I'm so glad you are here because it means you are most likely looking for the best way to secure your furniture and TV's to the wall to prevent your child from being injured or killed the way my Meggie was; by a fallen piece of furniture. If you have spent a little time reading this Website or at the Meghan's Hope Facebook page, you already know Meggie's story.  If you don't, please take some time to read it on the home page.   

This blog will explain what needs to be anchored, why, as well as how to choose a furniture or TV anchor and how to install it.  Everything you need to know is written here, complete with clickable links to quickly find the resources you need!  So let's #AnchorIt!

Why do I need to secure my furniture?  Do I really need to secure all it?
We know tip-overs happen about every 24 minutes, that's about 60 times a day.  About every 43 minutes a child is injured seriously enough to be taken to the ER due to a tip-over incident, some with life-changing and debilitating injuries they may never fully recover from. That's approximately 33 children every single day.  About every 12 days, a child dies from a tip-over.  That's a minimum of 30 children a year.  Every single one of them could have been prevented if the furniture or TV that fell on them was secured to the wall. 

The reality is that ALL of your furniture needs to be secured to the wall, because you cannot tell by looking at a piece of furniture (or a TV) whether or not it could tip-over.  It does not matter how short or tall it is, how heavy or light it is, who made it, where you bought it, how long you've had it, or how safe you think it is, The only way to prevent a tip-over is to properly secure all of your furniture and TV's to the wall.  It is a dangerous misconception that only light and inexpensive dressers are the only furniture at risk.  Children (and adults) have been killed by dressers, wardrobes, bookcases/shelving units, TV stands/entertainment units, and other pieces of furniture outside of the bedroom.  Meghan weighed 28 pounds, her dresser more than 150.  It took 2 adults to move it.  We never thought it could tip-over, yet it did, and it killed my Meggie. When you know better, you do better.  Thanks to Meggie, you know better.  

But I have a flat screen TV now, do I really need to anchor it?  It's so light!
The number of deaths and injuries due to TV's has decreased as people have gotten rid of the old tube style TV's and replaced them with flat screens, but they still happen.  It's important to realize that even flat screen televisions can still cause serious injury or death if they fall.  Think of the weight of your furniture and TV's in terms of bowling balls.  A 20 pound TV is the equivalent of 2 bowling balls falling on your child's head or chest.  That is enough to break bones and cause a deadly head or chest injury. That visual should help you understand why it doesn't take something heavy to cause a catastrophic injury. 

So what causes a tip-over? Isn't it just IKEA or cheap furniture and dressers I have to worry about?
Furniture and TV's tip-over because of physics, and while children are the most frequently injured and killed, adults are also injured and killed every year due to a tip-over!   It is absolutely not just dressers or inexpensive/IKEA furniture that is at risk.  ALL furniture has the potential tip-over onto your child if it's not anchored to the wall.  
Your child can interact with a piece of furniture or TV 100 times. 99 of those times, nothing may happen, but one of those times, just the right circumstances will occur that will cause that piece of furniture to fall on them. You don't know if that time will be the first, the 5th, or the 100th.  Don't take the chance!  $5 and 15 minutes would have saved Meghan's life if I understood the dangers. Take the time, spend the money, and secure your furniture today! 
​
Please visit the following Web sites to learn more about why anchoring furniture and TVs it is so important.  Especially if you don’t think it’s necessary to anchor more than just your child's dresser! 

• CPSC's Anchor it Website (important statistics and resources) 
• How it happens, video from the CPSC: 
• Meghan's story from the CPSC
• Real moms urge you to anchor it
• A compelling story from a parent
• Consumer Reports tip-over research and reports
• Netflix documentary BROKEN: Deadly Dressers
  • My review of the documentary and "inside" information
• My safety blog 

What do I use to anchor my furniture?  How do I choose the right and safest anchor? 
It's important to realize that furniture anchors are not all created equal, and many are not tested to see how much weight they can actually hold, so they can give a potentially false sense of security. 

