By Ethan BrooksWhen a toddler learns to pull up, climb, and reach, the home becomes a landscape of discovery. Unfortunately, that curiosity can turn heavy furniture and televisions into serious hazards. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), children like to climb on furniture, and for them, the home is a playground. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) notes that young children are curious and driven to explore, and they are often too short to reach the tops of tall pieces of furniture where tempting items like TVs, tablets, and toys may sit. This combination of climbing and reaching can cause dressers, bookcases, TV stands, and other heavy items to tip over, leading to injuries or even death.
Why toddlers are at risk of tip-overs
The AAP reports that a child is rushed to the emergency department at least once every single hour of every single day with injuries from a furniture or TV tip-over. From 2000 to 2019, 77% of all tip-over deaths involved kids under the age of six. The CPSC’s childproofing guide explains that deaths and injuries occur when children climb onto, fall against, or pull themselves up on television stands, shelves, bookcases, dressers, desks, chests, and ranges. Even a piece of furniture that seems stable can become a hazard when multiple drawers are open, heavy objects sit on top, or the furniture is placed on an unstable surface such as carpet, as the AAP describes. About half of fatal incidents involving children happen in bedrooms, sometimes when parents think their kids are asleep, the AAP adds. For a deeper look, Where to Buy Furniture Anchors: 7 Best Picks for Baby Proofing (2026) covers this in detail.
Which furniture and appliances need anchoring
The CPSC’s Anchor It campaign urges families to secure top-heavy furniture and any item a child might climb. That includes dressers, chests, bookcases, TV stands, desks, and shelving units. The CPSC’s broader childproofing guidance says furniture, TVs, and ranges can tip over and crush young children, and recommends anchoring these products to the floor or attaching them to a wall. Free-standing ranges and stoves should be installed with anti-tip brackets to prevent scalding and crushing injuries. The AAP advises securing all furniture and mirrors with anti-tip devices. For more on the range of products that help reduce these risks, see our Furniture Anchors page and the broader Childproofing Products section.
How to anchor furniture securely
The CPSC’s Anchor It campaign stresses following the manufacturer’s instructions to secure TVs and furniture properly. Existing furniture can be anchored with anti-tip brackets, and new furniture such as dressers often comes with anti-tip devices that should be installed right away. The CPSC’s childproofing guide adds that for added security, you can anchor these products to the floor or attach them to a wall.
The AAP offers detailed installation advice. It recommends using metal anchors such as L brackets, because plastic can become brittle over time and break, causing anchors to fail. The AAP also warns that counterfeit or knock-off anchors are a problem on some online sites, so it is wise to use known brand name products. The heavier the furniture, the more anchors you should use to prevent it from tipping. You may need to relocate furniture so that wall anchors can be placed in a stud. In dressers and other clothing-storage furniture, place heavier objects on the lowest shelves or drawers and lighter objects higher up. Install dresser drawer stops or safety straps so your child cannot pull drawers out all the way; the AAP suggests using the kind that attach on the outside of the drawer and side of a dresser, or magnet locks, and storing the magnet key out of sight and reach. The CPSC’s Anchor It campaign also reminds caregivers to remove tempting objects such as toys and remote controls from the top of the TV and furniture, because these can encourage climbing. For step-by-step guidance on proper installation, visit our Installation and Use page.
TV safety: mounting and placement
Televisions present a special risk. The CPSC’s Anchor It campaign says TVs should only be placed on furniture designed to hold a television, such as television stands or media centers. Flat-screen TVs should be mounted to the wall or to furniture to prevent them from toppling over. Even TVs that are not wall mounted should still be anchored to the wall. The AAP echoes this, advising never to place a TV on top of a dresser, especially in a child’s room or playroom. It notes that flat-screen TVs can still injure or kill a child: even though they seem light, they weigh as much as one or two bowling balls. Safe Kids Worldwide recommends mounting flat-panel TVs to the wall and following the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure a secure fit. If you have an older, box-style cathode ray tube (CRT) TV, Safe Kids says to place it on a low, stable piece of furniture, and if you no longer use it, consider recycling it. The CPSC’s Anchor It campaign also suggests recycling older CRT televisions. For room-specific safety steps, see our Living Room Safety and Bedroom Safety guides.
Renting and talking to your landlord
If you rent your home, putting holes in walls for anchors may violate your rental agreement. The AAP recommends talking to the landlord and explaining the importance of childproofing, including anchoring furniture and TVs to prevent injury or death to your child. Holes in furniture and in walls can be fixed, the AAP notes, and sharing safety information with the landlord can help them understand the need.
What to do if a tip-over happens
The AAP advises that if your child has had furniture fall on them, you should take them to see their pediatrician or to the emergency room right away, even if they seem fine. There could be internal bleeding or damage to organs. It is also important to report tip-overs to the Consumer Product Safety Commission at www.saferproducts.gov, even if there was no injury, because doing so could prevent another child from being injured or killed by the same type of furniture. For any life-threatening emergency, call 911. If you suspect poisoning, call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222. If you want more background, see Heavy Duty Furniture Anchors: How to Secure Dressers and TVs (Step-by-Step).
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to anchor furniture if my toddler is not climbing yet?
Children can start climbing, pulling up, or leaning on furniture suddenly. The AAP describes how young children are driven to explore and may reach for items on high surfaces. Anchoring furniture early, before climbing begins, reduces the risk of a tip-over.
What type of anchor is safest?
The AAP recommends metal anchors such as L brackets, because plastic can become brittle over time and break. Use known brand name products, and for heavier furniture, use more anchors to prevent tipping. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Can I anchor furniture if I cannot find a wall stud?
The AAP suggests relocating the furniture so that wall anchors can be placed in a stud. Follow the anchor manufacturer’s instructions for your wall type.
For more detailed guidance on choosing, installing, and maintaining furniture anchors, visit our Furniture Anchors page. You can also explore our Childproofing Products Explained article for an overview of latches, gates, anchors, and more.
Sources
- U.S. CPSC: Anchor It! furniture and TV tip-over prevention
- HealthyChildren.org (AAP): Preventing Furniture and TV Tip-Overs
- U.S. CPSC: Childproofing Your Home
- Safe Kids Worldwide: Home Safety Tips (PDF)
- Safe Kids Worldwide: Six Essential Child-Proofing Steps Often Overlooked
About Ethan Brooks
Ethan Brooks is part of our editorial team and reviews and edits our childproofing guides, checking product details against manufacturer specifications and owner feedback.
