On Your Side

Drawstrings in Clothing

Drawstrings in the neck areas of children's clothing has been cited as the cause of strangulation in over 20 cases. Remove any drawstrings from the clothing your children own, or which you plan to donate to another family or charitable organization.

Playground Safety

Drawstrings on clothing, ropes tied to playground equipment, and even such protective gear as safety helmets, can become serious strangulation hazards under certain circumstances. This safety checklist is a valuable guide to keeping your children safe while at play.

Window Cords - Free Repair Kit

Window blind cords with loops are a real hazard that can strangle children. In 1995, CPSC worked with window blind manufacturers to eliminate the pull cord loops on new blinds. If you have old-style blinds they should be repaired. You can get a free repair kit from the Window Covering Safety Council.

Cordless Window Shade Products

Did you know that there are window shades that are designed without cords? Details.

Tips for Child-Proofing Your Home

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has published a list of 12 great tips for helping make your house a safer place for children. It includes low-cost modifications you can make to your home environments, as well as the common-sense advice that using a cordless telephone can play an important role in giving parents and caregivers more freedom of movement to keep an eye on little ones.

Childcare Safety Checklist

For many families, childcare outside of the home is a fact of life. About 31,000 children, 4 years old and younger, were treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms for injuries at child care/school settings in 1997. CPSC is aware of at least 56 children who have died in childcare settings since 1990. If your child's home-away-from-home is sometimes a daycare center or similar setting, use this checklist to see for yourself whether those environments are safe.