You may think you've taken the steps to properly babyproof your home, but there are hazards that can be deadly if they're missed. We're discussing a few things that every parent or caregiver must do to ensure children are safe while in their homes.
I’ve partnered with Allstate to share this information about preventing childhood injuries.
Most parents and grandparents probably know the babyproofing basics of blocking stairs with baby gates and plugging in outlet covers to prevent childhood injuries, but there may be even deadlier items that are surprisingly right in front of your eyes. I’m referring to TVs and furniture. According to AnchorIt.gov, every 24 minutes a child in the U.S. is injured, sometimes fatally, as a result of a TV or furniture tipping incident. In fact, TV tip-overs cause the most injuries for children younger than 10 years. Consider this fact: a TV can fall with the force of thousands of pounds. That is 10 times more powerful than being hit by a NFL lineman (source: AnchorIt.gov). Isn’t that terrifying?! While today's TVs are thinner and lighter than tube televisions of years past, the danger remains. With a 32 inch TV weighing roughly 25-30 pounds and large family TVs weighing over 200 pounds, the fact that our televisions have gotten thinner hasn't changed the fact that the weight is still a dangerous issue.
The danger arises in the fact that children love to climb. My 11-month old daughter, who is just learning to take her first steps, already appears to be a climber. While I'm so excited about this milestone for her, as a mother I can't help but worry that her desire to climb could lead to an injury. Because this is an issue with many families, I wanted to share some advice for securing furniture and TVs so that you can feel safe about your child being in any room in your home, even if he or she loves to climb.
This sobering video demonstration from the US CPSC shows the danger firsthand:
Sadly, the television isn't the only piece of furniture that you need to worry about. Bookshelves, dressers, wardrobes, and other pieces of furniture throughout your home can be an injury waiting to happen. It doesn't even have to be a tall or heavy piece of furniture. As you will see in this heartbreaking blog post, something that you think is small enough and low enough can be dangerous as well.
We're in the middle of moving and I found my daughter with our end table like this the other day.
I already mentioned that you can mount your TV to the wall, but what about the other furniture? You can easily attach furniture using screws and drywall anchors, furniture straps, or even L-brackets. It will only take you about 5 minutes to do each piece and the cost is minimal. This is essential for any piece of furniture that your child may decide to climb. Whether it's the hutch in the dining room or a bookshelf in the family room, these pieces need to be secured for the safety of your family. You should also pay special attention to the bedroom since 42 percent of tip-over fatalities occur in a bedroom according to AnchorIt.gov.
Other things to think about include keeping cords from TVs, computers, printers, and other electronics tucked away or secured to prevent a child from pulling items over on themselves. Also, get low and think about things from your child's viewpoint. If you casually pick their favorite toy off the ground and place it on top of their dresser it just might catch their eye and tempt them to climb up and get it. Be sure that high interest items, whether they're toys, remote controls or snacks, are not placed up high and within eyesight.
It can be easy to overlook these issues, especially if your child isn't quite yet walking. However, you need to consider that most tip-over fatalities occur in the home and take special care to prevent injuries. When baby-proofing your home (don't forget to grab my baby-proofing checklist) and getting ready for those first steps, take the time to secure your televisions and furniture.
This post was written as part of the Allstate Influencer Program and sponsored by Allstate. All opinions are mine. As the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer, Allstate is dedicated not only to protecting what matters most-but to help protect your firsts and the moments in between. Share your firsts with #HeresToFirsts
Image credits: Adobe Stock / Andrey Popov and VivaVeltoro.
Amber Ludwig says
Yes!! I remember reading a story about a little boy who sadly passed from being crushed by his own dresser in his room!! Omgosh it was so sad and yet something I hadn't even considered!! We have low profile everything except his dresser!! Those anchor kits are so cheap and worth every penny!!
Dee Lafrenz says
Parents, please read this and secure your TV's. We lost our 4 year old Great Grandson to this. He was gone immediately. Machines kept him breathing for hours, but he was gone. All it took was one second. No more hugs, laughs, giggles, he is now with the angels in heaven. NO ONE should ever have to go thru this.
Sue E says
I am so SORRY to read this! God Bless you & your family!!
Lisa Garland says
I am going to be a grandmother in a couple months and I worry about this. I am definitely going to secure the items around my house. It's things I would never think of either. Thank you for the reminder.
Marti Tabora says
This is definitely really good information to have. There are some of these dangers that aren't completely obvious and we may not otherwise think about them. Thank you for sharing it.
terrasweeps says
Great post... Sometimes we forget about the safety inside the home when we are focused on safety outside the home.
Sarah T says
Thank you for this post. This issue concerns me greatly, and I appreciate bloggers who are raising awareness of the need to anchor.
Deborah D says
My nephew is a climber as well and this scares me. I hope & pray people read this blog post.
April monty says
My grands are all st the toych everything stage,warnings and such and safety items are necessities.
Richard Hicks says
Good article. Kids will get into everything and parents have to stay a step ahead of them to prevent accidents
Veronica says
This is a very educational book that every young parents NEED to read.
