Smart Safety: Winter Tips

With the winter season comes snow days, sledding, hot chocolate, and many other fun activities families can enjoy together. Children may want to run outside and play at the first sign of snow, but it is important to keep in mind the hazards cold weather can bring.  

 

Whether spending time outside in the snow or staying cozy and warm inside, there are safety precautions parents and caregivers can take to help keep children safe. The Window Covering Safety Council is reminding families to keep safety in mind this winter by following a few basic guidelines.

 

·         Children love to peek out the window to see the snowfall. Be sure to only use cordless window products in the homes with young children. Replace older window coverings with today’s safer, cordless products.

·         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.  cord stops should be properly installed and adjusted to limit the movement of inner lift cords.
·         Move all furniture, cribs, beds and climbable surfaces away from windows.

·         Make sure that children play in areas with a warm shelter nearby. Children should take frequent breaks from the cold to warm up and drink plenty of liquids.

·         Dress children in several layers of clothing so that they can remove one layer if they get warm to prevent overheating.

·         Remove wet shoes and clothing immediately when children return from outside.

·         Keep space heaters three feet away from anything that can burn and be sure to turn them off when you leave the room.

·         Do not let children play outdoors if the temperature or the wind chill is below 32°F.  Check the weather forecast to ensure temperatures won’t fall drastically throughout the day.

 

By following these safety tips, parents and caregivers can help keep this winter both safe and fun for children. For additional child safety tips, visit the window covering safety council website at www.windowcoverings.org.  Families can also visit WCSC on Facebook and Twitter.

 

###

 

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 seeking more information can visit WCSC’s website at www.windowcoverings.org.