How to baby-proof your TV and dressers

There are a lot of things that parents are tasked with prior to a baby’s arrival, including installing a carseat, picking out a stroller, and setting up the crib. One project that often gets overlooked—but that's vital to preventing injuries—is making sure that your home is properly baby-proofed. In addition to the standard baby proofing gear like baby gates and outlet covers, you'll want to make sure to add furniture anchors.

You may be asking yourself, why do I need something extra? Aren’t these products already safe? Anchor It, a federal government-created site, estimates that every 30 minutes a household hazard—like a tipped dresser or falling television—sends a child to the emergency room. Over 91% of these incidents occur in the home, where you and your child spend most of your time. You can take simple actions to reduce or eliminate the risks associated with normal household objects, and it takes only minutes to accomplish.

Dressers, bookcases and large furniture

Lots of household objects have the potential to contribute to injuries, but almost all of them can be secured in a way to mitigate that risk. Even though most children’s furniture comes with simple anti-tip kits, these aren’t the easiest to use and they are certainly not the best you can buy. Often these are just plastic cable ties, which break easily and don’t inspire a ton of confidence.

For dressers, bookcases and other large pieces of furniture, the most common solution is an "anti-tip kit". This usually contains some sort of plastic or metal plate that can be attached to the object and then to the wall, as well as fabric or plastic straps. Once both plates are attached, it gets tightened into place. This limits the range of motion that can occur if the object were to get bumped or pushed over.

In our safety guide, we researched several different models and chose the Hangman Anti-tip Kit as the best. With its smart cotter pin design, this kit holds up to 400 pounds with a minimally invasive approach. While it doesn’t utilize the standard strap and ratchet design, we found this model to be simple to install, and much more secure in the event of an accident.

Get the Hangman Anti-tip Kit 2-pack on Amazon for $22.50

Think that anti-tip kits aren’t exciting or memorable? This video made by Hangman showing how their product prevents injuries received over 82 million views.

Televisions

The other common object that can become a hazard is your television—and we're not talking about how many hours you're going to clock rewatching the same Cocomelon episodes. The concern is on what happens if it gets knocked over or bumped into. To prevent it from tipping, we recommend the Safety 1st Metal TV Straps.

These work well for furniture too, and they are a snap to install. Simply use the standardized mounting holes on your television, screw in the straps, and then attach them to the back of the piece of furniture it sits on. With its ratchet-style straps, you can easily tighten it down, thereby eliminating a falling hazard.

If the Safety Baby straps are out of stock, the Skyla Home Furniture and TV Anti-Tip Straps are a great alternative.

Get the Safety Baby Metal TV Straps from Walmart for $12.99

Get the Skyla Home Furniture and TV Anti-Tip Straps on Amazon for $13.95