Baby proofing large georgian windows

[BumperliciousNeedsToSleep]

We live on the 1st floor of a large regency mansion and have lots of large sash windows. They start from about 1.5 feet off the ground. DD is at the height where she can just about see out of them but will be growing quicker than I can keep up with!

Is there a way I can baby proof them? Or am I destined to spend the whole summer with them locked? They can open from the top, but it would mean that the bottom sash could be pushed up too and I'm not sure whether once she is a bit older she might be able to push them up herself (unlikely for a while but I don't want to risk it). Is there anything we can do? The flat is rented so we have to be careful what we do, though the landlord is pretty amenable and probably wouldn't mind us baby proofing them (actually do we have a legal right here?).

do they have little hinges for swinging them in? i use the hinge to stop them going up too far.

can you use something at the sides to keep the bottom pane down when the top one is open?

seem to remember you can do it by using battens in the sash box - literally a long bit of wood the height of the gap between the bottom pane and the top of the window - so the bottom pane can't be pushed up but the top one moves freely...

Mrs adger, I expect that would be fairly easy, but I was hoping that there might be a solution that involved covering the open window, so I could still open from the bottom.

Not sure what you mean sheherazade, they don't have any hinges at all I don't think, straight up and down frames.

Sash stops are what you need. They are little locks that screw into the top frame allowing the window to be opened only as far as the lock iyswim. If you need to open the window fully, you use a key to unscrew the stop. Any good lock shop or ironmonger should sell you something suitable.

We have them on the ground floor for security reasons as well as on the top floor to prevent the kids chucking themselves (or things, more likely) out.

Obviously the distance you set them to needs to be just slightly smaller than your youngest child's head.

hmm, I see what you mean. You could do the same thing to create a 'stop' so the bottom pane wouldn't open more than a few inches but I suspect you'd need to fix the battens to the sash box rather than just wedge them.

The classic answer is bars, and in fact some of the HA-owned buildings near us with Regency windows have had bars put up, so the landlord might be amenable. Or just buy a lot of stairgates...

oh well done Frogs

can't see how the landlord would object to those, but you'd need to ask him

We have 2 toddlers and huge georgian windows. Definitely worth investing in the sash stops imo.

You can do a DIY version with L-shaped brackets, but then you'd have to unscrew them everytime you needed to open the window fully. With the sash stops you just take the key and unscrew the little barrel thing. Easy as you like (though you have to not lose the keys, obviously). But most makes are generic, so you can buy another key if they do go awol, as tends to happen in the frog pond.

This is making me think of that silly fridge magnet slogan: "I childproofed my house, but they still get in."

sash locks look good! pricey though.

my windows have 2 hinges on once side and the windows themselves have corresponding 'knobbles'. you can put the knobbles on the hinges and then pop out the sash and swing the window in for washing. i use them the opposite way to stop the window opening. you could just buy some hinges and screw in a screw to the window. so when you wnat to secure the window you flip over the hinge and it catches the screw to stop it going up. god this probably makes no sense.

Sheherazade that does make sense - are your windows modern though?

Have you tried saying "sash stops" 10 times really quickly?

well they are edwardian which is relatively modern. lol @ sash stops.

Hmm, no hinges, though I wish we did seeing as some birds have pebble dashed one of the windows .

The sash locks are a good idea. I expect the landlord would allow it (though probably not pay for it). Might just get DH to make some wedges.

Actually, I expect my v practical husband could fashion a bracket to hang stair gates over all the windows not v attractive though!

I was hoping there might be some kind of concertina lattice type device that I could slot in to the frame when the window is open IYKWIM? - I can see in my head but have no idea if it exists.

L-shaped brackets. Cheap as chips. Set them to the maximum distance you want the window to open to. Easy.

loads of US ones
must be a UK stockist

honestly the hinge thing is really easy, cheap and dd has survived to age 4 so it works.

elbows badger and her crazy american nonsense out of teh way.