Safety Group Urges Families to Make Their Home Safe for Children this Season

NEW YORK, NY – Part of the magic of the holiday season is that it brings together family and friends from all over the world. People gather to eat delicious meals, exchange gifts and share memories. The holidays can also be quite chaotic between gift wrapping, decorating and cooking, that often child safety hazards can be overlooked with the many distractions of preparations. As you ready your home for weeks of holiday celebrations and visitors, be sure to follow these childproofing tips provided by the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC), to help keep your loved ones safe.

  • Keep all window pull cords and inner lift cords out of the reach of children. Make sure that tasseled pull cords are short and continuous-loop cords are permanently anchored to the  floor or wall.  Make sure cord stops are properly installed and adjusted to limit movement of inner lift cords.
  • Keep children away from the oven. The oven will be hot and children should stay three feet away.
  • Make sure young children stay away from hot food and liquids. The steam or splash from vegetables, gravy or coffee could cause serious burns.
  • Turn handles of pots and pans on the stove inward to avoid accidents
  • Avoid decorations that are sharp and easily breakable that can be at child’s reach.
  • Be sure electric cords from any appliance are not hanging off the counter within easy reach of a child.
  • Move all cribs, beds, furniture and toys away from windows and window cords, preferably to another wall.
  • Make sure that your home has working smoke alarms in every sleeping area and on each level.

To learn more about window-cord safety, or to order free retrofit kits for older window coverings, visit the Window Covering Safety Council’s website www.windowcoverings.org or call toll-free at 1-800-506-4636. Parents and caregivers can also learn more about window covering safety by connecting with WCSC on Facebook and Twitter