Michele Null says
I currently have an almost 1 yr. old grandson who is still crawling, but on the verge of walking, so he pulls up to EVERYTHING. Our flat screen TV in our living room is not secured, but fortunately, when he's around, we spend most of our time outside. We do watch him and even his 6 yr. old sister very closely around the TV. We have baby gates or closed doors to our two stair cases and do not take our eyes off him if we are upstairs.
Meghan says
My husband and I just bought our first home and are about 6 weeks from the birth of our first child. All the furnishings in our home are brand new and we made sure to buy sets that can all be attached to the walls, we are still in the process of doing that, but it will be done by the time baby is here and moving around. I've seen so my stories of little ones dying from furniture and tvs falling on them, and while I feel bad, parents just don't seem to have the knowledge that these things happen, or they just think that it won't happen to them. I'm taking no risks!
Ebony says
Watch for what standing toys you buy as well. The pases to some toys are not strong enough to ground any weight
Maryann says
hear of so many toddlers getting hurt by falling furniture, it is so scary. We must do our best to protect them
Rebecca simons says
I started baby proofing my house before my child was even born lol
There was baby gates everywhere. All the light sockets protected. Corners covered... he still managed to get into stuff lol
Joyce says
Great tips and reminders/refresher tips on babyproofing.t
Holly Guski says
Love this post! And a Must read for all parents and caregivers! We have our dressers and entertainment center anchored to the walls, just for these reasons. It can happen so quickly and when you least expect it. Thank you for posting this great post
Deborah D says
I wish that everyone would read these two posts. Maybe, we could prevent injuries &death if everyone did.
Amanda says
These posts should be shared by everyone so people know the hidden dangers!
Tiffany D says
My husband and I were just talking about this last night! Luckily we have our TV mounted on the wall so that's not a concern but we need to anchor our two dressers ASAP. I feel like our little guy is learning new skills everyday and I don't want o get caught off guard for the day when he figures out how to climb dressers.
Cindy Kong says
babies and kids get into everything and baby proofing the house is a serious issue. I make sure everything is secure.
RK says
All those DIY furniture manuals include instructions on mounting your furniture, and often include the hardware, but so many people ignore that part, which is such a danger.
Stephanie Rasmussen says
I've anchored all the furniture that can be. However, my first fell down an entire flight of wooden stairs at a friends house because her daughter left the basement gate open. Sometimes it's not that the house isn't baby proofed but that other people don't understand the importance of maintaining the 'proofing' to prevent accidents. Thankfully/luckily/amazingly my son was OK after the fall.
Ruth V. says
That is SO scary! Thank you for sharing your story and I'm so glad your son is okay!
Laura says
The television tipping over frightens me. Especially now of days with these huge tvs and these interactive children's shows (like Dora the Explorer and such), where kids want to physically touch the tv. Anchoring furniture and electronics is SO important!
Rija says
Thanks for this post..we always think this or that never happen to us,but things happening..we try to protect our baby -but she always finds new places ! Means we are not that good ! Going to anchore my night stand..
cynthia e. says
This just happened to a friend of ours--the dresser fell over on their two-year-old. Thank the Lord he was ok. Sometimes it is hard as parents to think of all the things that could happen, thank you for helping to get the info out on how to keep are children more safe!
Cheryl says
I'm glad we don't have to childproof our home. It seems dangers are everywhere.
Savannah says
Such an important reminder.
My 13-month-old has just started taking his first steps, and making sure the house is completely baby-proofed has really been on my mind lately. He gets into EVERYTHING and, like your little one, LOVES climbing. This post couldn't have come at a better time! Thanks for sharing <3
Dotty J Boucher says
I just had to share this video with everyone on Facebook and I do have to say that this almost happened to my oldest daughter, Thank GOD, I was sitting next to her folding her clothing when the dresser came at her, was able to stop it falling on her with my right hand..
@tisonlyme143
Kristin Parkin says
Thank you for sharing such great reminders! Our son just took off walking this past month while he's not a climber yet...
Kayla Doan says
This is so very good to know. We want our children to be safe always. I would go any extent to make sure my future children, and my niece are safe, so these things don't happen.
Kara Marks says
Great information--childproofing is one of the most important things you'll do as a parent. My newest grandchild is due in 2 wks., and I'm already starting to childproof again, since my other grandchild is older.
Brandy says
ALL of our furniture is anchored. It's such a bear and a pain to patch holes when furniture is moved, but the safety of my children is top priority.
Natalie says
I had never thought about the real danger of the TV tipping over onto a young child.
Paula Hogsed says
My youngest is 3 and I worry all the time that she will climb up on furniture and do herself damage!
Tom Bellamy says
I would be very upset with myself if a piece of furniture fell on my kids.
Barbara U says
Good rule of thumb, if you bump it and it wobbles (even slightly) then it could be dangerous to your child.
Heather McFarland says
It seems like all one has to do is think from perspective of the children. Their curiosity, limited intelligence, limited fear.
