As you work on cleaning and organization, don’t forget another very important factor: safety.
Many of you may recall the grievous announcement a year or so ago, that a fellow homeschooling family had lost a small child when an apparently sturdy dresser fell on him. It hit close to home, as I realized that it could happen to any of us. I also realized that I really needed to be sure to anchor our furniture. The dresser that fell on Christian was a very sturdy one, unlikely to tip. We have plenty of furniture that isn’t nearly so sturdy – including ten full-size bookcases.
Unfortunately, I heard that two young children were killed/injured recently in the Chicago area alone by falling furniture or televisions. And, sadly, I still have not installed any anchors on my furniture – something I really need to do with a one-year-old just starting to walk.
I don’t know about you, but what’s been holding me back is not a lack of desire to get my furniture safely anchored, but a lack of knowledge. What do I use? How do I install it? Do I need different anchors for different furniture?
I’ve gotten some help, with the first question at least. KidCo makes anti-tip straps for both televisions and furniture. (They have a wide variety of other nifty safety items, too – cabinet locks, corner protectors, window guards, outlet protectors [those that slide shut when you remove a plug are my favorites!], etc.) These straps come with complete instructions for installation.
They sent us a pair of furniture straps and a pair of television straps to try, but I must confess we’ve not installed them yet. My hubby is the handyman around here (I don’t mess with studs and hammers.), and he hasn’t had a long enough at-home time yet to dive into installing these since they came. I am very eager to have the television anchored, though, as I wouldn’t put it past my four-year-old to knock it over! (I’m thinking it could be good for the television and the children, to have it anchored.)
Thank you, KidCo, for providing us with the impetus we needed to finally get moving on this critical project!
Readers, please remember these families in prayer. Even those whose grief is no longer fresh are still grieving. 🙁
Enter to win your own set of safety straps!
Disclosure: As stated above, KidCo provided us with a pair of furniture anchors and a pair of television to anchors to facilitate this post.
We need to look into anchoring some of our furniture. We still have some time since the baby’s not due till June, but I’d rather be proactive than put it of till he’s walking and starts pulling furniture on top of himself! Now I just need to figure out where I put the anti-tip pieces for the stove.