, just pop it in where the brackets are with a curtain attached to it.
I would just do it and if the landlord has a problem, call the news station. They love stuff like this!
Chey's Mom

 

[Dal]

I'm so sorry for your loss Chey's mom.

Pookietooth, the Redi Blinds are very cheap. We have ours up now and they work well and look decent. You could put the ones that come with your unit into storage for the time being and replace them before you move out if your landlord isn't willing to provide you with something safer.

About the dresser. Actually, ours isn't mounted to the wall yet. But it should be. We have taken all of the knobs off. Simon can't open any of the drawers this way. If the bottom drawer is open and he climbs into it and jumps a bit or tries to use this as a ledge to climb higher, it could easily fall over. We watch him in the bedroom very carefully and will mount it to the wall soon. Before we know it he'll know how to pull the drawers open without the knobs. Call me paranoid if you want! It will take 10 minutes of my life to attach the dresser to the wall. T.v.'s in entertainment units pose a similar danger btw, though perhaps worrying about this is foolish too? I don't think so!

 

[Chey's Mommy]

I am not assuming that you take any risk lightly.
When I wrote "I used to ahve that it can't happen to be attidude." it was the truth. I did used to be that kind of mother. Not to the point where I just did not care about baby proofing, but I NEVER in a million years thought that anything in my house could kill one of our children. Especially after I had tied up the pull cords out of thier reach. Little did I know that the inner cord could come out and form a loop. I mean, WHO KNEW??
I am sorry that our website does not have a solution or a "fix" to make blinds completley safe. Its just not out there. I hate the fact that the industry LIES to the public and tells them that they have the safer version of the blinds and the consumers fall for it.
Our statistics are changing. Because some people have the new blinds, the age of children who are dying is getting older now. Mostly boys because they love to jump and climb on things. I really wish the industry would tell the truth to consumers instead of leaving them in the dark.
I don't know who put in your blinds, but if it was recently, you could always ask for a refund. The truth is, the only way to make them safe is to have a cordless product. I wish I could change that, but that fact is not because of our site, its the industy itself.
I am sure your a wonderful mother, I surley would not come in here and bash anyone for have blinds in thier home, after all, I used to be that mother. My daughter did not die because I was a bad mother, she died because of an unsafe product in my home that I was unaware of. The goal of the site is to get parents aware that children are still dying on new updated window blinds. Then it is up to the parent or consumer what sort of decision they want to make for thier children. I just could not sit back and watch more children die as the indusrty lies to consumers. Its not right.
When I first started this organization, the Window Covering Safety Council was blaming the parents saying how they needed to have NEW window blinds in thier home. They still advertise this. The WCSC is nothing more than an advertizing agency for the window covering market. They now today are saying that they would NEVER put corded window blinds in a home with small children and promote cordless products. I think the public deserves a recall for all that money they spend believing that council 3 years ago.
Forgive me if my post seemed directed towards or any other mother, it certianly was not my intention!
Chey's Mommy

 

[Still_Learning]

Chey's Mommy,

i am sitting here crying for your daughter and for you.

Thank you for spreading the word and protecting our children.

Tracy

 

[RAHAKC]

Thank you for the info.....with 2 small kids, I'm always interested in keeping safety first!

 

[Chey's Mommy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RAHAKC Thank you for the info.....with 2 small kids, I'm always interested in keeping safety first!

You are so very welcome!

 

[jake&zaxmom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hottmama Don't you think it's a little paranoid to run out and buy all new window treatments when there are less than 20 deaths a year from this? There are real threats in the world and even in our homes, and something that 7-17 kids a year die of is not the top concern on my list, or even worth $100 (for 10 new $10 blinds that might last 2 years). If you have a 1 yr. old who's into everything and frequently unsupervised, get the cord up and out of the way. For those of us with older kids with good common sense and adequate supervision, I think we can worry about more likely death threats to our children (like cars, animals, fire, etc).

I see your point, hottmama. For me, it doesn't feel so much like paranoia but rather controlling what I can because there are so many things that are out of my control.

I *did* replace my window blinds with cordless ones and my chest of drawers, dressers and entertainment center are fastened to the wall. I bought a really pricey Britax carseat so that I could keep my 5 year old in a 5 point harness and my house is probably over-child-proofed. I do these things because at worst people will laugh or roll their eyes and at best, I prevent a tragedy.

If (God forbid) something did happen to one of my children, I want to know that I did everything that I knew how to do to keep them safe.

Until I visited the site about the dangers of corded window treatments, I didn't really realize the dangers. Once I had that information, I felt like I was held to a higher standard. When you know better, you do better. I had new information and changed our environment accordingly.

I know everyone isn't as fretful as I am, but I gotta sleep at night.

