5 Things to Know About Kid-Proofing Your Furniture
These low-cost fixes can help prevent a potentially life threatening accident from occurring under your roof
Alice Tacheny Design
Written bySydney HershmanJanuary 12, 2017
Share this story
A child is injured every 30 minutes by tipped or falling furniture. Kim Dulic, spokesperson for the CPSC and Anchor It campaign manager, gave us some guidelines to ensure that heavy pieces do not topple over.
Select furniture that’s intended to hold large items
Televisions (or other heavy items) should not be placed on just any flat, elevated surface, so unfortunately you cannot just reinforce any existing piece of furniture. Put your TV on a piece that is designed to hold the weight, such as television stands or media centers, and place heavier items in lower drawers to ground the piece.
Mount flat-screen TVs to the wall to prevent them from toppling over. Freestanding televisions not mounted should still be anchored to a wall or stand using an anti-tip device. If you don’t feel comfortable mounting a TV, you can hire a handyman to do it.
Top-heavy pieces such as a dresser or armoire should be anchored with inexpensive anti-tip straps ($5; bedbathandbeyond.com). New furniture pieces are now sold with these devices and should be installed immediately.
Follow instructions
Don’t just toss the instruction manual in the trash. Make sure you read the manufacturer’s instructions to secure TVs and furniture properly—it’s provided for a reason.
Curious kids climb and hang on furniture in order to reach their favorite plush toy, remote control, juice boxes, DVDs, and other accessories. Keep these items out of sight when not in use so the little ones aren’t tempted to climb up and grab them.
