Before children move into a newly built Oklahoma home, inspect every installed window covering for accessible cords and choose cordless products for the household’s plan. Confirm who will supply and install each covering, including temporary shades. “New house” does not establish that every blind or shade is the safest choice for young children.
CPSC’s Go Cordless guidance identifies corded coverings as a strangulation hazard and recommends cordless coverings where children live or visit. This is a product-safety decision at handover, separate from the window’s fall-prevention features.
Check the actual coverings room by room
Walk through the rooms with the installed products in view. Record what is present, who supplied it, whether it has cords and what information is available about the manufacturer and model. Include bedrooms, play spaces and rooms where visiting children may spend time.
If the builder has not supplied coverings, mark the entry as an unfinished purchase decision. A bare window today does not tell you what will be installed by the time the household arrives.
Keep the inventory with your new-construction purchase plan. Ask for product details before accepting a broad description such as “standard blinds throughout.” The actual product matters more than the package name used during the design appointment.
Choose cordless before move-in
Use the manufacturer's product information to confirm what “cordless” means for the item being considered. Ask the seller or installer to identify the operating method and any accessible cords rather than relying only on a photograph.
CPSC warns that cord strangulation can occur quickly and silently. Its recommended prevention approach is cordless coverings; placing a cord higher or using a temporary adjustment should not be described as eliminating the hazard.
Make the selection early enough to resolve measurements, delivery and installation before children use the rooms. If there is a delay, ask the supplier for an appropriate cordless option for the interim. Avoid letting a last-minute privacy problem determine the permanent safety choice.
Identify who supplies and installs each covering
New-construction contracts and selections vary. Ask the builder which rooms and products are included, which items are buyer purchases, and whether installation is part of the agreed work. Put unresolved items on the handover list with a responsible person.
For example, the main bedroom might have a builder-installed shade while the future nursery is left for the buyer to finish. That creates two product decisions, even though both rooms appear in the same walkthrough.
Do not assume that a builder’s final inspection answers every household-specific product question. Request the actual instructions and have installation follow them. If the selected covering changes, update the inventory rather than leaving the old model listed as completed.
Keep furniture placement and cord safety together
CPSC's <a href="https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/252ChildproofingYourHome32123.pdf?VersionId=dg2zlj6_mhYID_xCiup3_1wgCCI2xVvA">home-childproofing guide</a> reminds families that no device is completely childproof. Review the planned furniture arrangement when checking the room, rather than evaluating the window in an empty space.
Ask where the bed, crib, toy storage and climbable furniture will actually stand. A room plan can change during delivery because a dresser fits better on another wall. Recheck the covering decision when that happens.
The new-home window-fall safety guide addresses a different hazard: screens, opening controls and falls. A cordless shade does not answer whether the window’s fall-prevention arrangements are appropriate, just as a screen does not answer the cord question. Keep both checks visible.
Close the handover file with the actual products
Before calling this part of the move complete, compare the installed coverings with the agreed list. Save the model information, purchase records and operating instructions. Ask the installer to explain ordinary operation and any maintenance required by the manufacturer.
Look again at temporary coverings. They are easy to overlook once the main rooms look finished. The completion list should cover the spaces children can enter, not only the rooms photographed during the final walkthrough.
If a covering is replaced later or a guest room becomes a child’s room, repeat the product and placement review. Household use changes over time, so a safety decision made for an empty house may need another look.
This article describes CPSC safety recommendations; it does not certify a product’s compliance with every applicable standard or promise that a room is childproof. Follow current manufacturer guidance and use CPSC’s official resources for product questions and recalls.
Doug and Ronnie can help organize purchase and possession milestones through a conversation with OKC Metro Group. Bring the covering inventory into that schedule early so privacy, installation and the needs of visiting or resident children are addressed before move-in day.
