You just teach your kid the curtains are not to be played with.

My son is a little over 2 and despite being a total climbing monkey, he leaves all the floor length curtains in our home alone. He might pull them to the side a bit just like we do, but that's it. I think having easy moving curtains makes a difference. Try it out and if it becomes a problem when your little one is older, then just hem the long ones up. Much more budget conscious than buying all new ones if it doesn't work out. Good luck!

My boys (who are now almost-two and almost-five) have always had full-length curtains in their room, with no big problems... and my toddler is as nutty as they come, believe me. As avimom says, we just taught them that playing with the curtains was strictly off-limits.

I have had full length curtains in my daughter's room from birth until now. She's 3 years old and is pretty rambunctious, but she's never hung on the curtains, or messed with them in any way. Really, she's never had much interest in them. I'd say, go with what you want, and if in 2-3 years it suddenly becomes a problem, deal with it then. You'll undoubtedly have to change the room around by then anyway.

Oh, for Pete's sake. People worry about everything. I have a 2 and a 4 year old who like to hide behind the long curtains in my bedroom, but they've never once tried swinging from them. Do make sure the curtain rod is secure in the wall, but otherwise take avimom's advice and just teach your child not to play with the curtains. I think kids can handle a lot more than we give them credit for as long as there are guidelines/boundaries. My kids help make dinner all the time, but they know which buttons they're allowed to touch (i.e., the oven light switch) and which ones they can't (the "on" switch on the mixer).

My daughter would totally swing on them. I would think about the way you're planning on using his/her room. I keep my daughter's bedroom very baby-proofed so I can feel okay about closing her in there if I just have to run to the bathroom. I wouldn't give her free rein of the house, though without being within earshot. If you have somewhere else that is super-babyproofed (a crib?) it might not be an issue.

Yes, you teach your kids not to play with these things, but at 2 and 3 they're SUPPOSED to test these limits. It's what toddlers do as they gain independence.

We had a problem w/the blinds.... Our little guy would reach out and pull the wooden blinds out of the window. They were heavy too... i would say he was 15 months by the time i started to worry he'd pull them down completely (he's strong). We had to move his crib away from the window... and then the other window. Because at 15 months, you can say no till the cows come home... but you're still going to wake up to a lil one pulling the blinds off the window. He DID stop eventually tho. Once a few months had passed & i pushed his crib back, he was no longer enthralled w/pulling them.

you will probably have to PIN them up... for the time that they become "THE" favorite toy. but it may not even present a problem... every baby's different.

We have full length curtains. I don't think climbing them or swinging from them has ever crossed his mind. He does like to hide behind them and sometimes tugs at them as he pulls the curtains in front of him. That's the only "concern" we've had.

My very hyperactive son, who's 17 months, doesn't pay much attention to our full-length curtains in our living room. The most he does is hide behind them, which only lasts for a minute or two, and he likes to move them to the side so he can look out (he loves looking out the window). But still, he can do that maybe twice a week, and the living room is where we spend most of our time. We have just done what the first poster mentioned--taught him not to play with them.

I have a 5 year old and I say go for it. The worst that will happen is that you have to take them down for a few months if 'no' doesn't work (or pin them up as another posted wrote). Every child is different. I think the worst thing you should worry about is avoiding white... because no matter how much you try little hand are never always clean. :)

I think teaching your children NOT to swing on curtains is a valuable life skill . . .
I am really paranoid about the cords from blinds. There was a very tragic case here of a toddler that died after being caught up in a pull cord. I always loop them right up out of the way.

Thanks so much for all of the very helpful comments ... and what good news it is! I really wanted to do full-length curtains, so I am glad to know I am not a fruitcake for thinking it can be done. Thank you everyone!
Leah

My husband and I are committed to having a home that we think is both beautiful and functional--even with kids. So we definitely have things in our house that are not baby-proof. We have just taught our boys (2years and 1year) not to touch them (antique books on the bookshelf, iPod, houseplants, etc.). That said, every item you put at kid-level and expect him not to touch, you have to be committed to train him not to touch it, and that takes time, energy, and perseverence. There are only so many things worth turning into training grounds, and my inclination is to mostly eliminate the "don't touch" items from the kids' bedroom. If your kids don't touch/hide behind/hang on the floor-length curtains, their playmates will (our kids do, their friends do). But if you're committed to having them, just be ready to spend a lot of time asking your kids and other kids not to touch them. Or, like others said, if it gets to be a problem in a few years, hem them.