Take care,

Kim

 

[alexsam]

Kim- I totally agree with you and couldn't have said it better myself.

I'm gettin' the cordless blinds.

 

[Luke'N'Mom24/7]

*Bump*

For those graduating to toddlerhood and for any who may have missed it!

 

[Luke'N'Mom24/7]

 

[3boobykins]

Chey's Mommy, I am so sorry for your loss, and grateful to you for posting this information. We currently have no window coverings at all, except sheets on a couple of windows. We just haven't gotten around to it, and haven't had the money. We're planning on doing them soon, little by little. We were originally going to do wood or faux wood blinds, but thanks to your post we'll be using either cordless pleated shades or fabric roller shades. DD1 is extremely active, always climbing on window sills, etc, so I see why it's particularly important in our case to avoid cords.

 

[mightymoo]

I know this is a blind related thread, but since dressers are mentioned I wanted to add this: Dressers are hazardous, especially if they are large heavy pieces of furniture, precisely because when all the drawers are pulled out, their center of balance is way out in front. The drawers themselves comprise a large portion of the weight of the piece and if the dressers are full, even more so. They offer a very enticing way for a child to climb up to reach something. Think of how tippy a dresser is when all its drawers are out, then add the weight of a child jumping on the end of one. Heavy furniture is an even greater hazard because when it does tip, it has a greater chance of fataling injuring the child who ends up beneath it.

I just wanted to make sure if someone was reading this thread and saw the discussion of dressers they understood this was the problem and that a small child can tip over a large dresser. The problem is easily solved with furniture brackets attached to the wall and furniture with a tie between them, I personally like the ones made by Mommy's Helper and sold at One Step Ahead - they are easy to install and made so the furniture can be easily moved and replaced.

Also, for those who are reading this and are saying 'I can't afford to replace all my blinds' consider buying the temporary blinds suggested above and just storing the more dangerous blinds until your child is old enough that it isn't a danger. You can always rehang your venetian blinds later.

 

[Still_Learning]

After seeing this post months ago, we did our entire house in fabric roller shades

It's nice to have one less thing to worry about.

 

[robinkate]

I am using my wife's account to post this, as I don't have an account and have not registered to do so. I have done everything I can think of to make this supportive, and that is the intent behind this. In spite of my efforts, if you feel offended or annoyed at what is posted here, send a PM to me throgh her account, just put Marc in the subject title, and flame me instead of her.

I guess my wife saw these posts earlier, because we bought a house in Florida and needed shades. My wife insisted on cordless shades of some sort. I said fine, NP, without reading this, and am now glad that I did. We went to Home Depot, and we got two different types of shades, both cordless. The smaller windows have a cloth type shade that just pulls up and down, with no cords and seemed realtively inexpensive, but is probably not that cheap in absolute dollars. We are also getting S Curve Verticals that normally would need strings to open, and are getting them without cords. Thre are also several other options that might be cheaper, I haven't had a chance to look at them all. Because we have two very large Screen-type doors, the cost of all of these is expensive. It would be less for just the normal bedroom window types. I know that most families are not in the position to spend money on blinds, but I wanted to give people an idea of what it costs. The Cloth cordless shades are aroung $115 dollars each, while the vertical blinds for the large screen doors cost close to $300 each. However there are more cordless types than what we choose. You may have to hunt a bit, try Loews as well, etc. The prices depend on the size of the window, but no matter how you slice it, its expensive to do a whole house. But, for those who do believe this is an important matter to address, their is another way to look at this expense. Look at it in terms of how long shades will last. These shades should last several years, meaning that the price, when viewed over time, seems more manageble. And for those who are more home handy than I am, you could install them yourselves. You don't necessarily have to replace all of them at one time. Just replace the ones in the Kids bedrooms to start. I also know that even looking at them as a long term investment, that there are several people who couldn't afford to do that. In that case Redishades could be the better answer.(and Home Depot happens to have them too) I do want to say that after reading this, If I had an opportunity, I would probably try to borrow if at all possible, to do something to at least minimize the possibility, even thought slight, of my child getting hurt. I just want to encourage people not to look at one thing and say its too expensive and then drop it. Look at it hard, try to find other angles. You may not be able to, and that is what it is, the last thing I am saying is that everyone has to find a way to do this, I just wanted to encourage those to try and find a way to achieve something that they find is important, and for those who are looking, give them an idea of what Home Depot is offering. And right now, at least in Florida, Home depot is offering a credit card with no interest for 12 months for purchases over $299. Not that I am saying cost yourself extra money if you can't pay at the end of the year, but one year is a long time to save and or plan for things.

Anyway, sorry for the long post and hope that this mught help someone interested.

Marc - Father to DD Alexandra and Husband to my wonderful wife Robin

 

[Luke'N'Mom24/7]

for those who missed it or are new.