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A simple headline in the Chicago Tribune that described a toddler's condition as "serious" instead of "critical" stopped me in my tracks. A two-year-old girl was seriously injured after a 29-inch television fell on top of her. While you might stop and say, "Who lets a toddler play with a television?" it's really not that simple.
After all, big screens attract toddlers like flies to honey. I can't count how many times I've told my own toddler to stop touching the screen. And as a parenting writer, one who has researched child-proofing about 15 too many times, I was shocked to realize my own television was nowhere near bolted to the wall. In fact, we've got quite a few things that could topple down on an unsuspecting, but incredibly curious little person. And you probably do too.
We did a quick check in our house for toddler dangers and this is what we found.
While our television is set back and highly unlikely to fall on a toddler, or anyone, we do live in California. Hello, earthquake. So that's one huge mistake. More frightening, we have a very tall dresser (about five feet) and an even taller armoire in our bedroom that is not braced. Our kids love to play in our room, and no, we're not always in there with them. Did I mention we live where earthquakes happen? And finally, while the dresser in their bedroom is deep into a crevice, that doesn't mean it's any less tempting to climb. Third major fail.
Basically, we have two things in our entire home that are bolted to the wall, and we'd better get our act together quickly. Which I just said to my husband, while giving him the stink eye. He's getting the tools out tomorrow.
What does your home inventory show you about toddler safety?
Image via Joelk75/Flickr
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Comments (49)
Are you seriously going to bolt all of your furnature to the walls out of paranoia? That's just silly. In our house we have outlet covers and foam pads for the corvers of the tables. I'm going to get a toilet lock. That's it, really. Otherwise I just keep the house clean and watch my daughter.
It only took once watching my ds open all the drawers at once and just about land on him. That day everything got bolted and has been ever since. For the sake of a few holes its worth it.
To the pp it only takes a second for it to tip once it lands the damage is already done.
Anyway, we strapped down everything that should be strapped down before we had children. The only thing debatable is a tv in our bedroom. It is a pretty new flat screen tv, so it's also pretty light and semi-anchored until we have our new closet built to accommodate it.
Disclaimer: if u live in an earhquake zone, bolting things down whether you have kids or nots seems the sensible thing to do.
My niece had a dresser fall on her once when she was about 4. Thank God her bed was right next to the dresser and the dresser only fell partway and was stopped by the footboard of the bed, so she was shaken up but not seriously hurt. And before getting all up in arms about why my sister wasn't watching her, my niece went to play in her room while her mom was nursing her then baby sister. My sister called her to come back, but there's not a whole lot you can do when nursing when *gasp* your older child refuses to listen to you! My sister had her husband bolt the dressers to the wall later that night since it is very difficult to do it yourself with 3 little ones who need her attention (my nephew was napping at the time of the 'incident'). After this I also bolted all my dressers and my heavy bookshelves to the wall to ward off accidents like this. My TVs are all flat-screens that are anchored onto the wall, so no issues there!
PP- do you know how many times I told my child no or popped him on the hand when he made motions to mess with electrical outlets? I went to bed nightly realizing that is all that I ever said. Electrical covers? He outsmarted them all, tyvm. And this was my child who listened.
I don't even want to discuss my other two kids who have heard numerous times not to do a variety of things and still continue to do them. I believe in discipline, my kids believe in ignoring me. Yet, I hear all of the time now about my older kids how thoughtful and well behaved they are when we are out and about. Not every toddler listens and behaves no matter how much discipline you dole out.
Wowzers. No, I don't abuse my child. We bolt things down *and* teach him correctly.