We’re in the middle of October, which is child safety month. As future parents plan for their new little one, safety is a number one concern.

It’s interesting to consider how much more important safety has become over the past few decades. At one time, there were no safe child car seats or swallow-safe toys designed for children under three. Home products have also changed to reflect child safety issues.

Hunter Douglas stood in the forefront of the changes to make today’s homes safer for both children and pets. Although it’s not top-of-mind for most people, some children – and pets – lost their lives after becoming entangled in cords hanging from blinds and shades. Once the problem was recognized, Hunter Douglas developed a number of innovations to eliminate this risk.

Their roman shades demonstrate the changed perspective, with no exposed cords, and the tassels on their wooden blinds have a quick break feature that will split under pressure.

Two newer Hunter Douglas window products eliminated the cord issue completely. One, the LiteRise^® system, allows shades or blinds to be raised or lowered to any position by hand. The other is a motorized lifting system which adjusts height on window treatments with the push of a button.

Today’s children have a much safer living environment than we did, thanks in part to efforts of consumer safety groups and companies such as Hunter Douglas that have stepped up to make a difference.