Open windows and screened windows are common place in many houses and apartments. And, according to a recent study published in the journal of Pediatrics, too many overly curious children venture too close, fall and sustain serious injuries.
Data was analyzed from 1990to 2008 from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. The study found that over 98,000 children were treated in the ER, equating to an average of 5,000 children per year.
The study also determined that children ages 0-4 years old made up almost 67 percent of the total number of window falls. Additionally, male children were more likely to be injured in window falls than female children.
Prevention Includes Planting Shrubs, Installing Window Guards, Using Safety Gates
This study reveals alarming results about children and window falls-simply too many are happening. On the west coast, for example, approximately 43 percent of children sustained traumatic brain injuries from window falls in California.
Many are attributable to children landing on hard surfaces like concrete or asphalt commonly found outside of windows. As a prevention measure, the authors of the study recommended that caregivers consider planting shrubs or plant beds outside of windows to cushion falls.
Safekids.org-a nationwide network or organizations that helps prevent childhood injuries-has also provided valuable safety tips to parents and caregivers. Safekids says that parents and caregivers need to do more than install window screens. Many times, parents depend on screens to prevent window falls and they are simply not enough. Safekids says window guard installations on upper floors should be erected, however, as long as they are designed to open quickly from the inside in case of a fire.
Additionally, Safekids says that it's important to use safety gates. The use of safety gates at the tops and bottoms of stairs reduces a young child's chances of falling.
Some areas of the country are recognizing the dangers associated with children and window falls and have enacted laws to minimize these occurrences. The state of New York, for example, requires apartment buildings to install guard rails on all windows in households with kids under 11.
Hopefully, the trend will continue and the percentage of infants and toddlers who sustain injuries from window falls will decrease.
