Window Covering Safety Month with Blinds.com

Last month I shared the progress of our sister room. I got a lot of fun feedback on some ideas for the closet space so that's been in the works! Meanwhile, I've also been working with Blinds.com to upgrade the current blinds in Penny's room to something that meets child safety standards. 

Child-proofing the Sister Room goes beyond being selective about toys and securing furniture properly. A common forgotten element is window coverings. Most rooms, especially bedrooms, have window sills that are at least 37" from the floor, but in this case this window had been replaced by the previous owners in preference for a larger one. The sill for this window is only 18" from the floor. We put in a window lock and then we started to think about reducing other risks.

When selecting child safe window coverings, here are a few points to consider:

1.       Make the switch to cordless blinds or shades. Check window coverings for exposed cords that could pose a strangulation hazard to infants and young children. Replace corded window coverings with today’s cordless safer products. Draperies, shutters and cordless cellular and roller shades are a few preferred cordless options. Shop Blinds.com’s Safer For Kids Collection to find the perfect replacement. 

2.       If you cannot install newer products, ensure that all window cords are out of sight and reach, and that they are inaccessible to young children. Order a free window cord retrofit kit from www.windowcoverings.org.

3.       Prevent Access to Cords. Move all cribs, beds, furniture and toys away from windows and window cords, preferably to another wall. These items could act as unintentional “step stools” that allow a child to reach a window or cord. 

4.       Continuous-loop pull cords on draperies and vertical blinds should be pulled tight and anchored to the floor or wall with a tension device.

5.       Be sure cord stops are properly installed and adjusted to limit movement on inner cords on blinds and shades.
All recommendations provided by Blinds.com via The Window Covering Safety Council.

Blinds.com makes choosing child safe window coverings easy because they have a blind-finder tool where you can narrow down exactly what you need, including specifications such as being child safe. But sometimes you just gotta talk to a human being, you know? So for all of the window coverings in my house, I've talked with Josh from Blinds.com (email // facebook). After a few emails back and forth with my list of requirements for the room, he sent out samples of what he thought I might like (a Blinds.com complimentary service!!) and I was able to see with my own eyes what I felt would work in the room best.

My list to Josh included:

• child safe - I want to be comfortable with my toddler playing independently in her room for a few minutes while I fix a quick snack or am nursing Ruby down.
• black out - we still use blackout curtains, but with two kids I need to capitalize on full naps and long nights!
• withstand humidity - we heat our house with a pellet stove, which dries out the air something terrible. Last winter I ran humidifiers in the bedrooms, which of course can lead to standing condensation and possible bacteria build up. I wash the windows and curtains often to help prevent any nasties, but the window covering also needed to be either washable or I can wipe it down.
• last, but not least - it's got to be cute!

Shortly after, the samples came in the mail and I was able to narrow them down to three choices. I posted them onto Facebook to see what you all thought!

And you all confirmed what I felt down deep in my gut - the  Laura Ashley Roller Shades in Chesil Print Amethyst & Cream were the best for the room!

I love the roller shades because they're completely cordless. The print is fun, but also something that both of the girls can grow into. It was less than 20 minutes between removing our Bali 2" Fauxwood blinds (which I love and are on all of our other windows) to installing and using the new roller shades. Installation is a SNAP! The quality is also awesome.

Here are some pictures showing their blackout ability. These are completely unedited for exposure so you can see how they would look in real life. I'm really impressed with how well they can darken a room. If this were a guest room I would leave them as is, but because I want the room to be completely dark and non-distracting for night & nap time, I will continue to use the curtains to block out the little bit of light that comes in around the sides.

These roller shades have met each of the requirements that I gave to Josh at the beginning of my research - they are child safe, black out very well, I can wipe them down to clean them and of course the print is very cute! Penny absolutely loved them as soon as Adam installed them. She wants it down all the time!

This giveaway is over - thanks to all for entering! 

Keep an eye out for more Pierogie Mama Giveaways.

Disclosure: Thank you Blinds.com for helping me pick out and providing the safest shades for Penny's room! All opinions are my own, though I wouldn't be sharing about this awesome company if I didn't love them already! Keep an eye out for another post showing the other Blinds.com window coverings that we have in our home.