April 23-27 is National Window Safety Week
Safe Kids Denver Metro Offers Window Safety Tips

Every year, in the United States, nearly 5,000 children -- mostly toddlers -- fall out of windows; 28 percent require a hospital stay and approximately 20 die. A child who falls 10 feet can suffer spinal injury, paralysis and fatal head injury. Safe Kids Denver Metro reminds parents to be window safe as warmer weather approaches and window in the home are opened.

"A screen is not a safety device," says Leslie Feuerborn, Safe Kids Denver Metro coordinator. "It's designed to keep insects out, not to keep children in. Consider installing window guards or other means to keep the window from opening too much. Proper safety devices on windows save lives. Taking a few safety precautions may save your child from serious injury or death."

Window guards were shown to reduce fatal falls by up to 35 percent as part of a pilot program in New York City. "Parents may also consider using other window safety devices such as window wedges or braces or removing the hand cranks on casement windows. The bottom line is to ensure that windows do not open more than 4 inches. Toddlers have been known to fall out of windows or get trapped in window openings in as little as 5 inches. Parents should be aware that windows provide a means of escape from a burning home, so whatever protection means are used they need to able be easily opened or removed in a fire emergency," says Feuerborn. 

Still, no safety device can take the place of active adult supervision. Always keep an eye on kids around open windows. Making your home child-safe is not a one-time project - It's an ongoing activity.

Safe Kids Denver Metro also reminds parents and caregivers:

• Keep windows closed and locked when children are around, and keep furniture and anything that a child can climb away from windows to reduce the chances of a child falling through a window. When opening a window for ventilation chose one that a child cannot reach. 
  
• If you have double-hung windows - the kind that can open down from the top as well as up from the bottom - it is generally safer to open the top pane, but growing kids may have enough strength, dexterity and curiosity to open the bottom pane. Don't assume an unlocked window is childproof.
  
• Set and enforce rules that your child cannot play near windows especially the activity many kids love - jumping on the bed.
  
• Strategic landscaping may lessen the extent of injury sustained in the event of a fall. Shrubs and soft edging such as wood chips or grass under a window can cushion potential falls.

For more information about window safety, falls and childproofing, call Safe Kids Denver Metro at (720) 777-8412, whose members include childproofing professionals, or visit www.usa.safekids.org. National Window Safety Week is an annual program of the National Safety Council; for more information, call (800) 621-7619 or visit http://www.nsc.org/resources/factsheets/hl/window_safety.aspx.

Safe Kids Denver Metro works to prevent accidental childhood injury, the leading killer of children 14 years and under. Its members include individuals from over 50 health and safety agencies and organizations throughout the Denver metropolitan area including childproofing professionals. Safe Kids Denver Metro is a member of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations dedicated to preventing accidental injury. Safe Kids Denver Metro was founded in 1998 and is led by Children's Hospital Colorado.