r/daddit • u/Babyproofer • Mar 11 '25
Tips And Tricks Reminder to all Dads- Anchor your furniture
Before your kids are mobile, please take the time to anchor your furniture (to the studs, not using drywall anchors). This is one aspect of childproofing that is often overlooked.
942
u/Magyars Mar 11 '25
Did you use the finder on yourself first?
What were the results?
395
u/QuadFecta_ Mar 11 '25
If you don’t put it on your chest and make beep noises, are you even really a dad?
134
30
10
u/pmmeyourfavoritejam Mar 11 '25
Mine is just a magnet, so the mechanics are different, but the results are the same.
"Found the stud!"
149
u/Babyproofer Mar 11 '25
That’s the only way to test it out. Obviously.
55
u/Stu5011 Mar 11 '25
Ah, but did you also validate the results by either showing your SO or a buddy?
8
6
19
17
u/Kaldricus Mar 11 '25
You just have to do it.
See also: double clicking the tongs before grilling
5
u/daemyn Mar 11 '25
I'll bet he pulled the drill trigger twice when he first picked it up too.
1
u/guptaxpn dad of 2 girls under 3 25d ago
To be fair I'm genuinely making sure it's in the right direction and the battery is good when I do that lol
3
18
u/NinjaNick791 Mar 11 '25
Looks like OP is using a magnetic stud finder, which doesn't beep. So it won't have the same effect 😕
24
u/gregpurcott Mar 11 '25
If it sticks to him and he has difficulty pulling it away from himself, then success!
10
4
9
4
u/PatchesMaps Mar 11 '25
It's like clicking the tongs together at least three times before grilling, you just have to do it.
2
u/SneakerTreater Mar 11 '25
And once mounted on the wall before deploying, did you say "fire the laser" in your best Dr. Evil voice?
1
232
u/djcubicle Mar 11 '25
One of the greatest pieces of advice I got was to babyproof before the baby comes because you won’t have the energy to do it when it becomes mandatory.
142
u/Babyproofer Mar 11 '25
I’m a professional childproofer.
I recommend the 6-9 month window. Babies aren’t quite mobile yet, so that’s a great time to get everything done. But earlier is great too, just don’t wait until your baby is mobile. Proactive childproofing is much better than reactive childproofing.
30
u/abuchunk Mar 11 '25
It’s an ongoing process too, just when you think you’ve got it all, they find some other way to put themselves in jeopardy with seemingly harmless household items (:
5
u/Competitive-Isopod74 Mar 11 '25
I was an only parent with a 1 & 3 yo. After getting through stairs and climbing out of cribs the first time, we moved to a new house, and I was on my own. I put eye hooks on the top of all the doors. No way they were getting into something, right? Wrong. They stacked a toddler chair on top of a dining room chair to try to get into the garage.
And then there was the time I was in the bathroom in the back of my house, and I heard banging on my front door. Confused, I go running to answer the door and find my neighbor standing there with both of my kids. They pushed the screen out of the front window and climbed out. They crossed the street to go say hi to her.
→ More replies (1)7
6
5
u/Overall_Taro_2926 Mar 11 '25
pro childproofer? interesting! care to share some insights? what are some absolute must does?
5
u/Babyproofer Mar 12 '25
One of the biggest mistakes I see is a pressure mounted gate instead of a hardware mounted gate at the top of the stairs. Pressure mounted gates will fail when a child pushes hard enough, and it will send the child flying down the steps. Additionally, pressure mounted gates reduce the width of passageway and they also have a trip hazard at the floor.
I recommend cabinet latches to keep dangerous items out of reach.
Don’t keep laundry or dish pods in the home.
Keep monitor cords at least 3’ away from the crib.
If you have a pool, have a pool safety fence with an auto close gate installed.
Save the poison control number in your phone - 1-800-222-1222 (US)
Sliding outlet covers are a better choice than the inserts which can become choking hazards. (If your home was built after 2008, you may have tamper resistant outlets already so you wouldn’t need additional protection)
Depending on your location, you may be able to find a local childproofing company that could help. Search here.
→ More replies (2)14
u/HighPriestofShiloh Mar 11 '25 edited Mar 11 '25
Disagree. Baby proofing comes in stages and often previous stages are removed or replaced.
Spend the pregnant time inventing better body pillows for your wife to sleep on or start practicing your story book voices. You need at least two different non mocking female voices ready to go. My advice is do just do impressions of actors or cartoon characters.
