This morning I watched a piece on the news referencing the topic of furniture that is very heavy toppling over and crushing children. Last year 34 or so kids were killed by falling televisions and drawers. The impact was deemed as the equivalent of a 10 story drop! Another 23,000 or so children were taken to the emergency room after one of these accidents.
Sounds simple right? We all know to keep our kids away from heavy furniture. Well, apparently not, otherwise where are these massive numbers coming from? They spoke to a mother who lost their 2 year old baby to an accident like this. Watching that segment brought tears to my eyes. She was such a beautiful little girl, and over such a simple, easy thing to take for granted she is gone from this world.
The advice provide was that flat screen tv’s should be mounted. They appear light, but remember they are top heavy, unstable, and though 50 pounds seems like nothing compared to the old tube tv’s, it’s enough to injure a small child. If you can’t or don’t want to mount the television, then a 20 dollar strap that secures your tv and furniture to the tv could be a life saver.
What about the old heavy tube tv’s that we all have moved into our bedrooms after getting that shiny new flat tv? Well, those are even more dangerous, they should be below your knees on a very strong, stable piece of furniture. This ensures that kids or even adults are not reaching up and or trying to climb for either a remote, volume, channel, etc.
Over the years I can’t tell you how many times I stopped my son or my sister, and other children from climbing on furniture. Thankfully none have ever been seriously injured. I can still say that my mom’s tv, my book shelves, and my son’s mom bedroom all qualify as violators of these rules. Fortunately at present time all of our children are big enough where this doesn’t pose as a major a threat. However I will be examining all of these spaces and having this conversation about safety.
Make sure you check into this, especially if you have small children at home.
Just a life long New Yorker sharing the journey through my lens. Please take note of a post’s date. The views I express here are subject to change and evolving as I grow and learn.
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