In a shocking news from Mumbai, a 22-month old baby boy died after he fell from the sliding window of his 14th-floor apartment of the Sea Bird building in the posh locality of Bandstand in Bandra.
As per reports, the two-year-old was playing alone in the room at the time of the accident. Soham (name of the deceased child) might have climbed onto the window sill and opened the sliding window that led to the horrific incident. Unfortunately, the window did not have a safety grill and the baby died on spot due to multiple fractures.
Soham's parents and grandparents were also present at home at that time, say police. His grandmother was offering prayers and the other family members were in the other room. They only came to know about the incident when Soham's grandfather stepped out of the buliding to take a walk.
What's even more shocking is that Soham came to Mumbai from Nanded on January 5 to visit his ailing grandfather, Ganpati Morge.
“As the apartment has been taken on rent, the owner has not installed safety grills. Had the tenant got the safety grills installed, the incident could have been avoided,” said a police officer.
“We have registered a case of accidental death. Further probe is on to find out if anybody can be held responsible for negligence. A post-mortem was conducted and the body has been handed over to his parents,” said Pandit Thakare, senior police inspector, Bandra police station.
Wake-up call for parents
This incident is indeed a wake-up call for parents, especially those who live in apartments and high rises. While accidents can happen anywhere and at any time, there are some things which we as parents can have a control on.
In the above case, the first and foremost question that comes to our mind is why was the baby boy playing alone in the room when everyone was at home. This is why it is always said that you should never leave a baby unattended. Here are a few safety tips that one must always keep in mind when living with a baby:
- Make sure the child is playing in a common area of the house, a place which you can see from everywhere such as the living room. This would make sure that you can do your work and also keep an eye on your baby all the time.
- Do not leave any small parts of a toy or any other object near your baby as babies have a habit of putting everything in their mouth.
- Do not leave a toddler around electronic appliances (yes, not even when he is watching the television).
- Do not leave your child alone in his bathtub while taking a bath. This is again a very common practice in India.
- It is better to leave the baby on the floor while playing instead of keeping on a bed or any other high area to avoid falls.
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[Story image is for representational purposes only; Image courtesy: Pixabay]