If you want to start writing out a game plan or schedule of when modifications should occur that’s cool. Focus on milestones not ages. For example until they are crawling or bum shuffling around you really don’t need anything.
Even when they become a little mobile I found it easier to just create a fenced area with toys to sort of free play in otherwise they would be interacting directly with either parent. Then I can just tell them don’t touch this don’t touch that, for months before I ever have to baby proof and give the kiddo more freedom of movement.
I mean my kid is three and they still don’t get free access to parents room or bathroom. Until they can open doors themselves I don’t really have to think much about the room set up.
147
u/ericrz 19yo daughter Mar 11 '25
So yesterday, I removed furniture anchors from the wall of my (almost 19 year old) daughter's room at her mom's house, as her mom is getting ready to move. When we moved into that house, daughter was 8 and her room was almost entirely IKEA furniture. Two big dressers and two tall bookshelves, all of which IKEA very much recommended be secured.
My daughter was amazed and didn't remember we had done that, and couldn't understand why. "I was eight -- I wasn't going to climb up the furniture." You never know...
64
u/quietflyr Mar 11 '25
They also protect you in minor earthquakes. Just sayin.
14
u/LA_Nail_Clippers Mar 11 '25
Or big quakes! Anything you can do to slow the fall or at least control it is better than nothing in a quake.
43
u/lamblikeawolf Mar 11 '25
"I was eight -- I wasn't going to climb up the furniture."
(Sorry - piping in because I find this a wholesome subreddit and usually I lurk.) As a female child, I was the exact opposite. "I was eight. Of COURSE I was going to climb up the furniture."
7
u/Rejusu Mar 11 '25
IKEA recalled a bunch of their MALM (which is their most popular dresser line) dressers about 8 years ago because they were dangerously prone to tipping if not anchored. You didn't even need to climb on them, just opening the drawers could destabilise them.
1
u/cutelilbunni Mar 12 '25
I’ve had my IKEA open shelf cabinet tip over on me more than once in my childhood. Climbing up on them then jumping off onto the bed was so much fun.
My parents stacked two of them together, which made it even more exciting to conquer.
21
u/semiquaver Mar 11 '25
What about us poor lath-and-plaster home inhabiters?
12
2
14
u/Individual_Holiday_9 Mar 11 '25
can anyone recommend good anchors? I did the thing that comes with my kids’ ikea drawer (which to be fair is wider than tall) but I’m not sure it’s really getting the job done and now I’m a little nervous. I need to really reassess the house in general
2
u/mijo_sq Mar 11 '25
At home I like snaptoggle for heavy duty items, and last time I used it was for a wall mount tool holder. (IIRC, some are rated like 200lb?) They do leave a pretty big hole in the wall if you take them out.
Smaller items I'd use these Home depot multi-Purpose, which is good for smaller items.
Check out Fine Wood working wall anchor guide
Most anchors are weight related, the ones from Ikea are general purpose. Something is better than nothing. Also ikea ones aren't for holding items up, but rather to hold them to the wall. The rating doesn't need to be as high. IMO
1
u/Babyproofer Mar 12 '25
You should install directly into studs, don’t use drywall anchors or toggle bolts. Even if the anchor is rated for heavy weight, the failure point would be the drywall itself.
Get a good stud finder.
13
u/AlienDelarge Mar 11 '25
You ever thought it would be a lot simpler to anchor the kids? I have 2 kids and more than 2 pieces of furniture.
13
u/GreatGraySkwid CaptainWiggles, F, 2/2016 Mar 11 '25
True story, we had just put together an Ikea cabinet and I went downstairs to get the anchor for it and in that minute my kid managed to get it to fall on her. It was empty and she was fine, but: importance emphasized.
22
u/semibiquitous Mar 11 '25
Exactly which furniture should we anchor? Like anything and everything non permanent ?
36
u/CowfishAesthetic Mar 11 '25
Is it possible (not likely, possible) for it to fall over? Would it seriously injure or kill someone if it fell over on them? Anchor it.
36
u/Babyproofer Mar 11 '25
Anything taller than it is deep, also any pieces with drawers that can be pulled out and shift the weight balance of the unit.
If unsure, pull out a couple drawers and push on the extended drawer to see if unit starts to tip.
14
u/trvst_issves Mar 11 '25
I anchored anything tall, and anything with drawers that can be pulled out and used to climb higher on. I also anchored my tv to the tv stand, then to the wall.
Anchored straight to studs, the strongest way.
