(WYTV) – Under a new law Congress recently passed, our children should be safer in their own homes when mom and dad buy new furniture.
To you, it’s a bookshelf, but to a small child, it may look like a way to reach that toy he wants.
“They’re curious, they don’t recognize danger and they often see furniture as a climbing opportunity and they pull the furniture down on themselves,” said Dr. Gary Smith from Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
We have lost some 600 children in the past 20 years and many more thousands injured this way.
The new standards say furniture made today must be strong enough and sturdy enough to not trip over if a child pulls and climbs.
“Young children are at especially high risk for injuries to the head and neck. In fact, children under six are almost twice as likely to have a concussion or a closed head injury compared to older children,” said Dr. Smith.
Here’s what to do with the upright furniture you have now: anchor it to the wall. Take anything off the top such as toys or stuffed animals that might tempt your child to play mountaineer and try to reach them.
The new standards take into account carpeted floors and drawers filled with heavy clothes but for extra piece of mind, secure it to the wall.
