Child Safe Blinds for Manchester Homes

Choosing blinds for a home with children genuinely means thinking about more than colour and style. Blind cords are a real, well documented safety risk, and getting this right matters more than almost anything else we help customers with.

Why This Genuinely Matters

According to RoSPA, at least 33 children in the UK have died from blind cord strangulation since 1999, including nine deaths between April 2019 and March 2022. Most incidents happen in a bedroom, often when a child is briefly unsupervised. This is not a rare or theoretical risk, which is exactly why UK law now requires all new blinds to meet strict safety standards.

What UK Law Requires

Since February 2014, every new internal blind sold in the UK must comply with BS EN 13120, the British and European safety standard covering blind cords and chains. In practical terms, this means any blind with a looped cord or chain must include an approved safety device, such as a breakaway connector or tensioner, and manufacturers must provide clear safety warnings with every product.

Blinds installed before 2014 are not legally required to be replaced, but the honest, sensible advice from RoSPA and the safety standards bodies is to fit a retrofit safety device to any older blind with a looped cord, particularly in a child’s bedroom.

What Genuinely Makes a Blind Child Safe

Cordless Options

The safest choice, without a genuine second option, is a blind with no operating cord at all. Spring operated rollers, wand operated verticals, and motorised blinds all remove the risk entirely, since there is no cord to become entangled with.

Breakaway Devices and Tensioners

Where a corded blind is used, a breakaway connector is designed to separate cleanly if pressure is applied, and a tensioner keeps the cord taut against the wall so no loop can form. Both are a genuine legal requirement on new blinds sold with a cord, and safety cleats should be fitted at least 1.5 metres above the floor, out of a child’s reach.

Motorised Blinds

Motorised blinds remove the cord entirely and add the convenience of remote or app control. For a nursery or a child’s bedroom specifically, this is genuinely one of the most straightforward ways to remove the risk while keeping full control over light and privacy.

Our Recommendation for Manchester Families

We fit Perfect Fit blinds, which use a fully enclosed, cordless mechanism, alongside motorised blinds for anyone wanting remote operation. Where a corded blind is genuinely the right choice for the room, we fit it with the correct safety devices as standard, in line with BS EN 13120.

For older homes across Manchester with blinds fitted before 2014, we can also fit a retrofit safety device to an existing corded blind, which is a genuinely quick, low cost way to reduce the risk without replacing anything.

Practical Steps Worth Taking Today

• Move cots, beds and any furniture a child could climb on away from windows with cords.
• Never fit a looped cord blind in a child’s bedroom.
• Check every room your child spends time in, not just their bedroom.
• Fit cleats or tensioners at least 1.5 metres above the floor.
• Do not cut a cord to make it shorter, since this does not remove the risk and can damage the blind.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are all blinds sold in the UK required to be child safe?

Yes. Since 2014, UK law requires all new blinds to meet BS EN 13120, including safety devices on any corded product.

Do I need to replace an older blind fitted before 2014?

Not legally, but fitting a retrofit safety device is strongly recommended, particularly in a child’s bedroom.

Are cordless blinds genuinely safer?

Yes. A blind with no cord removes the entanglement risk entirely, which is why RoSPA and the safety standards bodies recommend cordless or motorised options wherever possible.

Can you retrofit safety devices to blinds I already have?

Yes. We can fit breakaway connectors, tensioners or cleats to most existing corded blinds.

Book a Free Home Consultation

We measure every window ourselves and can advise honestly on the safest option for your home, whether that means a cordless blind, motorised control, or a retrofit safety device for something you already have.

We cover Manchester and Greater Manchester, including Middleton and Levenshulme.

Call 01617062233 for a free, no obligation quote, or see our full range of blackout blinds and Perfect Fit blinds.