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Home › Articles › Toddler Safety › Toppling TVs

Toppling TVs

Taking Precautions to Keep Kids Safe

By Teri Brown

Pages:  1  2  3  

Manufacturers should also add labels warning of the potential danger of units toppling. As far as what parents can do to prevent this type of injury, Dr. Hanfling says it is a double-edged sword regarding where to place the TV.

"Obviously, the lower you place it, the less of a distance it has to fall," says Dr. Hanfling. "It will have less energy and will not likely impact the head unless another sibling causes the tip over. However, the lower the TV, the more likely a child will be able to reach it and tip it over. The higher the TV, the more likely the piece of furniture might be unstable and therefore more prone to being pulled over."

Dr. Hanfling says attractive items including remotes need to be kept off the top of TVs. "TVs should be placed upon very stable, and probably even better, furniture that is anchored to the wall," he says. "The TVs themselves should be anchored to the furniture or wall."

Parental awareness is more than half the solution.

"My hubby and I always worried about this type of accident," says Mindy Wilson, a mother of two from Thompson Falls, Mont. "I probably saw something on someone's child being injured. We made sure that the TV was either on the floor or on a desk with lots of room all around it. So they stayed safe."

Like most accidental injuries to children, falling televisions can almost be completely prevented. It just takes awareness, diligence and a few simple precautions.

Television Safety Tips

The following tips by Dr. Floyd Ota can help you prevent a falling television from injuring your child:

  • Secure the TV or furniture it sits on to ensure that it cannot topple over.
  • Do not put items on top of the television that a child may want to grab.
  • Limit play activities around the television.
  • Make sure the display area is stable and sturdy.
  • Monitor your child as best as possible.
  • Talk to your older children about the dangers of falling televisions.


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