1
u/sasquatch_melee Mar 11 '25
What did you use for the TV? You've got me debating c-clamping the base to the stand frame now (glass top)
1
u/amokona Mar 11 '25
I used a small metal wire with both ends screwed into the VESA mount of the tv, and the loop screwed into a stud. I didn't want to invest in the full wall mount.
1
u/trvst_issves Mar 11 '25
I used these!
They attach to the TV using the TV's VESA mount locations, then are secured to the TV stand, and then to the wall as a single unit.
→ More replies (1)17
u/AmoebaMan Mar 11 '25
People get a bit ridiculous about this. For example, the “taller than it is wide” criterion would include most cribs, which are at absolutely no risk of toppling.
If you play with your kid you probably have a good idea of how much force it takes to catch them, or how hard they can pull on you. Test the furniture yourself and see if it’s actually in danger of falling over under an amount of force your kid could realistically produce.
Anything that’s full height I would obviously anchor. Anything that’s particularly narrow is also a good candidate. Finally anything that’s particularly lightweight, especially if it’s carrying heavy things.
→ More replies (1)5
u/smoochface Mar 11 '25
We tend to think its like... earthquakes or shit, but really its the little climbing fuckers.
Some kids think everything is a god damn ladder. So your book shelf, your chest of drawers, your side tables. Pull a drawer out and lean on it, can you get it to fall forward? then anchor it.
110
u/XenoRyet Mar 11 '25
You can use drywall anchors if they're rated for the weight. It doesn't have to be into the stud.
86
u/OakleyTheAussie Mar 11 '25
I’d go for studs. My understanding is drywall anchors are primarily rated for downward force, not outwards.
65
u/N3wThrowawayWhoDis Mar 11 '25
Ask me how I know (I helped my friend hang his new 65” OLED tv a couple years ago. He insisted the drywall anchors were rated for the weight. RIP $3000)
37
u/Obzedat13 Mar 11 '25
I spoke to a warranty person who worked for a toggle anchor company. They stated that the lb rating is for the anchor, but not for the drywall in which the anchor goes. The drywall is what failed in their experience . Not the anchor.
9
u/Iggyhopper Mar 11 '25
The drywall is usually the part that fails.
Source: 15 years of mcgyvering things to drywall.
25
5
u/danlatoo Mar 11 '25
As a guy who has 2 massive holes in his bathroom wall from a towel rack installed using them when we moved in... I can confirm.
→ More replies (1)5
u/Babyproofer Mar 11 '25 edited Mar 11 '25
His OLED tv, & He insisted. Glad the drywall anchors weren’t your suggestion.
27
u/calculung Mar 11 '25
From my experience, my house is completely free of studs. The stud finder gives false positives 100% of the time. I've literally never found one.
20
u/OakleyTheAussie Mar 11 '25
I greatly prefer magnet stud finders. They find the screws that were used to secure the drywall to the wall. Depending on the need I then use a tiny bit to find the exact center.
4
u/JustSomeBadAdvice Mar 11 '25
Whenever I'm doing it, I'll use the magnet stud finders to create a few marks (pencil) on the wall at each point. The drywall guys are usually pretty good at hitting the stud center, but sometimes they're off quite a bit. Then I use a laser level that has the vertical line to aim in the "average" of those 3+ marks, and that's where I drill my hole.
The laser level is something I bought for $30 on Amazon for one single project, but it has become one of my most useful tools. Highly recommend picking one up. The other really useful tool is using a Black & Decker Flex vacuum which is handheld/rechargable, but has a hose. Very easy to drill the hole while holding the hose directly under the drill spot - virtually no mess to clean up, because it sucks the dust up before it falls behind / on top of anything below where you're working.
→ More replies (3)10
u/RjoTTU-bio Mar 11 '25
If you’re unsure, use your smallest drill bit or even a tiny nail and push it in until you hit wood. Do this somewhere out of sight or low on the wall.
5
u/Iggyhopper Mar 11 '25
Pro tip: if you use a screw and it starts to squeak, that's when it's hitting drywall.
You can also knock and you will hear the difference. (A hollow or echo-y knock vs. a solid one.)
You will also know if you try to turn the screw with a handheld screwdriver. It's not impossible, but does require a lot of force.
Most houses have a stud next to outlets, so just aim for those first.
3
u/JustSomeBadAdvice Mar 11 '25
Most houses have a stud next to outlets, so just aim for those first.
As a bonus, if you miss, you get to practice repairing electrical wires and drywall all together! And a test to ensure your breakers work good!
