Not too long ago I read a blog post that really helped me to open my eyes about securing our furniture and appliances. The story really got to me because the age of the child was 3. That’s how old Mason will be in just a couple of days and quite honestly I thought we were passed the point where he would be climbing on the furniture but I’m not in his head and most of the time I don’t get his reasoning and it made me realize that for that particular danger we are not out of the woods just yet.
At this point I have two main concerns. The bookshelf for the baby and the TV in the living room. When Mason was smaller I was in the kitchen and he was in the living room and when I walked into the living room to find him I caught him behind the TV. He had pretty much soundlessly climbed onto our entertainment center (it’s not very high off the ground) and went behind the TV. At the time I thought it was funny. I couldn’t believe he had even managed to get himself back there without knocking the TV over. For some reason it never occurred to me that the TV could have fell ON HIM and hurt him.
But it could have. A 2012 report done by the Consumer Product Safety Commission showed that a child is killed every three weeks from TV instability. Another 18,900 people end up in the emergency room due to the injuries from a TV Tip Over. This is a 31% increase in the last 10 years. Why the increase? TVs are becoming increasingly thinner and lighter making it much easier for them to tip than the TVs made 10+ years ago.
Mason hasn’t done anything like that since but we do have a new baby coming and if Mason could do it I’m sure his little sister could too. Our TV is right in front of a window so securing it would be difficult in that space so we’re actually going to rearrange our entire living room so we can secure the TV.
You can learn more about TV Safety here. To help you start making your home a safer place I’m hosting a giveaway for a Sanus TV Mount valued at appx $100-$150.
RunInBoise says
I actually dont have anything secured. I really should!
Cassandra Eastman says
No it’s not, it really should be though! Thank you for posting!
Jessica says
So far only our armoire is secured. Our daughter is just under a year, so I know the climbing is going to start soon. We are going to have to make a weekend project of toddler proofing our house VERY soon:)
Wendy @ ABCs and Garden Peas says
We have some things secured, others are not. It’s really hard to find the hardware to do it! That’s no excuse, though. A while ago, a post on Roscommon Acres (blog) really opened my eyes to what an important issue this is. Before baby arrives in a few weeks, we’ll definitely be securing EVERYthing.
Lori Thomas says
No nothing is secured.
Lori Thomas says
No nothing is secured
Deborah Neal says
The tv isn't secured…not very big, but not secured.
Megan C says
One tv is secured, the other is not… my two older kids (8 and 5), but I have a four month old surprise baby to begin baby-proofing for all over again. Definitely in need of this! Thanks for the chance!!! megancrose@gmail.com
Deborah Neal says
Eek…."every 3 weeks a child is killed from a tipping tv".
Megan C says
By visiting TVSafety.org I learned of television injuries and deaths so close to home. 🙁 So sad. I suppose I didn’t realize just how common occurrence this is.
Colleen Boudreau says
No it’s not.
Stefanie Gladden ( Ann Lyfe ) says
no our tv is not secured!!
Blake Kaplan says
No, not secured. But will be soon.
latanya says
no, our tv is not secured
Melissa says
Ours is secured but we just got another TV that needs to be mounted high!
Colleen Boudreau says
47% of TV tip-over related injuries happen to children under the age of 5.
Curtis says
All secured by mounts and stands.
Erika P. says
We have one secured but nothing else
Renee Lincoln says
Definitely not secured…but it weighs 300 pounds so if Kofi pulled it down I might have to keep him in a 2 ton steel cage for the rest of his life. 🙂