Terrifying Viral Video Highlights the Importance of Anchoring Your Furniture to the Wall Around Kids
A mom on Instagram shared a video showing what happened after her son was playing alone in his bedroom.
GettyImages/Rebecca Smith
Fact checked by Sarah Scott
A Texas mom of two has shared her horror story after a drawer fell and injured her young son. She posted a reel on Instagram showing the aftermath of the accident, along with a heartbreaking caption recounting what happened.
After giving her son some time to play alone in his bedroom, she suddenly heard a loud thud followed by a scream that she wishes no parent ever has to hear. “I don’t think I’ve ever run so quickly up our stairs,” she recalls in the caption. “What I saw when I reached his room forever burned an image in me that I wouldn’t wish upon any parent. Thankfully, he is okay; he only has some minor scratches and bruises.”
Her post, which has more than 17 millions views to date, is a stark and important reminder of the dangers of unanchored furniture around children. It has sparked a pivotal discussion about child safety at home and has encouraged other parents to come forward recounting their own fearful incidents. Other commenters shared that they were unaware that anchoring furniture for child safety was necessary.
Why You Should Anchor Furniture for Child Safety
A study published in 2021 found that on average nearly 19,000 children under the age of 18 are treated in U.S. emergency departments for furniture or TV tip-over injuries annually. TVs account for the majority of tip-overs at around 41%, while clothing storage unit tip-overs, such as wardrobes and drawers, account for approximately 17% of injuries.
A U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) report published in 2019 further found that between 2000 and 2018, there were 459 reported tip-over-related deaths involving children under 17 years old. Ninety-three percent of those incidents involved children 5 years old and younger.
“Kids love to climb and reach for things that are out of reach,” says Sheila Sy, MSN, RN, CPNP-AC, board-certified Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. “One of the key components in childproofing a home is properly anchoring large furniture and electronics. Unsecured furniture can easily topple over and cause mostly blunt trauma (abdominal internal bleeding, solid organ injury, and head injury), bone fractures, crush injuries, and penetrating injuries.”
Tips To Help Prevent Tip-Overs
The most common culprits, says Sy, are dressers, bookshelves, TV stands, and flat screen TVs. She continues, “Flat screen TVs should be mounted to a wall with a wall mount or secured with wall straps. Older box-type TVs should be placed on low tables.”
The CPSC has further recommendations to prevent a tip-over incidents, which include:
Using an anchoring device to anchor furniture to the wall
Pushing TVs as far back against the wall as possible, if placed on a sturdy, low base
Storing heavier items on lower shelves or in lower drawers
Keeping electrical cords out of children's reach
Avoiding displaying or storing items kids will want to grab, such as toys and remotes, in places where they'll be able to climb up to reach them
Supervising children at all times in rooms where these safety tips haven't been followed
New Law That Aims To Prevent Furniture Tip-Over Incidents
In a bid to reduce tip-over incidents, a new federal rule came into effect last year providing a mandatory safety standard for specific types of furniture manufactured after September 1, 2023.
Any clothing storage unit measuring 27 inches or taller must pass three stability tests that reflect “real world” scenarios likely to cause a tip-over accident, including multiple open drawers, a child standing on or pulling on the furniture, and the effect of carpeting.
Furthermore, the new legislation requires all clothing storage units to include a warning about the dangers of tip-overs, and importantly, an anchoring kit.
While these new measures are vital, they don’t apply to the older furniture manufactured prior to September 2023 that remain on store shelves. Plus, many families use hand-me down furniture. Parents should ensure they still anchor large furniture and electronics regardless of whether they meet the new standard or not.
“Fortunately, there are so many products that are available to properly secure furniture and electronics nowadays,” says Sy. “There are ample resources that can help parents with information regarding childproofing their home and other pediatric trauma prevention education.”
She personally recommends the Pediatric Trauma Society as a useful resource for childproofing and other general safety tips for children, but her most important tip for parents is to childproof your home now. “Don’t wait for tomorrow,” she stresses. “Prevention is the key.”
As the mom emphasizes in her Instagram post, "Please, take the time to anchor your furniture to the wall...it can prevent serious and potentially deadly injuries to your little ones. Let’s keep our children safe together."
For further information and guidance on how to secure your home, the CPSC also suggests visiting anchorit.gov.
For more Parents news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on Parents.
