Strangulation and suffocation

Blinds might look harmless enough, but to a toddler or young child the looped cords can be deadly if they get them caught around their neck. In fact, at least 33 young children across the UK have died because of looped blind cords since 2001 – that’s one or two children each year – and there will be many more near misses.

Most of these accidents have involved children aged between one-and-a-half and two-years-old, and they have most commonly happened in the bedroom – which also happens to be the place where children of that age spend the most amount of time unsupervised.

The safest thing you can do is to fit a blind that is safe by design, which means that it does not have looped cords, and this is especially important in a child’s bedroom. There are additional steps you can take to keep your little ones safe:

• Do not place a child's cot, bed, playpen or highchair near a window
• If you have blinds or curtains with looped cords elsewhere in your home, keep cords short and use cleats, cord tidies, clips or ties to keep them out of reach.

• NEVER cut a blind cord, as this will not only stop your blinds working, it can actually make your blinds more dangerous.

Many of us are aware of the risks plastic bags such as shopping bags, bin bags or packing materials from parcels can pose to young children, especially babies who have a tendency to grasp at anything and put it to their face.

Sold to dispose of soiled nappies, nappy sacks are a common sight in many nurseries and changing bags. Often fragranced, and in a range of bright colours, they are especially attractive to young children.

Unfortunately, they can also be deadly, with at least 17 children having suffocated after a nappy sack covered their mouth and nose, or having choked after putting a nappy sack in their mouth.

Again, the best advice is to simply stop using nappy sacks – not only can they be dangerous, they’re also terrible for the environment. If you do choose to carry on using them, make sure that:

While blind cords are a significant risk, there are lots of other common household items that can get caught around young children’s throats. Because toddlers’ windpipes have not yet fully developed, they tend to suffocate more quickly than older children.

There are countless items long and flexible enough to be dangerous; here is a list of ones to be especially watchful for:

• Suspended toys or mobiles above cots or beds
• Drawstrings on clothing
• Ropes or belts
• Drawstring bags (especially attached anywhere a small child could get their head through the loop of the drawstring).