Furniture Falls Hurt Kids

Even the most safety-conscious parents may miss this danger to children—a piece of furniture, a television, or an appliance tipping over when a child is climbing on it or another child pushes it over.

But the chance of injury is real whether you have a 1-year-old or an 8-year-old.

Between 2013 and 2015, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, falling furniture, TVs, and appliances sent an average of 17,300 children a year to emergency rooms. Injuries ranged from cuts and scrapes to fractured bones and organ injuries. 

Even worse, 411 children were killed by falling furniture, TVs, or appliances between 2000 and 2015.

The following steps can help you protect your children or someone else’s from being hurt in your home.

Televisions

  • Set TVs on low, wide tables and push them back as far as they’ll go.

  • Don’t put TVs on top of dressers or on open shelves.

  • Use a strap to attach TVs to a stand or wall.

  • Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for attaching flat screens to the wall.

Furniture

  • Fasten dressers, bookshelves, and entertainment centers to walls with safety straps, brackets, or other devices.

  • Store heavy items on the bottom and lower shelves of entertainment centers and shelving units.

  • Mount drawer stops on all drawers.

  • Place electrical cords from TVs and other appliances well behind furniture. That will help keep children from pulling these items down on themselves.

  • Discourage climbing by not placing toys, TV remote controls, and other items that attract children on top of entertainment centers or other heavy furniture.

Appliances

  • Verify that your stove, oven, or range has an anti-tip bracket that attaches it firmly to the wall or floor.

  • If an appliance has no bracket or the bracket is not secure, order one from the manufacturer and install it properly.

  • Don’t set heavy items on the oven door.

  • Never stand or step on an oven door.

  • Move cookies and other tempting foods away from the oven to discourage children from using the door as a step stool to reach them.

Young children can’t foresee the danger of climbing or pulling on furniture. It’s up to you to keep them safe.