NEW YORK – With summer fully here, the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) is reminding parents to think about summer safety during these hot, humid and sunny months. To beat the heat, parents can create fun indoor activities for their children to avoid heat exhaustion and limit UV exposure. Parents should pull down their window coverings to both help keep the sun out and to keep kids cool. The WCSC reminds parents and caregivers to only use cordless window coverings in homes with young children. To ensure window coverings are safe for your children, free window covering retrofit kits can be ordered through the WCSC website.
Safety should also be top of mind when play moves outdoors. The American Academy of Ophthalmology has declared July 2013 UV Safety Month, to educate Americans about the dangers of too much sun exposure. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime and young children’s skin is particularly sensitive to the sun. When enjoying outdoor activities this summer, the Skin Cancer Foundation offers this advice to parents to help keep their children burn free:
- Infants under six months of age should be kept out of the sun. Their skin is too sensitive for sunscreen.
- Babies six to twelve months of age should dress in lightweight clothing that covers the arms and legs. Sunscreen must be applied 30 minutes before going outside, and reapplied every two hours or after swimming or excessive sweating.
- Toddlers should be in the shade between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., as much as possible. Parents should check the outdoor area where their child plays to make sure there is adequate shade. Also, provide them with sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat to protect their face, neck and ears.
Families can visit WCSC on Facebook and Twitter to learn additional information about window cord safety and other valuable safety tips.
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Window Covering Safety Council: The (WCSC) is a coalition of major U.S. manufacturers, importers and retailers of window coverings. The Council assists and supports its members in the industry’s ongoing efforts to encourage the use of cordless products in homes with young children, its redesign of corded products, and to support the national ANSI/WCMA standard for the safety of corded window coverings. WCSC’s activities in no way constitute an assumption of any legal duty owed by its members or any other entity. Consumers having need to retrofit rather than replace their older window coverings can order free retrofit devices through WCSC’s website at www.windowcoverings.org or its toll-free phone line at 1-800-506-4636.