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Mum Issues Warning For Parents After Discovering Her Son With Blind Cord Wrapped Around his Neck

'I have been overwhelmed with the response of support.'
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Writer at Sourced by HuffPost UK

A mum received the fright of her life when she glanced up from her washing to find her son had a blind cord wrapped around his neck

Aussie parent Stevie wasn’t sure whether to share the incident on social media, as she was feared being criticised. However she decided to do so in the hope it will raise awareness of an often overlooked safety hazard for children.

Stevie was folding laundry less than two metres from her son, when she looked up to discover he had tangled himself in the blind cords, with one wrapped around his neck.

“I looked up from the washing pile and [saw] him caught in the cords. I immediately jump up as fast as I could and untangled him,” she explained in an Instagram post that has garnered an outpouring of online support.

“I have been overwhelmed with the response of support,” Stevie told HuffPost UK.

|| WARNING || I ummed and ahhhed whether to even post this because you know, another major mum fail this week that could have killed him (maybe its why i am such an emotional wreck this week) just another thing to criticize another mother, but maybe its more important than me and what you think.. maybe it might stop it from happening to someone else. Too big not to share? Earlier this week while i was folding the washing, he was playing next to the window, within my view, only 2 metres away (if that). Next thing i know, i hear him start to quietly cry my name "mamma" i looked up from the washing pile and see him caught in the cords, with them wrapped around his neck. I immediately jump up as fast as i can and untangle him. We often read and hear about how the the cords on our blinds (that pull them up and down) should be secured tightly to the frame work .. and mine are! With safety tags attached and all. But these cords along the bottom are clearly a major over sight (atleast they were to me) when it comes to the safety of our littles. I would never of given it a second thought if i had not seen what could have seriously hurt him, if i were not right there, with him. Please, check your vertical blinds if you have them on Windows, above floor length and little ones in your home. These photos were taken after what happened, before i removed the cords from our vertical blinds. To show how dangerous they are. I obviously didnt take these photos when he was tangled. That would be a rediculously irresponsible and dangerous thing to do. My children, their health and safety is always priority to me, not a post or a picture. Just a warning, be careful. He was totally fine just a little stuck, thank goodness.

A post shared by Stevie || Mother of Four (@mytribeofsix) on

“So many people have had similar experiences and others have thanked me for bringing it to their attention,” Stevie continued.

“Please, check your vertical blinds if you have them on windows, above floor length and little ones in your home.”

Stevie explained that the photos she posted were staged following the incident and she has since removed the cords from her vertical blinds.

According to The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, most accidental deaths involving blind cords happen in the bedroom and occur in children between 16 and 36 months old.

Older blinds made before 2014 seem to be the biggest offender, as blinds produced since then are required to be “safe by design”.

Sheila Merrill, public health adviser for ROSPA told HuffPost UK:

“We urge everyone to check the blind cords in their homes, and where there are looped cords, to tie them up or use one of the many cleats, cord tidies, clips or ties that are available.

“Pull cords on curtains and blinds should be kept short and out of reach.

“Ideally, install blinds that do not have a cord, particularly in a child’s bedroom, and make sure to place children’s cots, beds, playpens and highchairs away from windows.

“This applies equally to any homes where young children will be visitors, as blind cord strangulation happens quickly and silently.”

The pictures uploaded to Stevie’s Instagram account were staged examples of what happened and her son was not harmed at any time.

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