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Tip-overs are an often-overlooked aspect of household safety that parents don’t think about until tragedy strikes. Top-heavy furniture is prone to tipping over when children climb on or play near it, and preventing these tip-overs from happening in the first place is an important part of child-proofing any space.
Some studies indicate that a child is rushed to the emergency room for a tip-over at least once every 45 minutes. That’s way too many kids getting hurt! Let’s look at some ways you can prevent these accidents from happening in the first place.
The first thing you could do is install furniture anchors in your home to help secure your top-heavy furniture. Things like wardrobes, entertainment centers, vanities, and other tall furniture should all be outfitted with these kinds of anchors if you plan to have any children around.
Furniture anchors are metal components that are driven into the stud behind the wall and then secured with straps wrapped around the back panel of the furniture. This essentially secures the furniture at the top, making it far less likely to be pulled out and fall over onto a child.
In the same vein, make sure you mount any large-screen TVs to the wall. This is as much for the safety of your expensive TV as for your child’s well-being! Even if the falling TV doesn’t hurt the kid, it could easily break and become worthless.
Just take the time to get the TV mounted to the wall so it’s high up and out of the way of any tiny, grabbing hands. That closes off both the chances that any children could get hurt, and makes it very difficult for kids playing to pull the TV down.
Sometimes the best ways are the old ways. Just keep an eye out for when the kids are playing and make sure that they don’t play on or around furniture that can tip over! While you’re at it, make sure you’re not storing stuff that kids like to reach for up high. Toys, remote controls, iPads, and the like are all extremely tempting for kids to try to climb for.
Remove this temptation before any kids are running around the house, and just keep an eye on them while they’re playing. Between furniture anchors and your supervision, they should be safe in your home. Use your best judgment and make sure you’re fostering an environment that is safe for any children who live at your home or who come to visit.
