By Laura Miccile
Supervisor, Mary Bridge Center for Childhood Safety
With the recent warm weather, it’s a good time to remind parents of the dangers that open windows pose to children.
Even screened windows can be dangerous: Window screens keep bugs out, they don’t keep children in.
Nationwide, thousands of children are injured or killed from window falls every year. The most common victims are toddlers who fall out of an open bedroom window with a screen.
To prevent window falls, follow these tips from the Center for Childhood Safety at MultiCare Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital & Health Center:
1. Move furniture away from windows and balconies. A bed, couch and other furniture allows a child to get higher and closer to a window.
2. Only open windows outside of a child’s reach or climbing distance. Open double-hung windows from the top. A child can fall from a window opened as little as 5 inches.
3. Every year, many children fall out of open windows with window screens. Window screens will not keep your child from falling.
4. If you must open a window within a child’s reach or climbing distance, install an operable window guard. Window guards have horizontal bars no more than 4 inches apart that screw into the side of a window frame. Guards can be special ordered from a hardware store or over the Internet.
5. For windows that can’t be used for fire escape, install stops that keep a window from opening wider than 4 inches. These can be purchased at a hardware store for about $2. Some new windows come with stops.
6. Plant grass or shrubbery around your home to soften the impact surface in case of a fall.
7. Monitor window safety at your child care location and anywhere children visit.
Safe Kids Day will be celebrated worldwide on Sturday. The goal is to raise awareness about the ways we can protect our children from preventable injuries, and to support our local and national injury prevention programs. To learn more, visit http://multica.re/SafeKidsPierceCounty.
Laura Miccile is the supervisor of the Mary Bridge Center for Childhood Safety. For more summer safety tips, including information about loaner lifejackets, helmet fittings and car seat checks, visit http://multica.re/ChildhoodSafety or call 253-403-1234.
