If you’re a parent, you’ll want to know important features to childproof your furniture. Consumer Reports (March 25, 2011) states 13,000 people (mostly kids) are hurt every year from furniture tipping over them. Tragically, about nine children (mostly under five) are killed each year from tipping furniture.
Childproof Furniture Tips
- Anti-tip cords or straps to secure heavy furniture such as armoires to the wall.
- Bracketing and bolting bookcases and dressers to the wall also prevent tipping.
- Drawer slides—soft close drawers prevent small fingers from being slammed.
- Soft close doors (T.Y. Fine Furniture uses the finest soft close hardware available)—same idea, so little ones don’t get caught in slamming doors.
- Gap ranges don’t allow curious toddlers to get stuck, such as in between spindles.
- Rounding off edges instead of having sharp edges.
- Entrapment risks—locking drawers to prevent curious fingers reaching into a drawer of knives or cleaners and chemicals in cabinets.
- Furniture finishes are non-toxic. Our most eco-friendly finish is water lacquer, and also the most economical for hard coatings.
When placing your furniture order with T.Y. Fine Furniture, please let us know you have kids in the house. We’ll work with you to ensure kid-friendly furniture enhances functionality in your home not only when your kids are growing up—but also when you pass on these fine pieces as family heirlooms to your grown kids.
by Tarik Yousef