It's also important to realize there is no mandatory standard for testing of furniture anchors, so a "test" could simply be an adult pulling on a strap once to see if it holds. That does not actually simulate the forces of a child climbing, pulling, or otherwise interacting with a dresser multiple times every day over the course of years.  And one company's "test" is not the same as another's, if they test it at all.  

There are also a lot of "copycat" anchors out there that look like name brand anchors, primarily sold online, and they are less expensive and often made with inferior materials and thus, more likely to fail. I recommend you avoid those.  Hint, if they are not listed below, or made by one of the companies listed below, they are quite possibly inferior products and not recommended. 

It's very important to realize that the anchors must hold not only the weight of the furniture, but also what's in/on top of it, plus at least an additional 60 lbs (to simulate the weight of a 6yr old climbing on it), so you often need more than one anchor or multiple sets of anchors (if they come 2 to a package for example) to secure one piece of furniture, depending on how much weight the anchor can hold.  It's best to overestimate!

Professional childproofers strongly recommend anchors that have no plastic parts that can become brittle or break, and anchors that have been lab tested for weight capacity if possible. This can be a simple and inexpensive "L" bracket, any steel cable style anchor, or a heavy duty furniture strap with metal attachments for the wall and furniture side. These are included in my resource list here. 

Devices that can be used to secure furniture safely:

L-Brackets 
They can be found at any hardware store, come in different lengths and widths depending on your needs.  Inexpensive and effective.  Need appropriate sized and length screws as well. Not sure what you need?  Just ask an employee at the local hardware store!

Safety First Furniture Wall Straps

Safety First Furniture and TV Combination Straps (either furniture, or TV, or both)

KidCo Anti-Tip furniture Straps

Quakehold furniture straps option 1 and Option 2

Hangman Anti-Tip kit (up to 400lb) and how to install
 
Quakehold Heavy Duty Steel Furniture Cable

Safety Innovations Furniture and TV Straps (hold 150-200lb per manufacturer) 

Additional Important Information:

• All anti-tip devices must be secured into a stud in the wall and into SOLID WOOD, not into the flimsy press board backings of some furniture.  If you do not have wood studs, inquire at your hardware store or with a professional childproofer as to what type of bolts or fasteners and style of drill bit you need to use for brick, concrete, horsehair walls, or other non-traditional material.
• Not all devices work for all pieces of furniture or in all locations where that furniture might be in a room.  You need to choose carefully and appropriately.  
• Even if secured, you must periodically check the straps to be sure they are still secure and not pulling out of the furniture, TV, or wall-  plastic parts especially can become brittle or break over time or with repeated forces being applied to them, causing them to fail. This is why I recommend choosing anchors with no plastic parts if possible.
• You may need to rearrange furniture to make it safe and attach it to the wall safely.  Visible anchoring devices or furniture in a different place than you would prefer it are a small price to pay for your child's safety. 
• You may need to remove furniture that cannot be safely secured or gate off or restrict access to rooms where furniture and TV's are not safely secured. 
• Don't forget to secure appliances, filing cabinets, and other non-traditional furniture that poses a tip-over hazard.
• Don't forget to check if furniture and TV's are anchored at the homes your child visits, including in home and institutional day care centers.

 IMPORTANT:  Even if your furniture comes with a restraining device, it may not be sufficient to hold the weight of the furniture!  I strongly recommend you use a store bought restraining device instead of or in addition to any anchor that comes with furniture.  Anchors sold with furniture are not currently required to be tested for safety and there is no guarantee they will safety hold the furniture to the wall
·         
 Note:  I do not recommend the use of cable ties or Mommy’s Helper Furniture Straps as they are plastic cable ties and will likely not bear the weight of most fully loaded pieces of storage furniture and the plastic cables often become brittle and break easily after a short time and feel they give the user a false sense of security.  I have personally had this specific furniture strap fail (the cable tie snapped) after only a few months of use. 