Listen! the things your think your kids will get into they dont and visa versa. But also, you need to go into having a child like this: instead of baby proofing your house, house proof your baby. TRAIN YOUR KID NOT TO HANG FROM THE CURTAINS! we didnt change out house at all! we just trained our daughter to not touch stuff, and here we are 2 1/2 years later and its been going great! BIG PLUS: you can take your kids to other peoples houses and they dont touch stuff, also the same in stores. its so rewarding.

Genovetta has it right. We ALL much prefer to be around kids who are used to hearing "that's not for babies" and actually respect it. We decided to baby-proof what could hurt her if she was left unattended, for things she could simply damage, we began training her at an early age not to touch. Year 3 and nothing's been broken yet. You teach your children how to interact with their surroundings, that's part of the job.

Go for the curtains, they are not actually that exciting a toy and a simple "no" should suffice by the time they are mobile, provided you have uttered it all along and done the appropriate supporting actions.

hi! those are my curtains in the picture - my daughter is almost two and a bit umm..."energetic" and she has never attempted to swing from the curtains. she has no interest in curtains whatsoever. they aren't really very fun. that's my two cents.

I think if the drapes are always there, then there's nothing exciting about them and kids won't be interested in playing with them. I have long drapes and kids who don't live here do seem to like to slide them back and forth. None of them have ever hung from them like monkeys. I have two of my own and neither of them have shown the slightest interest. Plus, like others have said, just teach them no.

My two cents - we had full-length curtains, and rather than for safety we hemmed them way up to windowsill level simply so I could use the space below the window. We're short on space and I didn't realize how much I lost with long curtains (visually, too, it feels lighter with shorter curtains). So if you're short on space, you might want to think about that one.

I agree with all the advice that you should choose what you like but for the reasons p_capucine mentioned I definitely would go with shorter curtains if you want to use the space underneath for the bed, a half-height bookcase, desk, or play table. That's valuable real estate to give up in usually smaller rooms. I also went with a bold print on one of my kid's drapes and I think it might have been too overwhelming on full-length drapes. My kids never tamper too much with drapes in other rooms, I just chase them out if there's a snotty nose that they could smear by accident! Yuck!

We have floor length drapes in all the bedrooms. Mostly to keep as much light out as possible- this helps with the girls' sleeping and our power bills in the summer. They have never really swung from them. They are apt to hide behind them and giggle- but that doesn't really hurt the drapes in any way. If it gets too rambunctious, they get a good scolding and escorted out of the room. The girls' don't play very much in their room. Their bedroom is for sleeping- and I like to keep it that way. We have a playroom and a downstairs choc full of toys. So that hasn't been a huge issue for us. I would worry- if they were downstairs about sippie splashes and general getting dirty of super-nice drapes, though.

i have a 2 year old boy, who will climb and jump off anything possible but he has never tried to swing from the curtains... like others posted he may open and close them (they're grommet-top so they slide easily) and he plays behind them but theres no harm in that... so i say go for it.

Ditto the above comments about teaching what's a "no-no." It takes our little guy a number of attempts to realize we're serious, and he's not allowed to touch something (TV stand, diaper pail, curtains, etc.).

I found that getting short, window-length curtains almost defeated the purpose---I was buying room-darkening ones. Too much light leaked at the bottom. Long ones were the way to go; no problems yet.

DO get rid of any cords (cut, tie up, etc.) that would be a strangulation hazard. I'm a little paranoid so I've just avoided getting any window coverings that have cords at all.

I just wouldn't only if there is a crib nearby. An older infant could easily pull them into the crib and get wrapped up. I'd be more worried about suffocation than a curtain rod falling down.

My kids (ages 5, 3, and 1) all have floor length curtains and it has never been an issue. They might move them from side to side sometimes, but it has never been a safety issue.