Why looped cords and chains are a hazard
The risk comes from loops. A looped operating cord or chain hanging within a child's reach can catch around the neck, and young children — particularly between about sixteen months and three years — lack both the strength and the understanding to free themselves. It happens silently and quickly, which is why the danger was underestimated for so long.
This is not a reason to fear blinds. It's a reason to take one specific feature — an accessible loop — seriously, and to deal with it the way modern standards require. Blinds made and fitted correctly today are designed so that a hazardous loop is either eliminated entirely or held safely out of a child's reach at all times. The rest of this guide explains how that's achieved.
EN 13120: the UK safety standard in plain English
Since 2014, blinds sold and installed in the UK must comply with the safety standard BS EN 13120. You don't need to read the document itself; its practical effect is what matters:
- New blinds must either be safe by design — no accessible looped cords at all — or be supplied with safety devices fitted, not left in the bag for someone to install later.
- Cord and chain lengths are restricted so loops can't dangle low enough for a small child to reach.
- Where a blind is installed professionally, the installer is responsible for fitting the safety devices as part of the job.
In short: safety is no longer an optional extra you remember to buy. It is built into how a compliant blind is made, supplied and fitted — and any reputable supplier treats it that way without being asked.
The safety devices, explained
Three small pieces of hardware do most of the work:
- Cleats — a hook fixed to the wall, well out of a child's reach, that cords are wrapped around and secured after every use. Simple, but only effective if the habit sticks.
- Chain tensioners — a small fitting screwed to the wall or window frame that holds a looped chain taut against the surface. With the chain held tight, there's no free-hanging loop to catch on anything. This is the standard fix for chain-operated roller and vertical blinds.
- Breakaway connectors — a joint in the chain or cord designed to snap apart under a modest load, so the loop gives way rather than holding fast. These are built into many chains as standard.
Fitted properly, these devices turn a looped control from a hazard into a non-event. The key phrase is fitted properly — a tensioner still in its packet protects nobody.
Safer still: blinds with no accessible loop at all
Devices manage a risk; some designs remove it. If you're choosing blinds for a nursery or a home with small children, these options are inherently safer because there's no accessible loop in the first place:
- Wand-operated vertical blinds — a rigid wand tilts and draws the louvres, replacing cords and chains entirely. Verticals are a natural choice for children's rooms with patio doors or wide windows.
- Perfect Fit blinds — the blind lives inside a slim frame clipped to the window, operated by a small handle on the blind itself. No cords, no chains, nothing hanging.
- Cordless options — a growing number of blind types can be specified with cordless operation, moved by hand via the bottom bar. Ask us which fabrics and styles suit it.
Our guide to choosing blinds room by room covers the practical side of nursery blinds — including blackout, which most parents want in the same breath.
Think about the room, not just the blind
The safest setups pair the right blind with a little common-sense furniture planning:
- Keep cots and beds away from windows. A child standing in a cot can reach further than you'd guess, and a bed pushed against a window puts cords, chains and sills all within range.
- Move climbable furniture. Chests, toy boxes and chairs beside a window are a staircase to the blind above it.
- Secure every cord, every time. If a room does have corded blinds, using the cleat needs to be as automatic as turning off the light.
- Check the whole house. Children don't stay in the nursery — the landing window and the spare room matter as much as their own bedroom.
What about the older blinds already in your home?
The standard applies to new blinds, but plenty of homes still have blinds fitted before 2014, with long free-hanging loops and no safety hardware. If that sounds like a room in your house, you have two sensible options. Retro-fit safety devices — cleats and tensioners are inexpensive and widely available, and fitting a tensioner takes minutes. Or, if a blind is due for replacement anyway, replace it with one that's compliant from the start; every blind we supply is.
What we'd gently steer you away from is doing nothing because the blind "has always been fine". The hazard is statistical, not personal — the fix costs so little that there's no good argument for leaving a loop hanging.
What we do as standard, at every fitting
Child safety isn't a premium option with us; it's the baseline. Every blind we supply complies with BS EN 13120, and our fitters install the appropriate safety devices — tensioners, cleats, breakaway connectors as the design requires — as a standard part of every job, whether or not children live in the house. Tell us at your free consultation that you have young children and we'll go further, steering you towards wand, Perfect Fit or cordless options room by room and positioning controls with little climbers in mind.
If you'd like a second pair of eyes on the blinds you already own, ask when you book. We fit across Mansfield and everywhere within twenty miles — call 01623 325 054 or arrange a visit.
Frequently asked questions
Are chain-operated blinds still legal in homes with children?
Yes. Chain and cord operation is perfectly legal provided the blind complies with BS EN 13120 — which in practice means restricted cord lengths and safety devices such as chain tensioners fitted as part of the installation. A taut, tensioned chain held against the wall doesn't present an accessible loop. That said, if you'd rather remove the question entirely, wand-operated and cordless designs are the belt-and-braces choice.
What are the safest blinds for a nursery?
Blinds with no accessible loop at all: Perfect Fit blinds operated by a handle on the frame, wand-operated vertical blinds, or cordless options. Most parents pair that with a blackout fabric so the room stays dark for naps and summer bedtimes. Whichever you choose, keep the cot away from the window and avoid placing climbable furniture beneath it.
Can my existing blinds be made child-safe?
Usually, yes. Chain tensioners and cord cleats can be retro-fitted to most existing blinds cheaply and quickly, holding loops taut or securing them out of reach. It's a very worthwhile fix for blinds installed before the 2014 standard. If a blind is old enough that parts are failing anyway, replacement with a modern compliant blind is often the better investment.
Do you fit child safety devices automatically, or do I have to ask?
Automatically. Every blind we install comes with the appropriate safety devices fitted by our own fitters as standard — it's part of complying with BS EN 13120 and we'd do it whether or not anyone asked. What helps is telling us about young children at the consultation stage, because then we can also recommend inherently loop-free designs for the rooms that matter most.
How far from the window should a cot be placed?
There's no single mandated distance, but the practical rule is: far enough that a child standing in the cot cannot reach the window, the sill, or any blind cord or chain — and remember reach grows month by month. Guidance from safety bodies consistently says cots, beds and climbable furniture should be kept away from windows altogether. If the room layout makes that hard, choose a loop-free blind for that window.