Keep unsupervised infants and babies away from windows, especially cribs where toddlers can easily reach and climb to precarious spots. Keep windows closed and locked when children are around. If your home features double-hung windows, close the bottom sash nearest to children, and open the top sash to allow for ventilation. This will help prevent a toddler from toppling out a window.

Heed the warning of window and door manufacturers: screens are not meant to stop a child from falling; keep children away from open windows.

Keep furniture, or anything a child can climb, away from windows -- they may use these objects as a climbing aid.

Homes with window guards, security bars, grilles or grates covering windows become potential hazards in an emergency if the devices on them do not have a functioning quick release mechanism to allow a swift, safe exit through the window. Time is critical when escaping for emergency purposes.

Cords on shades and blinds can be hazardous to small children or pets who can easily get tangled and wrap the cord around their neck or choke on the cord itself.

Finally, the degree of injury sustained from a window fall can be affected by the surface on which the victim falls. Planting shrubs and providing soft edging like wood chips or grass beneath windows may lessen the impact if a fall occurs.