Gary Steinberg says
wow
Maryann Royster says
You should also turn down the house's water temp to prevent scalding as little hands find they can turn handles.
Cheri Poggensee says
I have two children and it never seemed to be any cause for concern when baby proofing. You just think logically what needs to be changed and then figure out what needs to be done. I think people make it so much more difficult.
Marti Tabora says
The thought of a television set falling on your child is terrifying, but I'm not a big fan of doing a lot of babyproofing. There are certain common sense things that you do, but other than those I don't worry about it very much. I'm more of an advocate of watching your children all the time. When my son was a toddler I would even take him to the bathroom with me to make sure he wasn't getting into anything.
Mia says
We use the earthquake straps to anchor larger pieces of furniture but as I look through my house I realize that there are other pieces of furniture especially those with drawers that I may need to take are of.
Jennifer M says
This is great information- thank you. Our children are definitely worth taking the extra safety precautions.
erin cao says
Super important to take extra precautions! Children will literally do anything that may endanger themselves.
Erin Campbell says
I believe it is extremely important to have safety around the home. We always lock up medicines, chemicals, our guns, batteries, and anything else that can be dangerous to a child! We also use outlet covers, door knob covers for our little ones, and always mount our shelving to the walls to avoid it flipping over!!
heather w says
Prior to having kids I never gave my furniture much thought, but seeing this I am going to definitely look into having our TV & dressers anchored better!
Alexis says
Thank you for this information it is very helpful.
Sherrie C. says
Thanks for this post! I just had a talk with my son and daughter-in-law about this very topic a few weeks ago. They are expecting their second child next month and just purchased a dresser. I mentioned to them that the dresser should be anchored into the wall for the very reasons you mentioned above. They will also have to figure out how to secure their TV. Every parent and grandparent should read this post!
Trent says
So much of this requires a parent to enter each room and really look at it for hazards. When I was young, we had a bad under a ceiling fan. Jumping up and down on the bed one day, I jumped straight into the turning fan blades. Fortunately it was soft wood, but a metal bladed fan could have caused real injury!
Sue E says
When our kids were small, we spent a lot of time child-proofing our home. We put the meds up high. We put the poisonous plants in a room that had a lock clasp on it. We put all the chemicals up high or in a cabinet that had a childproof lock on it. We are huge gate users! We also put clasps on our doors so they couldn't run outside. We have a first aid kit, a fire extinguisher, and the poison control hotline and other important phone numbers by the phone. What is so ironic, is that we had to keep everything in place for our grandkids when they come to visit!
cylina williams says
Great advice. My kids are all older now but when they were little almost everything could be dangerous!
Jamie S says
My ex thought I was crazy (overbearing?) when I bought anti-tip tv straps. I went to his house with my 10 mo old not long after we moved out and he had set up a 32' tv on a tray table used for eating. The same one I had seen my daughter pull herself up on (and spill all the contents off of) before. More people need to think about these dangers - thanks for your awareness program!
Ruth V. says
That is super scary! Glad you were aware of the dangers!
Tanya White says
I totally agree with this because when my children were tots we had a child size tv fall on my son because he pulled it down it could've been worst then a bump on the head but from that point on I baby proofed every and anything I could .
jeani b says
we were lucky that one of us was home with our daughter while she was in this age/stage of climbing and exploring. we didn't baby proof much, really, but just kept an eye and redirected. things can go from calm to crazy in a minute though, and i think baby proofing properly can be very effective. turning down the water heater is a good one and making it so drawers can't be opened from bottom to top and used as a ladder is great, too.
natalie nichols says
This is so important. How simple is it to secure furniture and tvs. It's worth it.
Jessica Lodge says
In our house I worry most about the many cords there are and baby girl tugging on one and pulling something down. Some of the cords can be hidden but some simply cannot :(.
alessandro p says
safety first..this is a good article..
Melissa L says
Another area that wasn't addressed is the kitchen. Remembering to lock cupboards that contain anything toxic or scarp. Also covers for the dials on the stove. We have a gas stove and my daughter watches us cook and then is trying to reach for the nobs.
Tiffany M. R. says
Anchoring furniture is a must! I had a climber and he would open drawers and climb up. It was terrifying! The only thing we didnt do was pad sharp corners. We didnt really think about it but it never became an issue. Also, an auto closing baby gate at the top of our stairs was great too!
hannah says
Wow so many things that never occurred to me
Richard Hicks says
Every new parent needs to read this. Taking very simple steps baby proofing your home can save you a world of headaches
Holly Thomas says
I have always baby proofed my home! Anything to keep my little ones safe.
Michelle Simons says
Thank you Allstate and Ruth for these great tips. I do not have a little one but these tips are great for my nieces and nephews.
Jerry Marquardt says
I give thanks on helping inform us so we are prepared for this before an accident happens. The web site is a great assistance toeveryone.
Elizabeth Parker says
Something we forgot to baby proof with our oldest was a simple end-table. She climbed in the drawer one day, and it fell on her. We learned to secure things to the wall with little ones around. We had little number three in March, and baby proofing will begin as soon as we move into the new house.