When there’s a toddler in the house, dressers and TV stands are objects to be scaled, like Mount Everest. Furniture that’s not properly secured can topple over and trap and injure your little mountaineer.
Millions of dressers, chests and other bulky items are recalled every year due to tip-over and entrapment hazards. Even some furniture brands you know and retailers you trust have been involved in product recalls due to the risk of tip-over injury and, in some instances, actual harm.
Fortunately, staying one step ahead of your toddling tot or curious climber can prevent a calamitous event. Installing latches, gates and table bumpers may already be part of your childproofing regimen, and that’s terrific, but don’t stop there. Using mounts and anchors to secure furniture and other unstable items helps prevent furniture-related tip-over injuries from happening in the first place.
Here’s what you should know about the risks of furniture tip-overs, plus some handy tips for tip-over safety.
How often does furniture tip over?
Tip-overs occur more often than you might think. When a child climbs, pulls, kicks or monkeys with a freestanding piece of furniture, its center of gravity shifts. Unsecured chests and dressers can wobble when drawers are left open.
Sometimes tip-over accidents involve TVs or appliances placed atop a stand, shelf or bureau. Just imagine a young explorer shimmying up or using an open drawer as a step stool to reach for a heavy object high above. The consequences can be devastating, as this startling simulation from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) demonstrates.
Although tip-over injuries have declined in recent years, largely due to a drop-off in TV crashes, the CPSC still regards tip-overs as “a significant hidden hazard in the home.” The latest statistics, detailed in the commission’s November 2019 report, bear that out.
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Overall, children under 18 account for nearly half (46 percent) of the estimated 27,000 tip-over injuries treated in emergency departments each year, based on data reported from 2016 though 2018. A child is sent to the ER every 43 minutes due to a furniture tip-over (which may or may not involve a falling TV), according to the CPSC.
About a third of all injuries are bumps and scrapes, but children also sustain internal organ injuries, lacerations and fractures. And it’s not just little fingers and toes that get roughed up. Limb and head injuries are also common.
Tragically, 459 tip-over related fatalities (including many toppled-TV incidents) between 2000 and 2018 involved children 17 and younger, of which 93 percent were among children 5 years and under, according to the CPSC.
To put that in context, one child dies about every two weeks after a piece of furniture, a TV or an appliance tips and falls over.
The largest proportion of injuries related to furniture, TV and appliance instability or tip-overs occur in the 9-and-under set. Among child-specific tip-over deaths, the majority involve children ages 5 and under.
How do I prevent my child’s dresser from tipping over?
You can prevent tip-over-related injuries by properly anchoring furniture in your home to the wall, including your child's dresser. Also check and anchor other unsecured or unstable pieces of furniture, TVs and appliances that could fall over. Hefty items like bookcases, entertainment units and shelves ought to be bracketed down.
You might want to start your childproofing project with a little detective work. Get down on your knees to look for possible tip-over dangers. It’ll give you a child’s perspective on the world around him and what might pose a risk.
The CPSC’s "Anchor It!" campaign urges consumers to follow manufacturer’s instructions for installing an anchoring device.
If no anchor was included with the product, you can pick up an anchoring kit online or at your local home improvement, electronics or big-box store. There are a variety of options, including anti-tip brackets and straps that mount to furniture and the wall.
Anchors are an inexpensive, simple solution to a serious problem. You can pick up a kit for $10 to $25 and install it in as little as five minutes, according to the CPSC.
Here’s how to childproof a dresser and keep other furniture from tipping over:
Secure one anchor or bracket to the wall.
Attach a second anchor or bracket to your piece of furniture.
Link the two anchors with a tether (either a strap or cable provided in the kit) and adjust as needed to make sure it’s firmly attached.
Anchor It! provides video instructions on anchoring products to drywall and brick.
Not handy or don’t have time? Hire a professional to take on the task. Professional childproofing services can do a top-to-bottom audit of safety risks in your home and install the proper safeguards.
These services can be expensive, so you want to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth. Look for one that is Home Hazards Test-certified and involves a Certified Professional Childproofer, affiliated with the International Association for Child Safety.
How do I prevent a TV from tipping over?
Protect your kids from a TV-related tip-over injury with these common-sense steps from the CPSC and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP):
Secure it. Use an anti-tip device to keep a bulky TV in place. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Mount it. Flat screens can be secured to the wall or furniture.
Remove temptations. Don’t place the remote control — and toys, for that matter — on top of the TV or furniture. Your toddler might be tempted to climb up to reach for these items.
Steady it. Use sturdy furniture meant to hold a TV, such as a television stand or media center.
Hide wires. You want to keep TV and cable cords out of kids’ reach.
Recycle. Remove old TVs not in use.
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