Children fall out of windows, even when their parents are at home. Safety expert named the main rules on how to protect a child from harm
Finally, the sun is already shining quite like spring, and we can safely let fresh air into the apartment without the risk of catching a cold for the child. If the weather permits, you need to ventilate the rooms in the house as often as possible. Some mothers in the spring and summer keep the windows open for airing almost all day. Fresh air is certainly very good for a child. However, before leaving the window ajar, ask yourself if you have taken care of its safety. After all, in order to climb onto the windowsill, a child sometimes needs a few seconds. Together with an expert on child safety, the head of the iKid educational project Elena Lizvinskaya we figured out what to do to protect your child from falling out of the window.
First of all, take this issue as seriously as possible. The main misconception of all parents is the belief that this will definitely not happen to their child. “Every year, hundreds of children fall out of the windows, and, sadly, adults are to blame for this,” says Elena Lizvinskaya. - Many people think that this happens only in dysfunctional families, where children are not properly supervised. I constantly hear from parents phrases like “this is not about our family”, “mine is not interested in windows”, “we always watch the child”. In fact, such a tragedy occurs with children from different families and even with very caring parents who simply did not know. Or underestimated the risk. "
From the point of view of psychology, the behavior of the child and his actions are often unpredictable even for the children themselves, not to mention the parents. Therefore, it is absolutely impossible to rely on the fact that your baby will not climb to the open window. “We have conducted tests that prove that 9-12 seconds in a room with a window is enough for a child to climb onto a window sill. If the window is open, even a couple of centimeters, there are fractions of a second left for the irreparable to happen. Therefore children fall out of the windoweven when the parents are at home. It is enough for mom to leave for just a few minutes, ”warns Elena Lizvinskaya.
The expert compiled a list of rules for us that will help protect the child from falling out of the window. The rules are simple and, at first glance, quite obvious. However, think about how often you follow them and assess the risks of a hazardous situation yourself.
A child climbs the windowsill in 10-12 seconds / istockphoto.com
Rule 1. Do not open the window "wide open" in the presence of a child. Do not look out the window by leaning over the sill. Do not breathe deeply near the open window with visible pleasure. Your little fidget will definitely remember these actions and at some point will certainly want to repeat them.
Rule 2. Discourage your child's interest in windows. Often mothers (and especially grandmothers) put the child on the windowsill themselves to see what is happening on the street. On the windowsill, many children can sit for hours, counting cars passing by or watching birds and yard cats. Usually this entertainment is practiced in winter with tightly closed windows. But spring comes, the windows open, and the child, out of habit, climbs into his observation post.
Rule 3. Do not leave chairs by the windowsill. Move sofas, tables, bedside tables, and any other objects that your child might use to climb the windowsill away from the window. If you have had a table near the window for a million years and more than one generation of children has grown up in the house, this does not mean that the situation will not change on your child.
Rule 4. Do not leave your child alone in a room with an open window. Even if the window is half a finger open, even if it is being ventilated, a child should not be in a room with an unlocked window without adult supervision. You will certainly need to be absent for a minute. This minute can solve everything.
Rule 5. Never rely on mosquito nets. Even if you have mosquitoes protection, this is not at all a guarantee of the safety of the child. Quite the opposite - the mesh creates a deceptive sense of protection, so children often lean on it with their whole bodies and, as a result, squeeze the structure out of the window, falling out along with the mesh.
Lattice on the window can protect a child from harm / istockphoto.com
Compliance with these rules will most likely save your baby from a tragic fate. However, for greater confidence and safety, it would be better to equip windows with "physical" fallout protection. First of all, these are window grilles. It is not at all necessary to attach a massive welded structure to the entire window. It is possible to install half bars that cover only the lower part of the window. And you can find on sale sliding grilles or special plug-in structures that are used only with an open window. The main rule when choosing any type of lattice is that the child's head should not pass through the gap between the bars. Otherwise, the installation of such a design simply will not be of use.
If the prospect of looking at the street through the bars does not appeal to you, install a blocker or a child lock on the windows. The first one securely fixes the window when opened, preventing it from swinging open anymore. Than 10-15 cm. The second is a full-fledged lock with a key. It can be mounted either on the lower part of the window (removable) or mounted in the window handle (stationary). Such devices cost not so much: for example, a high-quality handle with a lock can be bought for 450-500 UAH. Believe me, this is not so much money in terms of the likelihood of a big tragedy.
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