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Your home is your child's playground. Make sure it's a safe one.

Reviewed 02/05/2026

Tip-over prevention

Your home is your child's playground. Make sure it's a safe one.

About every 45 minutes, fallen furniture or a toppled TV sends a child to the emergency room. Sometimes these accidents are fatal.

You can help prevent tip-overs with a few simple precautions.

Push TVs as far back on their stands as possible.
Anchor TVs to the wall or TV stand.
Keep cords out of reach of children.
Place TVs on furniture designed to hold them, such as TV stands or media centers.
Keep toys off furniture and TV stands to keep kids from climbing up to reach for them.
Store heavier items on lower shelves so the furniture isn't top-heavy.

Anchor your furniture

Anchor dressers, shelves, tall furniture and TVs to the wall with anti-tip brackets or devices. Follow the manufacturer's instructions on how to secure the item correctly.

If the item didn't come with an anchoring device, you can purchase the materials you need at a hardware store.

Learn more at Anchorit.gov

Sources

American Academy of Pediatrics. "Preventing Furniture and TV Tip-Overs." https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Preventing-Furniture-and-TV-Tip-Overs.aspx.
Consumer Product Safety Commission. "Anchor It!" https://www.anchorit.gov/about-us/.
Consumer Product Safety Commission. "Anchor It and Protect a Child." https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/5004.pdf.
Consumer Product Safety Commission. "How to Install a Kit." https://www.anchorit.gov/how-to-anchor/how-to-install-a-kit/.
Consumer Product Safety Commission. "Repair Tips." https://www.anchorit.gov/how-to-anchor/repair-tips/.
Consumer Product Safety Commission. "What You'll Need." https://www.anchorit.gov/how-to-anchor/what-youll-need/.
National Council on Aging. "How to Prevent Deadly Furniture Tip-Overs." https://www.ncoa.org/article/how-to-prevent-deadly-furniture-tip-overs/.