Hi,
We recently moved and I have a few windows that kids could fall out of if they push on the screen. I lived in nyc before and looked into the metal bars that can be screwed into the window frame...they are crazy expensive! Any alternatives you can think of? Anything out there that keeps the window just a little bit open?
Thanks!
Where do you live that this is a concern? Just because a child *could* push out a screen doesn't mean they will.
Google "window lock" and take your pick of products appropriate for your windows - what that would look like depends on your windows.
I think there are some solutions that allow for opening the windows a bit, but again, it depends on your windows.
Here are some examples: http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/catalog/servlet/ContentVi...
There are window guards you can purchase at any big hardware store that you screw into the frame, and they prevent the window from being opened more than a certain amount. You pick the amount - might be 6 inches or 8 inches. If you can't find anything, use a standard angle bracket and screw it into the upper window frame. The "L" blocks the part of the window you raise.
The advantage to the fancier ones is that you can fold them up and open the window wider when you are supervising or when the kids aren't there.
Don't believe anyone who says these guards aren't important! They are!!!
A friend is an architect and he built their house. He had to put in the horizontal bars before they could get the certificate of occupancy. His wife saw them as obvious temptations, with kids eager to grab on and swing their feet against the open window!
I don't think you need the fancy bars which are half designed to keep someone from breaking in, if your only concern is kids falling out.
Good for you for checking on this. One thing my brother-in-law did which was rather inexpensive was to simply open the window about four inches, make a mark on the non-open side of that sliding window (so, if the window slides from left to right, you make the mark on the right side) and used a drill to install screws, leaving them exposed high enough to prevent the window from opening further. He did this on both the top and the bottom of the side-to-side sliding windows, and was sure to use a screw which was long enough to be secure in the wood of the framing while still leaving that extra bit up top. Be sure to check that the screws are super-secure before deciding they're 'done'. For top-to-bottom windows, you can also do the same on both sides of the window frame; just open the window about 4".
I agree that this is super important. When my sister and her husband had moved into their new home years ago, they didn't know how easily the screens popped out. Her then three year old son was 'sitting' in the window frame of the second floor and fell out, hitting the A/C unit on the way down and landing in a big wine barrel full of petunias. This probably saved the day, as there was a hard concrete pad underneath. After that, they got right on securing those windows!
What kind of windows do you have???
Screens, are installed either in front of the window or behind it.
Typically the screens are in front of the window...on the interior.
Hi! Check onestepahead.com for lots of safety items. We got some locks for our windows there. They have things that are pretty easy to install and don't require a lot of hardware.
I was going to ask the same question! thanks! I am terrified of having the windows open upstairs for this reason. Looking forward to your answers.
Chicken wire. Otherwise known as metal fencing. It's less expensive and effective. An eyesore for sure but sometimes that's just what you have to do! When my son was a toddler we used it to line our balcony.
Hazel is giving you some good advice. I opened the windows of my mom's place while airing out my son's bedroom. I asked him to help me make his bed, and while he was helping, he backed up into the window screen and fell out the window into the bushes!
It was only one story, and he didn't get hurt (bent the bush a little...). But OH MY, how surprised we were!! He wasn't a small child, so that wasn't the issue, but we sure did learn something right there and then!!
Dawn
We put half sheet of lattice on the inside of the girls windows. It can be part of the theme of the room if you do it in fairies or flowers or a cottage look. We used the white stuff. The other half was in the boys room but it was behind blinds and wasn't really seen much.
Now that they are bigger we have screws in the frame where they can't get them any higher than a certain point.
We got ours from a company called Guardian Angels on line and love them! We can open the windows all the way. Hope this helps.