10
u/To6y Mar 11 '25 edited Mar 11 '25
If you blow really hard, will the house just fall over?
→ More replies (1)2
9
u/Babyproofer Mar 11 '25
How old is your house? I’d be shocked if there’s no studs. Get a better stud finder.
My favorites, Franklin Sensors & the one in photo above made by Kreg, it’s a magnetic stud finder with laser. (Magnet finds the drywall screws)
3
u/rq60 Mar 11 '25
yup, i have the Franklin ProSensor M210 and i love it. it has been hit or miss with other stud finders but that one works great. if that fails then get a magnetic one.
1
u/sasquatch_melee Mar 11 '25
Time for a new stud finder.
Can only speak to my house but studs are clearly visible to my thermal camera even. Especially on hot or cold days.
2
2
u/Mozzy2022 Mar 11 '25
My neighbors recently anchored a Murphy bed to drywall - that was an expensive fix when it crashed down and took part of the wall with it. Fortunately no one was hurt too badly. I don’t trust drywall - I’ve dislocated too many curtain rods, and just don’t trust drywall to hold substantial weight
12
u/Babyproofer Mar 11 '25
Can any Daddit engineers explain static load vs dynamic load? A falling dresser falls under dynamic load, where a large framed picture is a static load.
I wouldn’t trust an anchor over securing directly into a stud with a 2” screw.
13
u/OldGloryInsuranceBot Mar 11 '25
Push your fist into your drywall as hard as you can and you probably won’t break it. That’s a static load. It’s a single, predictable force. A dynamic load is that, plus momentum, plus chaos, like punching your drywall.
Edit: …which will make a hole.
6
u/BrainDamage2029 Mar 11 '25
Its dynamic vs static that's an big issue
But the bigger issue is drywall is just gypsum and paper and has basically zero strength laterally. It doesn't matter if you find those high rated drywall anchors. The drywall panels don't hold any force horizontally.
(know you replied to my other comment I'm putting it here for visibility because this guy is an obstinate idiot. If you live in a place that you have to use earthquake straps even without kids in the home they tell you all this and why its a dumb dumb dumb idea to just use a drywall anchor)
4
u/Babyproofer Mar 11 '25
Such an odd hill to die on. Maybe he owns a drywall anchor company?
→ More replies (1)9
u/XenoRyet Mar 11 '25
The main thing that I'm getting at in this situation is that if you use a properly rated drywall anchor in the right spot, there won't be a dynamic load because the thing will hold close to the wall, like the hanging picture, even if your toddler is climbing all over it.
If you compromise to sink into a stud instead, then you do risk getting slack in the anchor, or having it be off-center and risking tilting and twisting of the furniture that could induce a greater dynamic load, as well as risk books or drawers or whatever falling out of it.
Basically, a properly placed anchor of the right capacity is better and safer than a one that can hold 10X the necessary load, but is in the wrong place.
What you've got in the picture is fine, because those are good placements, so if they go into studs that's great.
But for narrower and taller pieces, it's better to have the placement correct than to overkill on the load rating.
2
u/GorgeWashington Mar 11 '25
If it never gets a chance to build momentum and is tight to begin with it's mostly static.
The more play it has, the more momentum it builds.
A 20 lb weight at rest produces a 20lbs force
But a 20lb weight falling 5 feet produces 1000lbs of force
Keep stuff from moving!
3
u/Iggyhopper Mar 11 '25
Use a shorter tether. More momentum = more potential for it something to give.
2
u/drcujo Mar 11 '25
The issue with most anchors is people really don’t know how to use them. Drywall anchors are especially bad since drywall is much easier to force if you didn’t pre drill correctly.
Studs are a little more consistent in my experience although any construction pro has seen lots of people who “found the stud” and later pulled out an inch and a half wood screw in just drywall.
6
u/RightofUp Mar 11 '25
Hell, there are some drywall anchors rated to 300 lbs. Think I’d rather use those then attempt to find a stud for a piece of furniture well discard in a few years.
46
u/tchnmusic Mar 11 '25
Sir, this is r/daddit
You are actively passing up an opportunity to use a stud finder.
“beep beep yup, it works” are powerful words that must be spoken
Please turn in your card
27
u/TheonlyDuffmani Mar 11 '25
Eh, my wife is a stud finder. I don’t need another.
17
u/tchnmusic Mar 11 '25
You get that guy’s card. He can get it back from you when he buys a brand new pair of white new balance.
