Guide · safety
Child-safe blinds: cords, cordless and the standard
A loose blind cord is one of the real hidden hazards in a house with small children. It’s serious enough that Australia has a mandatory safety standard for it. Here’s what that means in plain terms, and how we handle it.
Why it matters
The danger is the loop
A young child can get a looped cord around their neck in seconds and without a sound. It happens near cots, beds, change tables and lounges, anywhere a child can reach a hanging cord or chain. The fix isn’t vigilance, it’s design: keep cords short, taut and out of reach, or remove them altogether.
What the mandatory standard requires
Corded internal window coverings are covered by a national mandatory standard under the Competition and Consumer Act. In practical terms, a compliant corded install has to meet a few clear rules:
- Any loose cord must not be able to form a loop of 220 mm or more at or below 1,600 mm from the floor, which is roughly a small child’s reach.
- A cleat or cord guide is fitted at 1,600 mm or higher so the cord stays wound up, taut and out of reach.
- The installer attaches a label to the installed blind with their details, so there’s a record of who fitted it.
These are the baseline, not a badge. Every blinds supplier and installer in the country has to meet them, us included. We fit corded blinds to the standard as standard, with the cleat set at the right height and the label attached. If someone tells you meeting the standard is a special feature, they’ve got that back to front.
Cordless is the real answer for a kids’ room
The surest way to remove the risk is to remove the cord. For a nursery, a child’s bedroom or any room a toddler spends time in, we’d point you at:
- Cordless
- A spring or push-up mechanism you operate by hand. No hanging cord at all. Simple, and the safest option for young children.
- Motorised
- A remote or wall switch runs the blind, so again there’s no cord. Handy for a bank of windows or something out of reach, and it pairs naturally with blockout for a child who naps in the day.
- Corded with a cleat
- Compliant and fine in rooms without small children, as long as the cleat is fitted correctly and used. In a kids’ room, we’d still nudge you to cordless.
What we do, honestly stated
We install corded blinds safely to the mandatory standard, including proper cleat fitting and the installer label. For homes with young children we recommend cordless or motorised. We don’t claim any certification beyond meeting the standard every installer must meet, because that’s the honest position.
A quick check for your own place
Walk the rooms your kids use and look for any cord or chain a child could reach from the floor, a cot or a bed. Move cots and beds away from windows with cords. Where a cord can’t be made safe, that window is first in line for a cordless blind. Bring that list to your measure and we’ll sort it room by room.
Sources
- ACCC Product Safety, Blinds, curtains and window fittings guide, home safety guidance for corded window coverings.
- ACCC Product Safety, Blinds, curtains and window fittings mandatory standard, the mandatory standard for suppliers and installers.
- NSW Government, Blind and curtain safety, state consumer-safety guidance.
Ready when your shift is
Tell us the rooms and how you live in them. We'll come out, measure up, and give you a written quote for made-to-measure blinds. Full dark at midday, if that's what the room needs.