For anyone who has gone through the process of baby-proofing a home, one of the most important things experts encourage is to secure furniture to prevent it from tipping over and hitting children, especially little climbers. Of course, it’s not something you want to skimp on—it could save your child’s life, after all—but according to a new report from Consumer Products, you don’t have to spend a fortune to feed your child safely.
In fact, it’s probably better if you don’t.
Let’s start with some really good news: Dressers, chests, armoires, and similar furniture are safer than ever. That’s because, in December of 2022, the Stop Teens Tumbling in Unstable, Dangerous Dressers Act (or the STURDY Act…you really have to hand it to them with those acronyms) was signed into law last September Month effective year. Until then, furniture manufacturers were not required to thoroughly test their products for tip-over risks. Now, not only are they required to conduct such testing, they are also required to provide wall anchors to secure any furniture manufactured after September 2023.
“This safety standard will ensure furniture is made more stable, preventing injuries and saving children’s lives,” said CR policy analyst Gabe Knight. “At the same time, it remains critical for parents and caregivers to secure furniture. This It’s not a panacea, but thankfully, it won’t be long before manufacturers will be required to produce safer products.
But not all anchors are created equal. Consumer Reports rigorously tested 14 different kits. Some are furniture sold at retailers like IKEA and Ashley Furniture, while others are stand-alone products sold at Home Depot, Amazon, Lowes and other national chains.
Interestingly, the most expensive test kits ranked the least reliable, while the cheaper products ranked the most reliable.
Some award-winning brands for use with wood studs include the Simple Mount Furniture Anti-Tip Kit, which can withstand 347 pounds of force each anchor; Booda Brand Furniture Anchors; Earthquake Hold! furniture fastening straps; and Safety 1st TV and furniture wall straps. for Metal There are fewer options for studs behind drywall, QuakeHOLD! Furniture straps win, with one anchor capable of resisting 230 pounds of force and two anchors resisting 460 pounds of force.
The least effective brands tested were Lomily Furniture Wall Anchor Straps and Qdos Zero Screw Furniture Anti-Tip Kit, which were only able to withstand 77 pounds and 63 pounds of force respectively.
Overall, they found that metal or nylon straps performed better than plastic straps, with peel-and-stick kits generally performing the worst. They also found that two straps worked better than one, often more than doubling the amount of force needed to snap a strep or pull it out of a wall. Additionally, even in kits that are not advertised, the kits work best when installed on studs behind drywall. In fact, only one-third of those who said they could work properly in cavity drywall were able to withstand 60 pounds of force.
Currently, stress testing anchor kits is voluntary. Concerns have been borne out by those who say that current standards – which only test kits in static tension when not fastened to a wall or furniture – are insufficient to determine how well they will withstand real-world use consumer reports Test it yourself.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), thousands of children are injured each year by toppling furniture. Between 2000 and 2022, there were 581 tip-over deaths involving furniture, the vast majority (81%) of which were children. Of these, 71% of child deaths were related to television. So while making sure your dresser is safety tested can save your child, tying the furniture to the wall (especially wall studs) is still an important step in keeping your child safe.