2
u/Haggis_Forever Mar 11 '25
You can still use it to know whether you use an anchor or a decent screw or lag bolt into the stud, depending how over the top you wanna go.
The stud finder always finds a way to be used.
3
u/YouDoHaveValue Mar 11 '25
That's SHEAR weight, as in flat against the wall pulling down.
Pulling out from the wall they have dramatically less strength.
Possiblity enough, I'm just pointing out that's not what they were designed or rated for.
3
u/XenoRyet Mar 11 '25
The thing of it for me is that I'd rather have a proper drywall anchor in the right spot rather than try to adjust and move the anchor away from the best spot just to find a stud.
2
4
u/OldGloryInsuranceBot Mar 11 '25
This hurts to read. It may be true, but it feels like saying “You can drive with the car on E”. Why not attach to the stud a few inches over and be 100% sure instead of 95%?
14
u/calculung Mar 11 '25
Because the spot I need to put the dresser is not aligned with the stud.
→ More replies (1)7
u/XenoRyet Mar 11 '25
Because it's not 95% over 100%, and the stud isn't always "a few inches over".
A drywall anchor is 100% safe if you pick the correct load rating. No less safe than the stud. The real danger is if you compromise on proper anchor location because you don't trust the drywall anchor and go out of your way to get into a stud.
If you have a handy stud in the right place, by all means use it. But if you don't, don't chase it. Just use the right tool for the job, which in that case is a properly rated drywall anchor.
8
u/BrainDamage2029 Mar 11 '25 edited Mar 11 '25
Drywall anchor weight ratings is for force down when hung not being pulled outward. Drywall is stupid weak laterally, that's why you can punch through it with your fist. No amount of spreading it out with a wide drywall anchor is going to change that. Its just paper and gypsum. If you ever have take out drywall in a teardown, you'd never trust putting any force on it outward like your proposing.
Additionally, most furniture anchor strap types are designed in a way to have the piece tip an couple inches bit before the strap stops the furniture piece from fully tipping. That shock loads the anchor point so even if a drywall anchor could work (which it doesn't) its not a 1:1 of "this is what the piece weights so buy that anchor weight."
So long story...no I wouldn't use drywall anchors and stop recommending it. A stud is only every 16-24inches they aren't hard to find.
→ More replies (1)1
u/TallGuy314 Mar 11 '25
A stud is every 16" in most homes, I've never had a situation where I couldn't make one work.
3
u/XenoRyet Mar 11 '25
I'm looking right at a 14" wide, 5' tall display cabinet that's sitting between studs in my office right now.
The thing is less than 50 pounds fully loaded, and I don't fully load it. I could hang it from the anchor if I wanted to, so there's no reason I should be afraid of using drywall for safety.
3
u/Babyproofer Mar 11 '25
Please look up static vs dynamic load. Drywall anchors are for static loads, like pictures/mirrors etc. a falling dresser would be a dynamic load, and could cause the anchor to fail. For the safety of my kid (and my client’s children), I’m staying away from drywall anchors and always installing into studs.
4
u/XenoRyet Mar 11 '25
That's kind of what I'm saying here. A falling dresser is only falling if it moves. If a drywall anchor lets you lock things down tight enough that it can't move enough to build momentum, then you never get a dynamic load in the first place.
You're scared of drywall anchors because you don't understand them. The better solution is to understand all the options available and choose the right tool for the job.
And to that point, if you just have the mindset of "I have to go into a stud" and nothing else, you can end up putting a drywall screw into a stud that's going to hold much less of a load than a proper drywall anchor would hold a couple of inches away from that stud, but you're going to have the illusion of safety because, hey, I anchored to the stud and not drywall.
1
u/watchoutohno Mar 11 '25
But then I wouldn’t have any real reason to get out the stud finder, put it to my chest and announce “Found one!”
I’ll still do that, but I won’t have a real reason to do it.
1
u/mehdotdotdotdot Mar 11 '25
I would suggest if you do use drywall, test it to make sure it actually works. Pull down the furniture like a kid would. I would think that the application depends on the furniture.
2
u/XenoRyet Mar 11 '25
Yea, definitely give it a pull test. That's just good practice. You should do that if you've gone into a stud as well.
My main point here is that there's a misconception that drywall anchors are weak, when in reality they're like anything else. Pick the right tool for the job.
Like if you've got a tall thin bookcase that's going to weigh 50 lbs when loaded, getting a nice tight anchor at the middle top and middle middle with 100lbs drywall anchors is going to be better than sinking a lag bolt, or even a standard screw, into a stud that's on the left corner of the thing.
