Parent Alert: Children Face Hazards from Tipping Furniture, TVs
Written by: Odile Fredericks
Keeping kids safe in their first few years of life is among the most difficult challenges parents face. As little ones quickly move from crawling to sitting, climbing, walking and running, we're often surprised to discover they've conquered new territories and uncovered dangers we hadn't known existed.
As parents, we try to create a safe home for our kids, but despite our best efforts, some furniture may actually be dangerous. Today, for instance, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and Bumbo International Trust announced the company has voluntarily recalled about 4 million Bumbo Baby Seats after scores of injuries, including skull fractures.
Many parents are aware of the dangers of tall pieces of furniture toppling on children and work to ensure they are safely secured, but a recent investigation finds that even small dressers can pose dangers to young children. The Consumer Product Safety Commission, consumer advocates, and furniture and electronics industry executives are now exploring ways to make dressers, storage cabinets, TVs and other heavy household items more stable, according to FairWarning Reports.
In 2010—the most recent year for which federal estimates are available—unstable furniture sent about 23,600 people – the highest number since 2006 – to emergency rooms, according to FairWarning. Most of the injured were less than 10 years old.
Many dangers come from furniture designed for adults that never took children into consideration, and parents are unaware of the hazards to their little ones. Learn more about FairWarning's investigation in Unthinkable But Real: Tipping Furniture, TVs Sometimes Deadly to Children.
Keeping kids safe in their first few years of life is among the most difficult challenges parents face. As little ones quickly move from crawling to sitting, climbing, walking and running, we're often surprised to discover they've conquered new territories and uncovered dangers we hadn't known existed.
As parents, we try to create a safe home for our kids, but despite our best efforts, some furniture may actually be dangerous. Today, for instance, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and Bumbo International Trust announced the company has voluntarily recalled about 4 million Bumbo Baby Seats after scores of injuries, including skull fractures.
Many parents are aware of the dangers of tall pieces of furniture toppling on children and work to ensure they are safely secured, but a recent investigation finds that even small dressers can pose dangers to young children. The Consumer Product Safety Commission, consumer advocates, and furniture and electronics industry executives are now exploring ways to make dressers, storage cabinets, TVs and other heavy household items more stable, according to FairWarning Reports.
In 2010—the most recent year for which federal estimates are available—unstable furniture sent about 23,600 people – the highest number since 2006 – to emergency rooms, according to FairWarning. Most of the injured were less than 10 years old.
Many dangers come from furniture designed for adults that never took children into consideration, and parents are unaware of the hazards to their little ones. Learn more about FairWarning's investigation in Unthinkable But Real: Tipping Furniture, TVs Sometimes Deadly to Children.
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