Vermont Woods Studios

The Today show ran a story this morning about anchoring tall chests and cabinets to the wall in homes where little children are at play.

Matt Lauer and friends went on to say that “the Consumer Product Safety Commission says that the dressers and drawers pose a serious risk of injury, and even death, from toppling on children if they are not anchored.

One child is injured from furniture toppling over every 24 minutes, and a child dies every two weeks from falling furniture or TVs, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.”

Eighty percent of the deaths involved children younger than 10. How tragic. My kids have grown to be taller than our furniture now, but I must admit that when they were toddlers, I never even thought about the dangers that tall furniture can pose to, say a child who might be trying to climb to the top of a dresser by using the drawers as steps.

The show made me do some research into the possibility of offering tip-over restraints with all of our tall furniture, even though our designs are considered “inherently stable”.

Tip over restraints are nylon straps that are attached to the back of furniture. You screw the other end of the strap into the wall.

We now offer them upon request, with any of our tall furniture pieces, such as dressers, chests, armoires, chifforobes, china cabinets, entertainment centers, file cabinets and so forth.

If you have toddlers or know someone else who does, it’s worth a stroll through each room in the house to consider the hazards that furniture may pose. Tip-over restraints, properly installed could save your child’s life.

Written by Peggy Farabaugh