Child Injury from Furniture Tip-Overs

Each day I receive a couple dozen post ideas from various agencies and companies.  They often make me roll my eyes (“Are you satisfied in bed?”), make me scratch my head (“Dear Mommy Blogger Insert Name Here”), but sometimes make me stop in my tracks and realize that I absolutely cannot simply click delete and ignore what I’ve just read.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has found that an annual average of 13,000 people are injured from furniture tip-over accidents and 27 are killed.

Last year a member of the mom blogging community lost her young son when he reached for a television on top of a dresser and the entire thing fell over on to him in front of his siblings.  Her writings were heart-breaking as she ran over the events of the evening, unsure how this sturdy piece of furniture chosen carefully to hold the TV could have tipped over in those few moments when she was not with him.  Reading her posts took me back to my hometown and high school when I learned of twin toddlers in the next town over, one of whom was killed tragically when he pulled an aquarium down onto himself.

The good news is, these accidents can be preventable. Please take a moment and read the Consumer Reports article that covers this horrible phenomenon and includes safety tips such as how to secure your furniture.  We have found sturdy L brackets at the home improvement store that easily secure bookcases and similar items.  The article also shares information about tip-over standards for furniture and poor compliance.

If you have any other resources regarding tip-over prevention, please share it in the comments section of this post.