Creating A Safer Home Environment For Your Children

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Having small children in your home means appropriate measures need to be taken to ensure they grow up in a safe environment. While childproofing different areas of your home such as cabinets and electrical sockets, don’t forget to review your window coverings. Access to windows and dangling window covering cords can pose a safety hazard to curious children and even small pets.

“Although nothing replaces the watchful eye of a loving parent, there are certain steps you can take to reduce the risk of injury around windows,” said Tracy Christman, window coverings expert and Vice President of Vendor Alliance at Budget Blinds. “Window safety is often overlooked and it’s important for parents to be fully aware of all the potential dangers.”

Tracy offers the following useful tips to help parents get started:

1. Arrange furniture away from windows. Always set up furniture—such as cribs, chairs and toy chests—away from window areas so that they cannot be used to access window treatment cords. In addition to installing window screens, placing furniture away from the window area also minimizes the risk of the child accidentally falling out of an open window.

2. Choose cordless window coverings. The Window Covering Safety Council recommends cordless window treatments in homes where children are present. Shutters and roller shades are inherently cordless and come in a wide variety of playful colors for your children’s rooms. You can also select cordless cellular shades that provide insulation to help keep your kids warm in the winter.

3. Add safety features to existing window covering cords. It’s sometimes easier to add safety features to existing window covering cords than to purchase new treatments altogether. Options include breakaway tassels that are designed to break apart under minimal stress, and cord cleats, which allow you to safely tie cords up and away from your toddler’s reach.

A growing trend in the window coverings industry is motorization. Motorized window coverings provide convenience since they can be opened and closed using a handheld remote and also increase safety by eliminating the need for cords. Virtually any window covering can be motorized.

 

Toddler dies after choking on blind cord in cot

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Police are investigating the death of a toddler who choked in his cot on a cord attached to a vertical blind at his family’s home north of Newcastle.

The boy’s mother raised the alarm yesterday at the house at Mallabula.

The toddler was flown by helicopter in a critical condition to Newcastle’s John Hunter Hospital, but he died after arrival.

Port Stephens police are preparing a report for the coroner.

A post-mortem examination will be carried out in Newcastle today.

The incident has prompted a warning by child safety organisation Kidsafe NSW that parents check for choking hazards around their homes.

Spokeswoman Christine Erskine says such deaths are now a rare occurrence, but parents need to be vigilant about choking hazards, particularly older style blinds with long swinging cords.

“What’s recommended is that you dismantle the bottom of those vertical blinds,” she said.

“So take those cords out or attach them securely to the floor or base of the window, so that you can’t actually get trapped in them.”

Montgomery Tomlinson Limited

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It is very bad news to hear that Montgomery Tomlinson Limited has gone into receivership.  This company was started in 1928.

Paul Pollard-Fraser, MD of Deva blinds Ltd said “I am very sorry to hear that a company that has been trading for so many years has gone into receivership.  It will be a great shock to over 500 people that were employed by them.”

“I think it goes to prove that if you do not move with the times, your business will not be there.  Blinds have taken over from curtains and as a business you can not rest on your laurels.”

“At Deva blinds we do 90% blinds now and 10% curtains, things getting busier and busier.”

 

Deva blinds to expand manufacturing using Louvolite.

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louvolite - Cheshire

 

After a meeting today at Louvolite’s factory in Hyde, Cheshire, Deva blinds will expand it’s blind manufacturing by using fabrics and components, that are either made or supplied by Louvolite.

Paul Pollard-Fraser, owner of Deva blinds said “Today I saw quality components for roller and vertical blinds being made in my home county.  This is a first for me and I think it is great for my customers.  No longer will we have to suffer from the cheap and often very inferior components that come from China that some manufactures want to push.  I would very much like to spend a few extra pounds on a blind and offer my customers something that will look good, perform well and last them for a long time.”

“Louvolite are an established company that offer quality products and they very much fit in with Deva blinds belief of offering “Quality blinds at a sensible price”

“Due to the fact that Louvolite components are UV tested, we will soon be able to offer a 10 year guarantee against failure.  Deva blinds guarantee our fitting for life and it will be great to extend the blinds guarantee to 10 years.  Cheap blinds that have components from China only come with the minimum requirement of a 1 year guarantee, I wonder why ?”