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.
“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.