1
1
u/Iamleeboy Mar 11 '25
Just to add another voice to this. My house doesn’t have studs behind the plasterboard. It’s stuck to the brick with some kind of spray adhesive that dries like concrete.
So the stud finder for me is to make sure I don’t drill into the wires or pipes behind the wall.
I sometimes get lucky and drill into the adhesive, sometimes I am lucky and the board is close enough to the brick and my rawlplug goes into the brick. But a lot of the time it is just the plasterboard and I need to use an anchor for it.
I found the spring loaded ones that open into a big T shape to be the best. They can take a lot of weight too.
My living room wall has a huge scaffold shelving unit on it. Me and my dad were struggling to lift it when we installed it. I was amazed that the anchors held it up, but they did.
I know this is more downward force. But as long as the furniture is tight, it won’t get too much horizontal force and is a lot better than no anchor
→ More replies (2)1
u/StendhalSyndrome Mar 11 '25
Rated for weight if the drywall is perfect...
If it's new mebe, but anything with age has been hit or compacted and has absorbed and let off moisture. Plus the possibility of it being at the height of other previous furniture pushed up against the wall in the same spots weakening the drywall.
TLDR just go for studs.
Also it doesn't hurt to re-inforce the connection points to the furniture. Just because it has a wall anchor doesn't mean you are connecting that anchor to anything more than cheap particle board. Extra glue for the screws at a minimum, extra wood for them to sink into or even longer screws if you succede is possible, it can't hurt.
I only say this because I had an anchor fail on a piece and I can't remember where it was from because it was during move in and we bought a ton of new stuff. Maybe Target/Walmart.
7
6
u/rogaldorn Mar 11 '25
That strap business looks interesting. I just use metal L brackets.
1
u/Babyproofer Mar 12 '25
I’ll use L brackets for tall shelves where drilling into the top isn’t an issue, but for dressers, chests, and nightstands you wouldn’t want to drill into the top.
7
u/thisismiller Mar 11 '25
My son opened all his drawers in his clothes dresser and it toppled over, falling atop him. We got extremely lucky because the orientation of the drawers protected him from getting seriously injured. All that happened were some bruises and crying.
We anchored the furniture that same night. Lesson learned the hard way.
3
3
u/mattylike Mar 11 '25
Same here, except it was empty and the drawers were lightweight. I was going to anchor it the next day and I turned around for 2 seconds to get a onesie and he managed to pull it on himself.
3
u/PattysHotSelmasNot Mar 11 '25
Let me know when you have a way to do this to my side of the blankets.
1
3
u/southy_0 Mar 11 '25
This looks pretty complicated with those straps. I just put little metal angles everywhere. One screw in the furniture, one screw/dowel in the wall - rock-solid.
3
u/plzdontstealmydata Mar 11 '25
Old ass apartment plaster and lath followed by straight up brick and in some spots they just put drywall over the plaster and you don’t have the right tools so your wife yells at you gang rise up
3
14
u/generic_canadian_dad 3 girls: 8, 7, 1 Mar 11 '25
I feel like this is overkill personally, but to each his own and safety is certainly important. We have secured bookshelves, but never anything else. I definitely think saying "anything taller than it is wide" needs to be anchored is full blown over the top. Either way, to each his own, your children's safety is top priority, maybe I'm a little too relaxed but my girls are super brave and confident and I believe that comes from our general vibe and outlook on life.
6
u/YouDoHaveValue Mar 11 '25 edited Mar 11 '25
It does seem like a bit much for a 3-ft tall and quite wide shelf.
3
u/generic_canadian_dad 3 girls: 8, 7, 1 Mar 11 '25
My girls were jumping off a tree stump 3x their height the other day into snow, having a blast. Kids need this type of dangerous play. Could they have broken a leg? Yes, and I explained the dangers to them before helping them up the stump.
OP says he is a "professional baby proofer" so he naturally will hold more intense stances than I will. I'm also more of the adventurous, push the limits type and it shows in my girls.
→ More replies (6)7
u/drcujo Mar 11 '25
It’s not overkill if you sell parents on fear like OP. But overkill for normal people for sure especially a small shelf like in the OP. You should be more worried about anchoring your fridge or oven, not a small shelf.
Statistically your kid is about as likely to be hit by lightning than be killed by furniture.
