The art of governing a toddler may never become a science to any degree, let alone an exact one. They are whimsical, happy-go-lucky creatures. Furthermore, any one member may not conform to the general ideas surrounding its species in every (or any) way. However, as every parent knows, a great way to ensure that they do something is to explicitly tell them not to do it.

The lengths young children will go to just to disobey orders is undoubtedly funny, but it can also put them in danger. This is especially true when it comes to trying to stop them climbing on tip-risk furniture. This is a serious issue; 77% of all fatalities from furniture tipping over from 2000-2019 were children aged 0-5. Therefore, it is vital that all rooms in your house are thoroughly childproofed for tip-over risks.

Heavy furniture are still tip risks…

Even if a piece of furniture is hefty, a small child is still fully capable of causing it to fall if its’ centre of gravity is affected. This disturbing video from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission demonstrates this. The sturdy-looking chest of drawers has had its’ centre of gravity affected by the television perched on it, causing it to fall on the ‘toddler’ with devastating consequences.

The most effective ways of childproofing vs. tip-over furniture hazards to prevent this ghoulish demonstration becoming a reality are:

• Securing all furniture with metal wall anchors. These are inexpensive and fairly easy to install. The heavier the furniture, the more anchors that should be used.
• Never put a TV on a set of drawers, especially in a child’s room.
• Don’t put anything on top of drawers that may be an incentive to a child to climb them. This includes toys and other electronics.

To summarise, tip risks are one of the most dangerous risks in the home. Injuries from tip accidents can have the most devastating impacts on families. It is very important to ensure that your children’s rooms especially are childproofed thoroughly, and your home as a whole as well.

If you enjoyed this blog, why not check out our Shop or follow us on Instagram at @KiddieRail and Facebook at KiddieRail? Thanks for reading!