Before long, as many as six children fell through the windows of apartment buildings, what’s really going on?

In Marijampolė, a boy of just two years fell out of the window of an apartment on the third floor and fell into a coma. In the Rokiškis region, a five-year-old girl who fell out of a window on the second floor needed medical help, and a four-year-old boy who fell from Kaunas from the window of a sixth-floor house was seriously injured.

Relaxation led to disaster.

VVTAĮT director Ilma Skuodienė asked her parents to be more vigilant, because during this period an incredible number of children fell out of the window. “Of course, we were busy during the quarantine, we were waiting for it to end, we spent a lot of time at home with the children. Now we go to work, others go on vacation, they want to relax. Relaxation after the quarantine: we had consequences”, the interlocutor looked for reasons.

The warm weather contributed to the disasters, leading to the windows opening wide. “Young children are curious by nature. They are interested, they climb onto the chairs, the windowsills, and that’s why very painful accidents happen, ”he said.

It is probably difficult to weigh events, when it comes to child neglect, in terms of the consequences of curiosity.
“Each case is individual, we are in no rush to call it negligence.” Yes, in general, negligence, accidents. Next time, just add water to the glass. As my parents or grandparents say, I just turned my head and … “, – said I. Skuodienė.

Young children need constant attention. According to the head of the VVTAĮT, neither less nor more is needed, so much to guarantee the safety of children.

The environment must be adapted to children. Windows, stairs, matches, sharp objects must be inaccessible to them.

In the case of a disaster involving minors, the standard question is whether the Family Child Protection Service knows the family or has received services. As I. Skuodienė said, some families receive services, others do not. “We contacted, we arrived, we looked at the general situation, we involved psychologists. An event and situation that is very stressful. The need for additional assistance, case management, is decided on a case-by-case basis, ”he explained.

Revita Janavičiūtė, a representative of the Police Department, told Delfi that such disasters generally occur due to inadequate child care (in cases of children) or the multiplication of alcohol (in cases of adults). However, each ongoing study is individual.

Open Window Hazard

Perhaps after such shocking events, parents should at least worry about window locks? “It just caught our attention then. Through them, various sounds are heard, it is interesting for the child to see them. If the window is open in the room, the seedlings need careful supervision. Do not cook, do not pour water into a glass, but observe. As we can see in recent events, open windows have become one of the dangerous elements that can cause a sad disaster, “said I. Skuodienė.

There never seems to be too many reminders when children can’t be left alone at home. “It just caught our eye then. In general, children under the age of six cannot be left alone at home unless they are in the care of an older brother or sister who is at least fourteen years old,” he emphasized.

I. Skuodienė warned that the child’s physical and emotional possibilities of being alone should be well evaluated. The law says: up to six years, but others and eight are not yet ready to be left alone at home.

Not everyone and fourteen are ready to care for their younger siblings: “Parents should assess their children’s ability to be alone, based on each person’s physical and emotional development, as well as the safety of the environment.”

Injuries leave traces for life

As events show, it is best for minors not to be left alone not only at home but also in the room. However, I. Skuodienė does not tend to be so categorical: each situation and physical environment is individual.

“If the environment is safe, the child is quietly playing on the room rug, there are no sharp objects nearby, he may go for a moment, go to the bathroom or something similar. But of course, if he leaves it in the open window , where you can sit in the chair, the situation is dangerous ”, the interlocutor saw the threat and added that such injuries (falls from above) leave vivid traces for life, they are painful, irreversible.

It is no less dangerous to leave the children alone outside, next to a campfire or a pond.

“Caregivers must be vigilant not only at home but also outdoors. As the weather warms up, you spend more and more time outdoors. Families like to bake something over a campfire, and scrap metal is also dangerous for children. Do not leave children alone by the fire. Do not relax near the water. The water draws them in and draws them in. ” I. Skuodienė spoke about the dangers lurking not only at home but also outside.

In one of his comments, Benediktas Jonuška, a pediatric surgery resident, mentioned that during the warm period, the number of children with injuries in the admission department increases significantly. Falls from children from a height are the most common cause of injury, reaching 8%. causes of infant death in the world.

Delfi remembers the main recommendations of the doctor:

• Open only the top windows or the tops of the windows;

• Avoid furniture under or near windows;

• Keep an eye on young children, especially those who play by the windows;

• Grow hedges near tall residential buildings that could mitigate the blow during a fall;

• Keep windows closed in rooms where children play;

• Don’t rely solely on window screens to protect you from insects – children can still fall.