TELEVISIONS: Devices to secure TV’s to the wall: 

The safest way to secure a TV is to purchase a flat panel TV and mount it directly to the wall.  If you cannot do that, please use one of the devices below.  Even large rear projection and other big, heavy TV’s do pose a danger and should be secured if you cannot replace it with a flatscreen.  If you dispose of a tube TV, remove it from your home and cut the cord so it cannot be used unsafely elsewhere and recycle it properly.  Some electronic stores will take them back for recycling!

Safety first furniture and TV Strap

Hangman Anti-tip Flatscreen TV Strap and how to install video

​Quakehold Straps Big Screen and Appliance Strap

KidCo Anti-Tip Television Strap (for flat screen TV’s)

HOW DO I PROPERLY SECURE FURNITURE TO THE WALL?
You can find many how-to videos on YouTube, but these are two I recommend.  

CPSC How to anchor it video for anchoring furniture

Consumer Reports Video on how to secure furniture to the wall

But I don't have the right tools or I'm afraid I can't do it right.  What can I do?
If you don't have the right tools (drill, stud finder, measuring tape), are unsure how to use them, are worried you'll do it wrong, or if you have a spouse or parent who isn't willing to do it for you, don't worry!  There are other options!  

• Ask a handy friend, neighbor, or family member to help you!  Either to borrow the tools, show you how to use them, or help you do it.  Even if your spouse or parent is against it, they won't undo it once it's done!  You need to do what's best to protect your child.
• Get together with a group of friends.  Buy them pizza and have them over for an "anchoring" or childproofing party!  Then next weekend, you return the favor for them!  This is a great idea for expecting or new parents, or anyone who has friends/family who also want to secure their furniture/TV"s and childproof! 
• You can hire a handy man or professional childproofer to help you.  You can find professional childproofers in your area at the International Association for Child Safety

Where to buy anti-tip devices?
You may find some of the products at some 'big box' department and home improvement stores (or their Web sites), stores that sell other childproofing supplies, and online at Amazon.com or sites that sell safety devices for the home. Not all stores carry them, but many do have them on their websites.  If they don’t carry them, educate them and encourage them to stock them!  Amazon.com carries all the brands recommended here.

If you still have questions, you can message me at info@meghanshope.org
​

A call to action 
Ok my village.  The time is now!  I need each and every one of you to help us get the STURDY Act through the U.S. Senate. I can't do it without your help and I need a LOT of help!

This bill is the fastest and most likely way to ensure that a mandatory and effective furniture safety and stability standard is created and enforced. This is an urgent appeal, as time is of the essence and we only have a few months to make this happen, which means we need to mobilize and use our collective voices now!  Are you in?

What is the STURDY Act and why do you want me to contact my senator about it?
This blog will tell you what the STURDY Act is, why this is so important, why I need your help, and how easy it is to do provide that help! I've made it as quick and easy as possible! I'll even tell you how to find out who your Senators are, how to reach them, and what to say and write if you aren't sure how to do any of those things.

I promise, it will be easy and take very little time for you to help me keep my promise to Meggie to #stoptipovers!

What is the STURDY Act?
The STURDY Act stands for Stop Tip-Overs of Unstable Risky Dressers on Youth.  It requires that the CPSC issue a mandatory rule (furniture safety standard) within one year of it's enactment that would mandate:

• Testing on all clothing storage units, regardless of height
• Require that testing to simulate the weight of a child 72 months of age
• Require testing that accounts for the way children interact with furniture in the real world.  Testing that would include loaded drawers, multiple open drawers, accounting for the impact of carpeting on stability, and simulating the dynamic forces a climbing child would cause
• Mandate strong warning requirements and labels

Why do we need it to become law?

