Importance of Securely Anchored Furniture for Child Safety

If you are a new (or not so new) parent, you know that protecting your child’s safety is of utmost importance.  We buy outlet plugs, cabinet locks, safety rails, baby gates, bumpers to protect sharp corners, and more. But, what we often forget about is the importance of anchoring or securing furniture to prevent it from falling over.

If you are a new (or not so new) parent, you know that protecting your child’s safety is of utmost importance.  We buy outlet plugs, cabinet locks, safety rails, baby gates, bumpers to protect sharp corners, and more. But, what we often forget about is the importance of anchoring or securing furniture to prevent it from falling over.  You may have seen the headlines about a taller dresser tipping over onto a toddler and though, “that could never be me or my child.”  Sadly, it only takes one moment of distraction and a curious child to tip over even seemingly stable and sturdy furniture.  The American Academy of Pediatrics points out just how common injury a falling piece of furniture really is, “Forty children are taken to the emergency room daily in the U.S. with injuries due to a heavy piece of furniture falling on them. Nearly half of these incidents are caused by televisions. And one child is killed every two weeks from being crushed under a television set, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Many of these injuries and deaths occur when children fall against an unstable piece of furniture or try to climb or pull themselves up onto furniture or TVs. ‘We see these injuries most often in children who are age 5 and younger.’”Securing furniture is not difficult but many homeowners do not know how to correctly and safely do so.  It is for this reason that it is best hire a handyman who can secure furniture and reduce the risk of injury to children.

If you have furniture, or televisions sitting atop furniture, that have not been secured to the wall, your children or guests in your home could be at risk of injury.  Fortunately, when you hire a handyman or contractor from Phoenix Handyman Connection, your furniture can be discreetly secured to the wall without causing permanent visible damage to the furniture or the wall.  One of the easiest ways to secure a dresser to the wall is to remove the top drawer and screw the back of the dresser directly into the wall.  Make sure you are using drywall anchors or screwing into a stud for optimal safety.  There is also a product called “furniture anchor straps” that helps mount furniture to the wall and an “L” bracket can be used as well.  Additionally, because televisions are a significant source of injury, the ideal option is to mount a television directly on the wall.  If you would still prefer to place it on a piece of furniture, ask your handyman to secure your television with mounting straps to the wall again.  Don’t let something as important as securing your furniture get placed on the backburner, particularly if you have young children. Hire a handyman to anchor and secure furniture for peace of mind that your children will not be able to have a catastrophic accident.