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Shopping for children's bedroom blinds? Are you on the hunt for high-quality blackout shades for a nursery? Before you buy the cheapest or most aesthetically pleasing option on the market, it's best to ensure the window treatments don't pose a risk for your little ones.
In this article, we'll explore some of our favorite alternatives for kids' room window treatments, so you can create a safe environment for all. Here's everything you need to know:
The safest window treatments for kids are cordless. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends replacing corded products entirely rather than tying cords up. Cellular shades, wood blinds with a wand, and roller shades all come with a Lift and Lock system that removes dangling cords, and any of them can be motorized.
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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has long warned about the dangers linked to any window treatment that operates with cords. Sometimes, parents hope to sidestep the problem by tying the cords up, but the CPSC says that's not an effective enough childproofing measure as cords can get tangled, and even tying and knotting them can create a dangerous situation for a child.
The good news: The Window Covering Safety Council recently launched its "Best For Kids™" certification program. Any window covering product that has earned the "Best For Kids" seal has met the highest available safety standards as certified by independent testing laboratories recognized by the WCSC.
If you have any children in your household, here are some key features to consider to ensure the window treatments are a safe option for your home:
Corded window treatments are a strangulation hazard and should always be avoided if you have kids or pets in your home. Children can accidentally get tangled or wrapped up in the cord without you knowing, leading to fatal injuries. Instead, opt for a cordless design, such as cellular shades. Cellular shades have a bottom-up, top-down design that's easy to operate.
Rambunctious children may feel tempted to climb long, heavy drapery. The weight of the child can cause the drapery to fall or detach from the rod, which can put your child at risk of injuries. Instead, consider climb-resistant shades, such as motorized roller shades. Roller shades are made of a single piece of fabric that covers the window and isn't easy to climb or play with.
Motorization is a modern upgrade that can have many worthwhile benefits for homes with children and pets. You can turn almost any corded window treatment into a cordless design, so you can open and close the window coverings using a smartphone device or remote. You can also automate your window treatments to open and close during naptime, helping to improve sleep patterns throughout the day.
If your kids pull or swing on the delicate window treatments, it could damage the wall brackets or curtain rod that's keeping the window treatments in place. If any of the hardware falls, it could pose a risk to your children. To ensure your childproof blinds or shades are as secure as possible, have everything professionally installed.
At Stoneside, we have a full in-house team of professional installers, ready to help you through the process. They'll ensure everything is safe and secure, offering peace of mind and reassurance you can't get from a DIY install.
If you're installing shades or blinds for children's rooms, consider an option with room-darkening or blackout fabrics. This will promote better sleeping habits, ensuring your little ones can sleep during naptime and don't wake up right away when the sun rises.
A Stoneside designer can walk the whole house with you, flag every corded covering, and recommend a cordless replacement for each room. Our own installers handle the fitting.
If you're shopping for child-safe window treatments—choices that not only offer optimal safety, but also address light filtering, sound insulation and other issues that can affect youngsters—these Stoneside options are particularly smart choices.
Cellular shades come in a variety of fabrics and colors, with four cell sizes and four levels of opacity (Sheer, Semi-Sheer, Semi-Opaque and Blackout), meaning you can control the amount of light in your kid's bedroom and completely customize your shades. The cellular design is known for providing better insulation against heat and cold, making it ideal for kids' rooms. And the Cordless Lift and Lock System makes hazardous cords obsolete: instead, all you do is gently push a handle up or pull it down to secure the shade and lock it in place just where you need it. You can also get these in a motorized version, which allows the cellular shade to be raised or lowered with a phone, tablet, remote, wall switch or other home automation device.
Wood blinds are available in an assortment of finishes and decorative paint colors to complement any décor. The 2-inch blinds with a wood wand also have the Lift and Lock feature, eliminating dangling cords (the wand, rather than a cord, is used to open and close the blinds as needed).
Roller shades can be the most versatile choice—they come in all kinds of fabrics, in styles ranging from contemporary to minimalist to playful, with an assortment of hem designs for added visual interest. They are available with a Lift and Lock system for ease of use, and they can be motorized if you prefer to add that feature. Roller shades allow you the option of filtering light precisely to your specification, whether you want something sheer or a room-darkening blackout feature.
Are you looking for child-safe window treatment for your home or apartment? Look no further. At Stoneside, we specialize in custom-made solutions, designed to fit with your current windows and household functional needs. Our in-house designers will walk you through the available styles and offer expert recommendations based on your household needs. Once we finalize a style, we'll send a professional team of installers to handle the rest of the job.
Contact us today for a free, at-home design consultation.
Cordless ones. The CPSC recommends replacing corded window coverings rather than tying the cords out of reach. Cellular shades, wood blinds operated by a wand, and roller shades with a Lift and Lock system all remove the cord entirely, and each can be motorized.
No. The CPSC is explicit that tying cords up is not an effective childproofing measure, because cords can come loose, get tangled, and the knots themselves can create a hazard. Replacing the product is the recommendation.
It is a program from the Window Covering Safety Council. Products carrying the seal have met the highest available safety standards for use in homes with young children, verified by independent testing laboratories the WCSC recognizes.
Room-darkening fabric helps with naps and early sunrises, but long drapery panels are climbable and can pull hardware off the wall. Blackout opacity in a cellular or roller shade gives you the same light control without anything a child can hang on.
Yes, and it is worth doing before the baby is mobile rather than after. Motorized options add the ability to schedule shades to close at naptime, which helps establish sleep routines without going into the room.
