{"id":5947,"date":"2019-04-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-08T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prd-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/?p=5947"},"modified":"2025-06-13T17:21:29","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T17:21:29","slug":"warm-weather-open-windows-how-protect-kids-falls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/warm-weather-open-windows-how-protect-kids-falls\/","title":{"rendered":"How to protect kids from window falls","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"pattern__headline\">Warm weather is on the way, but before you open windows to let the fresh air in, let\u2019s talk about the dangers that open windows pose to young children. Kids are curious by nature and top-heavy by design, so an open window can be an invitation to trouble.<\/p>\n<div class=\"rtecontent\">\n<p>Falls are the leading cause of injury hospitalization for kids. MultiCare Mary Bridge Children\u2019s<strong> treats an average of 33 children each year<\/strong>\u00a0for traumatic window fall injuries.<\/p>\n<h2>Who is most at risk?<\/h2>\n<p>Window falls are most common<strong> between ages 2 to 6 <\/strong>and among boys \u2014 although any gender or age can fall (crawlers to teenagers). We advise securing accessible windows for all children under age 7, or longer if their developmental needs require it. Prioritize placement in kids&#8217; bedrooms and play areas.<\/p>\n<h2>Tips to prevent window falls<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_8511\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\">\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-8511\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Only open windows that are outside of a child\u2019s reach<\/strong>\u00a0or climbing distance.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Limit window openings to four inches<\/strong>\u00a0or less by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.uw.edu\/video-library\/4-inches-are-key-preventing-window-falls\"><strong>adding a window stop<\/strong>,<\/a>\u00a0which can be purchased at a hardware store or online.\n<ul>\n<li>Choose window stops\/guards that adults can remove in an emergency (but avoid letting your child watch you remove one).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Use operable window guards\u00a0<\/strong>if windows must be open more than four inches.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Keep furniture away from windows<\/strong>\u00a0to discourage little climbers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Teach children<\/strong>\u00a0not to play near windows (but don\u2019t rely on them to remember that).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Plant grass or shrubbery<\/strong>\u00a0beneath windows to soften the impact surface in case of a fall.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What doesn\u2019t stop a window fall?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Window screens<\/strong>. They are designed to keep bugs out, not kids in. The weight of even a small child will push the screen off.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Parental supervision<\/strong>. Caregivers are very often present at time of a fall but are also often distracted by meal preparation or caring for other children. Falls happen quickly, sometimes right in front of a parent or caregiver.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the recent warm weather, it&#8217;s a good time to remind parents of the dangers that open windows pose to children.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":577,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kids-health"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.6 (Yoast SEO v27.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to protect kids from window falls - MultiCare Vitals<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Warm weather means open windows. Kids are curious by nature and top-heavy by design, so an open window can be an invitation to trouble.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/warm-weather-open-windows-how-protect-kids-falls\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to protect kids from window falls - MultiCare Vitals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Warm weather means open windows. Kids are curious by nature and top-heavy by design, so an open window can be an invitation to trouble.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/warm-weather-open-windows-how-protect-kids-falls\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MultiCare Vitals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/multicarehealthsystem\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-04-08T00:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-13T17:21:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2021\/04\/child-safety-covid-windows_vchl.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"820\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Erin Summa\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Warm weather means open windows. Kids are curious by nature and top-heavy by design, so an open window can be an invitation to trouble.\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/warm-weather-open-windows-how-protect-kids-falls\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/warm-weather-open-windows-how-protect-kids-falls\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Erin Summa\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d68a8299459287e8a11e3ada41284b50\"},\"headline\":\"How to protect kids from window falls\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-04-08T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-13T17:21:29+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/warm-weather-open-windows-how-protect-kids-falls\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":319,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Kids' Health\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/warm-weather-open-windows-how-protect-kids-falls\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/warm-weather-open-windows-how-protect-kids-falls\\\/\",\"name\":\"How to protect kids from window falls - MultiCare Vitals\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/updates-www.mccdn.io\\\/vitals\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2019-04-08T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-13T17:21:29+00:00\",\"description\":\"Warm weather means open windows. 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