By Jenny Rapson 
Parents are constantly being warned about safety hazards via social media, and I realize it can get a little wearying. As a new parent, I must confess that I didn’t do ev-er-y little safety thing recommended to me, but one warning I did heed (and this was before social media, so it must’ve been in a parenting book I read) was “no corded blinds in the baby’s room.” Though they may seem innocuous, your everyday window blinds are a serious strangulation hazard for infants and toddlers. Arika Hernandez, mom of a three-year-old knows this all too well, and she recently took to Facebook to explain why.
When I first saw Hernandez’s Facebook post, I hesitated to share it here; the pictures are scary and I’m not one to incite panic. But in the end I decided it was just too important. Because you see, her son was lucky, and survived his run-in with a blind cord. But I’ve seen far too many accounts of kids who did not.
In her post, Hernandez notes that she had a hesitation to share as well. I am sure she fears attacks and judgment on social media (I know I would). But in the end, she decided, “if this post saves one child’s life it’s worth being vulnerable.” With that, I’ll let her share her son’s terrifying ordeal in her own words. She says:
“Our sweet 3 year old boy is a survivor. On January 7th our son climbed up to the top bunk bed and wrapped the blind cords around his neck. He then began to walk down the ladder as the cords tightened he panicked and tried to yell for mom and dad but nothing came out. He scratched a the cords to loosen them but all he could grab was skin. At the last attempt to get free he jumped to come get us and that very jump saved his life! The cord snapped and freed him! We heard a loud thud (his jump) and then his loud scream! This was not just any scream it is one I have never heard in my life and it will forever be ringing in my ears. We took him to get checked out in the ER and they were very concerned and shocked. These blind cords are not meant to break. We are counting our blessings! God has big plans for our little boy, it was not his time to go. Please please please take my message and take action now!!”
I got absolute chills when I read how close this sweet child had come to losing his life. Hernandez goes on to say that they do make cordless blinds that are safe and “worth every penny.” (In our house, we use pull-down, cordless shades in our kids’ rooms.) She also emphasizes that modifying and cord-cutting the corded blinds in your home does not make them safe, saying:
“Even if you cut the cords once the blinds are lifted up it creates a hazard. The cords can not be cut short to make them safer… there are still inner cords and if the cord is pulled so the blinds go all the way up, that pull cord will then be long enough to make a loop & strangle a child. My heart goes out the families that have lost their loved ones this way I am so sorry for that heart ache and can’t imagine the pain you have gone through. These accidents can be prevented let’s take action now! You can never be too safe in your own home. ”
I certainly agree that you can’t be too safe in your own home with your kids’ lives and I so appreciate Hernandez being vulnerable and putting her story out there. I too, pray that her son’s story will save another precious child’s life. For the full story, check out Hernandez’s post below.
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