Running, playing, exploring. Once a child learns to walk, days are filled with never-ending discovery as little ones start to experience the world \u2014 a time filled with excitement and wonder for both little ones and caregivers alike. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s also a time when exploration can lead to accidents. In fact, preventable injuries are the number one cause of child death in the U.S.<\/a> Tip-overs of furniture, TVs, and appliances send roughly 18,000\u201320,000 people to U.S. emergency departments each year, based on the latest national estimates for 2022, and about 600 deaths were reported to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) from 2000\u20132022, with most child fatalities involving furniture such as clothing storage units (CSUs). See CPSC\u2019s data summaries: Furniture and TV Tip-Over Safety<\/a> and the annual statistical reports in CPSC\u2019s Product Instability\/Tip-Over<\/a> series. Earlier research, including the 41% increase in furniture tip-over incidents<\/a> observed through the 1990s\u20132000s, helped spur action; since then, TV-only tip-over deaths have declined as older CRT sets left homes, but furniture tip-overs \u2014 especially CSUs \u2014 remain a persistent source of severe child injuries and deaths per CPSC. Consumer Reports<\/a> and advocacy groups such as every two weeks a child dies<\/a> continue to raise awareness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether it\u2019s poorly made products, unsecured pieces, or moments of a lack of supervision, furniture tip-overs require both awareness and action. The strongest near-term protections are choosing inherently stable dressers that comply with the federal CSU stability standard and anchoring tip-prone items. Federal law (the STURDY Act) led CPSC to make clothing storage unit stability requirements mandatory; see Public Law details at H.R.2617<\/a> and CPSC\u2019s rulemaking and guidance at Clothing Storage Units \u2013 Business Guidance<\/a>. Taking these steps will help prevent tip-over accidents \u2014 and will ensure your home is safe and secure<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n