Toddler proof homes must have their furniture securely fastened, an expert has said.
Writing in McAlester News-Capital, extension family and consumer sciences educator for the Pittsburg County Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service LaDell Emmons claimed parents "don't think twice" when fitting a child safety lock to cabinets and toilet seats.
However, they can often overlook television sets and items of furniture, she pointed out, adding: "Children are curious and like to climb."
Therefore, heavy products should be anchored to the wall and pushed back as far as possible, with anti-tip brackets attached to freestanding furnishings.
Mums and dads ought to spend time ensuring heavy furniture is safe in the same way they install safety gates to staircases or remove cleaning products and chemicals from low cabinets, the expert stated.
This echoes statements recently made by Eve Ackroyd, owner of Canadian-based Safe and Sound Baby Proofing, who was quoted by the Calgary Herald as saying: "We find overwhelmingly that parents do not consider the dangers of bedroom furniture."
