As many parents know all too well, it only takes a second for an accident to happen. As stressful as any life-threatening mishap can be, it's those that happen when Mom or Dad are right there that send chills down many parents' spines. As much as many parents take comfort in knowing that as long as they are near, they can keep their kids safe, it isn't always the case. From stories of kids choking on grapes to dry drowning after quickly being rescued, adults need to know not only what can be dangerous for kids, but also that these tragedies can still happen while they are just feet away.
Blogger Stevie Niki learned this when she was folding laundry while her little boy was playing. The mom-of-four was only feet away from her 1-year-old when she looked up to see a blind cord caught around Tayne's neck. "I ummed and ahhhed whether to even post this because you know, another major mom fail this week that could have killed him (maybe it's why I am such an emotional wreck this week), just another thing to criticize another mother, but maybe it's more important than me and what you think …" she wrote on Instagram. "Maybe it might stop it from happening to someone else."
More from CafeMom: Mom Warns Parents After 6-Year-Old Nearly Hangs Herself at the Playground
"We often read and hear about how the the cords on our blinds (that pull them up and down) should be secured tightly to the frame work … and mine are! With safety tags attached and all," she wrote. "But these cords along the bottom are clearly a major oversight (at least they were to me) when it comes to the safety of our littles. I would never [have] given it a second thought if I had not seen what could have seriously hurt him, if I were not right there, with him."
As startling as the photos might be, Stevie hopes that sharing them will inspire parents to check all of their blinds, and not just the horizontal styles. "These photos were taken after what happened, before I removed the cords from our vertical blinds. To show how dangerous they are. I obviously didn't take these photos when he was tangled. That would be a ridiculously irresponsible and dangerous thing to do," she added. "My children, their health and safety is always priority to me, not a post or a picture. Just a warning, be careful. He was totally fine, just a little stuck, thank goodness."