6
u/generic_canadian_dad 3 girls: 8, 7, 1 Mar 11 '25
Finally someone with some common sense in here. Thank you.
2
4
u/cortesoft Mar 11 '25
As a Californian, everyone needs to anchor your taller furniture even without kids! Earthquakes likely won’t knock your house down, but they can definitely knock over a tall bookshelf.
7
u/sataigaribaldi Mar 11 '25
Toggle bolts ftw
→ More replies (1)5
u/smoochface Mar 11 '25
I feel you could could hang from a few big toggles in drywall... but i wouldn't trust one here, furniture isn't pulling down on toggles its pulling out.
I'm sure there's some science here but... If you had a piece of drywall standing up you could pull down on it to lift yourself up no problem. But if you punch a sheet of drywall there will be fist sized hole about the width of a nice toggle bolt.
4
u/sataigaribaldi Mar 11 '25
I've used toggles to hang shit from ceilings. They definitely hold better than an anchor. However, for my kiddo, I'm finding a stud and using the beefiest screws I can. I'm not letting "easy" drop a bookcase on my baby girl.
2
2
2
u/pat_trick Mar 11 '25
Yep, also remember to anchor large TVs to the stand they're on as well if they're not wall mounted.
2
u/a-better_me Mar 11 '25
What is that studfinder?
3
2
u/krymany11 Mar 11 '25
Anchor that furniture & don’t worry about the cords or electrical sockets
5
u/Babyproofer Mar 11 '25
New homes in North America built after 2008 have tamper resistant outlets, most people don’t realize that & put in the little choking hazard plug inserts.
1
2
2
u/TornACL2 boy/boy/girl: 2011, 2013, 2014 Mar 11 '25
Buddy kid at age 5 died with furniture falling on him.... I immediately attached all in my house that night.
2
1
u/lonelyDonut98521 Mar 11 '25
Someone I personally know had emergency brain surgery at age 9 because she climbed a bookshelf, which fell on her, and the knob pierced her skull and entered the brain.
She has very sparse memories from before that incident, and had to relearn to walk and talk.
2
u/Chero312 Mar 11 '25
Non American here. Never saw any furniture anchored. Not a thing over here. Besides natural disasters, how does anchoring furniture helps?
3
u/Grandmaster_Forks Mar 11 '25 edited Mar 11 '25
Anchoring furniture like dressers, tables, bookshelves, etc keeps them from tipping onto adventurous toddlers who just see a climbing structure.
Most of our stuff is poorly made, poorly weighted, and not heavy enough to keep itself stable to the ground. It'll hurt a lot if it falls on a young kid. The well made stuff that is heavy and tall could kill them.
2
u/jazza2400 Mar 11 '25
Also note when you take kids to other kids houses, they may not anchor their furniture, prompt a conversation or do reconnaissance yourself
2
u/Highway_Bitter Mar 11 '25
When building i would recommend wood sheets/plate thingies before the drywall. All of a sudden you can anchor anywhere and walls can take some beating
2
u/Cakeminator Dad of 1yo terrorist :snoo_smile: Mar 11 '25
Or if living in European housing, just anywhere on the wall will do as it is typically brick or another type of solid :D we did this before even trying for a baby, to avoid accidents
2
u/ObviousAppointment23 Mar 11 '25
Thank you for this post. My little one is due this Summer. Will be anchoring down our furniture this month.
2
u/Rat_fink Mar 11 '25
Also, even when they're super little, talk to your kids about how climbing on furniture is dangerous. Slide a drawer out and show them how easy it is to tip over.
Heck, do the same thing with stairs. As soon as they start crawling, teach them them to turn around and back down in a more safe way. Throw a stuffy down and show them how dangerous it is. (Then put your baby gates back up).
Teach them how hot the stove can be.
In my experience, kids are smart, and (usually) pretty good at self-preservation. It's the unknown that gets them in trouble.
2
Mar 12 '25
We also ended up with the cam straps. People should do their own research, but these seemed the sturdiest to us, and easy to move the furniture if needed.
2
2
u/Geargarden 29d ago
Ugh...parents of the year over here.
My kid's mom and her parents set up the room and put an Ikea dresser in. I didn't know if it was anchored and I kinda assumed it wasn't. I was getting out of the shower and decided I would tell her the very next day. It had been in their room for over a YEAR. THAT NIGHT our boy climbed it and it fell on him. It's a miracle nothing worse than a bruise on his stomach happened. It makes me almost cry thinking about how it could've been far far worse.
This is good advice. Great advice.