• Because the current voluntary furniture safety standard is not stringent enough. 
• The voluntary standard means it's optional to follow the voluntary safety standards, manufacturers do not have to comply with it, and many don't. 
• Until ALL manufacturers must follow the same safety standards by law, and there are repercussions (legal and financial) for not complying, it won't happen.  
• The furniture industry as a whole (not all manufacturers, but many), is resistant to making these changes to the voluntary standard.  Why?
  • It's been 19 years and it hasn't happened yet.  If they wanted to, it could have been achieved years ago
  • They are afraid it will cost them money and reduce profit margins to make these changes to the way they produce furniture currently
  • Some don't believe there is a big enough problem to warrant a change to the voluntary standard, let alone a stronger mandatory one. They claim there is not enough data, AKA, not enough dead and injured children to warrant change
  • The manufacturers who are or want to do the right thing are afraid their competition will out-sell them if the "bad actors" don't have to comply, which will impact profits, so they are reluctant to make the standard any stronger
  • Many manufacturers actually want a mandatory standard to level the playing field and force everyone to follow the same rules, but we want it to be stronger and more effective than the current voluntary safety standard is.  But until it's required by law, they are highly unlikely to do the right thing because it will cost them more to produce the furniture which means lower profits for the companies

The industry knows right now, how to make furniture more stable and less likely to tip.  They have the ability to test furniture to the standard the STURDY Act would require, and some already do!. But they are few and far between. Without a law and accountability, the "bad actors" continue to put children's lives at risk. 

Because it's only optional/voluntary right now, until it's required by law, and instability is engineered out of furniture by design, and clothing storage furniture is tested to a minimum effective safety standard that is universal and mandatory, children will continue to be injured and killed by dressers and other pieces of furniture.  It's that simple. The statistics over the last 20 years have proven this time and time again. 

If you've not read my previous blog posts about why we need the STURDY Act and the problems with the CPSC's authority and the voluntary furniture safety standard process, please do take the time to read them for the background history that explains why the STURDY Act is so vital to significantly reducing the number of injuries and deaths to children from tip-overs.  These are also great links to include when you write to your Senator! You can find them here:

The STURDY Act:  Why we need Congress to do now, what the CPSC and ASTM furniture safety sub-committee have not been able to do

Preventing Furniture Tip-Overs: The Data Dilemma

What's wrong with the current system for developing stronger furniture safety standards?

Broken: Deadly Dressers.  A review and understanding of the scope of furniture tip-overs

Why do I need ALL of you to contact your Senators and ask them to support the STURDY Act?

• Because the more people they hear from, the more likely they are to move this bill forward.  Without their constituents letting them know this issue is important to them, they won't take it up for a vote.  They may not even know it exists!
• Because they will only "listen" to their constituents, meaning people who live in their state and can vote for them. 
• The more people our Senators hear from, and the more compelling our calls and letters, the more attention they will pay to this bill and the more likely it will be that they they will co-sponsor it, present it to the full committee for a hearing and discussion, and hopefully pass to the full Senate and on to the President for signature into law.  
• Because we need every U.S. Senator to become aware of the STURDY Act, understand why it's so important, and ask that they co-sponsor it,
  • We especially need those who are members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the sub-committee on manufacturing, trade, and consumer protection to co-sponsor it.
    • ​It's vitally important that we contact the Republican members of that committee and of the entire Senate for that matter, to educate them and ask that they co-sponsor and support this bill. 
    • For that reason, if you are from, or know someone who is from the following states, I especially need your help!  Mississippi, South Dakota, Missouri, Texas, Nebraska,Kansas, Arkansas, Colorado, Tennessee, West Virginia, Utah, Wisconsin, Indiana, Florida, Washington state, Minnesota, Hawaii, New Mexico, Michigan, Montana, Arizona, and Nevada.
• Because by contacting every Senator we can, by as many people as we can, is the best chance we have of getting the subcommittee to schedule a hearing and the best chance of making a significant impact on the numbers of children injured and killed by dressers and other clothing storage furniture.

Whether your Senators are Republican, Democratic, or Independent, my goal is that with your help, all of them will become aware of the issue of furniture tip-over, the STURDY Act, and be compelled to co-sponsor and support it in the next two months. 

