Tiny Hearts Education: Mum’s message to parents about the danger of blind and curtain cords
Mother’s warning to parents after her daughter was nearly strangled by a common household item: ‘I felt sick’
- Mama found out that her daughter was playing with blind cords
- The cords caused bruises to the child’s neck
- She reminded parents to tie curtains and curtain cords
A mother warned parents to be careful of children near blinds after her child nearly choked on a pull cord.
Emily shared her story with the parent group Tiny Hearts Education saying her daughter Ava was “messing around” with blind strings and wrapping them around her neck.
She hadn’t noticed Ava playing with the strings, and while she wasn’t trapped or distressed, the cords bruised her neck and nearly suffocated her.
“I don’t even want to think about what could have happened. I’m just so thankful she’s okay,” Emily said on Instagram.
Tiny Hearts founder and former paramedic Nikki Jurcutz said the scary incident was a reminder for parents to tie curtain and blind cords.
Mum Emily has warned parents after her daughter, Ava, suffered bruises on her neck from playing with blind cords. She said she could have accidentally choked herself
“Ava was playing on the porch yesterday, fiddling with the blind strings. She said she wrapped it around her neck and then tried to get out without unwrapping it,” Emily explained.
“She wasn’t stuck, could breathe, talk, and was never in distress.”
Ava told her mom what she’d done with the blind strings after someone noticed the scars on her neck, which Emily said gave her “the worst motherly guilt.”
“I was an absolute mess when I found out what happened later. She never told me what she was doing, only said later that her neck hurt and I didn’t think twice about it.’
“All the strings are now wrapped and we’re going to buy blinds without strings.”
Emily said she hugged Ava extra tight and was so scared she was “sick in the stomach” thinking about what could have happened.
She hadn’t noticed Ava playing with the strings, and while she wasn’t stuck or in distress, the cords left bruises on her neck.
Nikki Jurcutz of Tiny Hearts Education said unsecured blinds and curtain cords claim the lives of one to two Australian children every year through accidental strangulation
“I just want parents to be aware of how quickly something like this can happen, as it’s not something most people think about,” she said.
Nikki said unsecured blinds and curtain cords claim the lives of one to two Australian children each year through accidental strangulation.
Victoria provides free safety kits for curtains and blind cords and there are mandatory Australian standards for interior window coverings to prevent such tragedies.
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission loose cords can be extremely dangerous as young children can quickly become tangled or have the strings looped around their necks.
It is important for parents to ensure that cots, beds, high chairs and playpens are placed far from blinds and curtain cords so that they are inaccessible to children at all times.
Cords should be tied and out of the reach of children who may also climb into furniture such as sofas and chairs near windows with blinds or curtains.