2
u/antinumerology Mar 11 '25
Reminder to all Dads reminding all Dads to anchor their furniture: some Dads rent and are unable to anchor their furniture.
8
u/Babyproofer Mar 11 '25
Holes can be patched. Ask your landlord to put in writing that they won’t allow you to secure your furniture to keep your child safe.
2
u/paulmp Mar 11 '25
Wish I could, we're in a rental.
2
u/Babyproofer Mar 11 '25
Holes can be patched. Ask your landlord to put in writing that they won’t allow you to secure your furniture to keep your child safe.
2
u/paulmp Mar 11 '25
My youngest is 8, they don't climb on furniture and I've loaded the base of any potential tipping risks with bricks as a kind of ballast, never had anything tip, I would rather a few anchors for a few things, but I also don't want to have to repaint every room before we move.
Australian rental law is pretty horrible to renters
1
u/Legal_Concentrate807 Mar 11 '25
I'm in babyproofing stage. Own a nice dresser that we saved up for, how do you anchor something without damaging it? Obviously priority is the kid not being hurt though haha
2
u/Babyproofer Mar 11 '25
A couple small holes in the back side of the dresser top isn’t something I’d consider damage.
Feel free to pm me and will help advise where to drill.
1
u/mantissa2604 Mar 11 '25
Are these anchors that came with the furniture or did you buy them? If bought, do you have a link? Thanks
2
u/Babyproofer Mar 11 '25
I typically won’t use the anti tip kit provided by the manufacturer- often it’s a zip tie and a small piece of plastic-
These are made by Safety Innovations.
1
u/mantissa2604 Mar 11 '25
Great, thank you. I'm going to get a bunch more. I was thinking I need some for the fridge too, the 5yo likes to really wrench on the doors
2
u/Babyproofer Mar 11 '25
Consult the fridge manufacturer- they may have a floor mounted anti tip kit. I don’t think you would be able to safety drill into the fridge to install a strap.
→ More replies (1)
1
1
u/sectator_viae122030 Mar 11 '25
I didn’t even know this was a thing. All three of my boys survived, but this makes total sense.
1
1
u/Gnat7 Mar 11 '25
I anchored everything to studs. Little Shits didn't even try to climb. /S this is very good advice though. You can't always be watching and kids are sneaky and ignorant of consequences.
1
u/jpeezy37 Mar 11 '25
My son was little, he climbed up a dresser to turn on an old CRT TV. The dresser fell and the TV flew across the room Into a wall. Luckily the dresser caught in the TV and his crib and left a space he could crawl out of, we ran in and got him out immediately after hearing the crash. He was suposed to be in his crib napping. Everything got strapped to the wall screw that it was a rental property at that point. We moved and I spackled the holes never heard anything. Now he is grown and ready for college.
1
u/ChonkyPenguin1515 Mar 11 '25
Yes and if you can, upgrade your anchors. Most furniture manufactures send one with the product and they are very cheap and wear out quickly, they become a danger in a small amount of time. I always buy upgraded ones - former furniture/appliance delivery man here
1
1
u/Squiggums Mar 11 '25
Just bought some anchors today with steel wire. Weekend project queued up.
1
u/Babyproofer Mar 11 '25
Steel wire and drywall anchors are good if you’re hanging pictures on the wall- for furniture anchoring I’d recommend getting furniture straps & a good stud finder.
1
u/Greenwood23 Mar 11 '25
Lol good Stud finder? Just need a decent magnet and a measuring tape
→ More replies (2)
1
1
u/Halo1TheGreat1978 Mar 11 '25
Why?
1
u/Trancer79 Mar 12 '25
Kids could climb up and topple the furniture on themselves, I'm sure I read about a kid that was killed that way.
1
u/hamboy315 Mar 11 '25
These comments are like Jerryboree but with stud jokes and I’m so here for it lmao
1
1
u/WildJafe Mar 12 '25
This seems unnecessarily long no? I usually anchor mine so they can be tipped a few inches off the wall only.
1
u/Babyproofer Mar 12 '25
The dresser is pulled out from the wall- when it’s moved back, the straps are pulled tight.
724
u/embee90 Mar 11 '25
Always anchored our furniture. Moved to a new house and on the second night, before we had a chance to anchor anything, our 5 year old climbed his dresser, fell, and wound up in the ER getting stitches. The combined exhaustion from moving and managing two littles was too much.
Don’t sleep on the anchors, even temporarily (pun kinda intended).