It’s National Window Safety Week. Why you NEED to care if you have kids...

Most of us can’t wait to open the windows in the spring...

That’s why the National Safety Council chooses this week as National Window Safety Week. More than 5,200 children fall from windows each year and there are steps that parents and grandparents can take to prevent a tragic mishap. Here are the NSC recommendations:

• Keep cribs and other furniture away from windows to eliminate the possibility of a child reaching a window by climbing.

• Remember that screens do not prevent a child from falling out of a window.

• Open windows from the top, whenever possible.

• Install safety devices such as window guards or window stops on all second-story windows or higher.

Keep in mind about one-third of falls occur from first floor windows and you may want window stops on those too. Window stops prevent the window from opening more than four inches, while allowing an adult to open it fully in case of a fire or other emergency.