Every house contains furniture. These items might be staples in our home but they pose a serious hazard to our children. If a child climbs onto a piece of furniture, the centre of gravity of the item can shift. This can eventually lead to the furniture falling over, squashing the child between the furniture and the floor.

This blog will cover:

• Real Accidents, Real People: A Three Year Old’s Fall
• How to prevent children from falling from furniture
• Safety Made Simple: How Fred can help prevent accidents like this one

Real Accidents, Real People: A Three-Year-Old’s Fall

This is a real story from a parent who wished to remain anonymous. Recalling their experience, they said ‘it happened when my daughter was three, five years ago. There was a wardrobe in my room we had purchased from marketplace on Facebook. I was doing DIY with my parents downstairs. My daughter was quiet for a split second, had crept upstairs to put away her fancy dress costume. We didn't realise until we heard a huge bang above us. We ran up and seen the wardrobe face down on the floor, with no sign of my daughter and no noise.

My parents were quick to lift it. I was in shock and ran immediately over. Because she was silent, I thought the worst.

She was okay, there was a lot of blood coming from her hand but there was no other mark on her. She told us she saw it fall and it was dark and scary. She cried immediately and we drove her off to the hospital. She had cut her finger quite deep where it had been trapped in a door and after assessment at the children's hospital, she was lucky enough to only need steri strips. However, the experience was enough to traumatise us both.

We were told that because the wardrobe was one that has an empty shell where the clothes hang, with drawers underneath. As it fell, the doors swung open the empty gap protected her from more harm. She got lucky.’

How to prevent children from tipping furniture

45 children under the age of 5 will be sent to A and E every day following a serious fall. Whilst we cannot prevent all falls, we can prevent children from falling from furniture. Here are some tips to help you keep your furniture as a decoration in your home and not a hazard:

• Make sure furniture has a wide, durable base that stands directly on the floor.  
• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions when installing and securing any anchor devices provided with new appliances or furniture.
• Install safety devices or locks on boxes. This will prevent them from opening and being used as steps.
• Open only one drawer at a time and make sure that you are keeping all the other drawers closed when they are not in use.
• Store heavier items on lower shelves or drawers.
• Do not place items on tall furniture. This may encourage climbing.
• Do not put unstable furniture in any room used mainly by children such as their bedrooms or playrooms.
• Use anti-tip kits to help stabilise furniture across the home.
• Flat screen TVs should be mounted to a wall or furniture. Older TVs should be stored on low, sturdy furniture made for a TV. If possible, also anchor the TV to the wall.
• Only place TVs on equipment designed to hold a TV such as a media centre or TV stand.

 

Safety Made Simple: How Fred can help prevent accidents like this one

Designed to anchor and stabilise heavy furniture, the Fred Anti-Tip Kit allows for children to play safety. It is strong enough to withstand 65kg of weight. It is discreetly designed with two hidden straps that fit subtly behind heavy furniture. The fully adjustable strap allows for any furniture to be moved forward for easy access behind. Fred SecureHold adhesive provides a powerful and durable bond meaning there is no sticky residue when removed.

Children will explore the world around them as they continue to grow and develop. However, it is everyone’s duty to make sure they can do so in a safe environment. We cannot avoid having furniture within the home but we can prevent accidents involving the furniture. An accident is a preventable event that with the correct home safety equipment can be avoided.

 

The Fred Ambassador Programme has been designed by the team at Fred to allow real people who have been affected by an accident within the home to share their stories. In doing so, we hope to spread awareness about the importance of home safety especially for those under the age of 5.

If your little one has been affected by an accident within the home and you wish to share their story, please email hello@cheekyrascals.co.uk to apply to our Fred Ambassador Programme. In doing so, you may be able to prevent an accident like yours from happening to the 40,000 children who will be sent to A and E each year because of preventable accidents within the home.