Window Blind Cord Strangulation
Spot it
Any accessible cord — pull cords, looped cords, or inner cords a child can pull out. Cribs and beds placed near corded windows multiply the risk.
Fix it
Go cordless in kids' rooms first, then the rest of the house. Look for the Best for Kids certification. Note: new stock blinds are effectively cordless under industry standards, but the hazard lives in older installed blinds — replacing them is the fix. (Legal framing: there is no in-force federal ban on custom corded coverings; industry voluntary standards and the stock-product rule drive cordless.)
Safer swaps
What actually fixes this — the category to look for, not a brand we were paid to name.
Cordless blinds/shades (Best for Kids certified)
Eliminates the hazard rather than managing it
No shopping list for this hazard — the fix is a habit, not a purchase.
Sources cited
Sources
- Blind-cord entanglement caused most of the 271 child deaths in window-blind incidents over a 26-year study — about one child a month — Onders et al., "Pediatric Injuries Related to Window Blinds, Shades, and Cords," Pediatrics, 2018 — Nationwide Children's Center for Injury Research and Policy. (how we check this source)
Every source we cite is checked against our criteria first — see how we check our sources.