Looped cords and chains on blinds are a genuine hazard to babies and young children, who can become entangled in a hanging loop. It is the one part of buying a blind that is about safety rather than looks, so it is worth getting right - especially in any room a young child sleeps or plays in.

What the standard requires

Internal blinds sold in the UK and Europe must meet the safety standard BS EN 13120, which requires that a blind be "safe by design" or supplied with the devices needed to make it safe - so that, as installed, there is no hazardous loop within a child's reach. In practice that means a blind with a cord or chain should come with a safety device such as a cleat to wind the cord around, a tensioner that fixes a chain taut to the wall, or a breakaway connector that comes apart under load. The legal duty sits with the retailer to supply these; fitting and using them is down to you.

The safest choice: no cord at all

The surest way to remove the risk is to remove the cord. Several options have no hazardous loop by design:

  • Cordless and spring-operated blinds that you raise and lower by hand.
  • Motorised blinds worked by a remote, app or wall switch.
  • Perfect-fit blinds, which are framed and operated without a hanging cord.
  • Wand-operated verticals and some venetians, where a rigid wand replaces the chain.

In a child's bedroom or nursery, a cord-free blind is the recommendation worth paying a little extra for.

If a blind does have a cord or chain

  • Fit and use the supplied safety device - wind cords onto the cleat after every use, or fix the chain tensioner to the wall so the loop is held tight and cannot be pulled into a loop a child can reach.
  • Mount cords and chains high and out of reach, and keep them short.
  • Move cots, beds and furniture a child can climb on away from the window and any cord.
  • Check older blinds, which may pre-date the current rules and have no safety device at all.

Where to read more

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) runs a long-standing blind-cord safety campaign with detailed guidance for parents, and the requirements above come from the published standard BS EN 13120. We sell nothing and fit nothing - this page is general guidance, so for a specific product always follow the safety instructions supplied with it.