Why do we need your help?
On September 17th, 2019, the STURDY Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives with bipartisan support (HR 2211) and was referred to the Senate committee on science, commerce, and transportation, where it had first been introduced by Senator Robert Casey on June 19th, 2019. 

The Senate had made it clear that they will not even consider any bill that does not have a Republican co-sponsor and Republican support. I can assure you that tip-overs are not a partisan issue.  Furniture falls equally on both Democratic and Republican children (and adults!).  This is an issue of child safety, not one of politics or partisanship. The STURDY Act will save lives.  We need to ensure the Senators all understand this about the STURDY Act.

Senators need to hear from YOU, their constituents, to not only be made aware of the issue of tip-over, but that you want them to take action to stop it by supporting, co-sponsoring, and passing the STURDY Act in the Senate in this session of Congress (this year).

At the very least, the chair could at least have a hearing on the bill, to learn more and do their due diligence for the greater good of their constituents! I can write to every Senator in the U.S. but only the ones from my state will likely listen to me, since others can't get my vote.  This is why I need your help! 

Here's how you can help!
It's quick and it's easy and there are 3 ways you can help.  Choose one, or better yet, choose all 3! 

1. Write to your senator, either by email or the old fashioned way, with a letter through the mail.  Email is faster and will get read more quickly, but doing both is ideal.  If you email, you can use the contact form on their Website or email an aide directly. I have contact information for every senator, so feel fee to message me if you can't find it and need help!
2. Call your Senator's Washington, DC office and ask to speak to their legislative aide.  This is important, even if you write to them, you should call them, too. To follow up on your email and/or letter, and to ensure your request reaches a human! It can take weeks for those emails and letters to get read, and while they are important, a phone call is an immediate way to alert your Senator about the issue, why it's important to you, and why you want them to support and co-sponsor the STURDY Act. It also gives them a heads up to be looking for that email or letter and hopefully peak their interest enough to want to learn more and follow up. 
3. Call your Senator's local district office closest to you and request a meeting with them when they are in their home state (or, if you'll be in D.C, in their D.C. office) or they may offer you a meeting with a legislative aide if a meeting with the Senator can't happen in the next few months.  This is an important and powerful way to use your voice on any issue, but especially this one.  Personal face to face connections are the most effective way to get support and make an impact.  My own Representative has told me that many times. 

How do I find out who my Senators are and how to contact them?
Go to www.senate.gov/senators/contact and use the drop down menu to choose your state.  That will bring you to a listing of your state's senators, their D.C. address and phone number, and a link to contact them. 

Once you know who your senators are, you can also Google their name and find their Website, if there is not a link from the senate.gov page. Their official Website will have their local office locations and contact information as well as other information you might find helpful or interesting about them, like what other bills they support and their public schedule.

What do you say when you call or write your Senator?
I've made it easy for you!  If you are not sure what to say or write, I've provided a sample letter and script here.  Feel free to use it as a guide if you need to. Using a personal why/story is much more effective than just asking them to support and co-sponsor a bill they know nothing about.  Since you most likely will be talking to an aide unless you secure a face to face meeting, you need to educate them when you call and write.

When you call:

• Call your Senator's Washington, D.C. office phone # and ask for the legislative aide.  If they are not available, then it's fine to leave a message on their voice mail after speaking with the aide that answers the phone about why you are calling. Go through this entire script if you can with each person you speak with!
• Get the aides name, phone extension, and email address if possible so you can follow up.  Make note of the date you called, too.  
• Send me a message via Facebook or at info@meghanshope.org to let me know which senators you have contacted please, and message me again if you get any response or follow up from them at all at a later date, too! I'd like to keep track for my own reference should I have the opportunity to testify before the Committee.
• Here's a script you can use:

" Hi, my name is _________________ and I'm from ______________________ (town, state).  I'm calling today to ask Senator _______________'s support of the STURDY Act, bill S1902.  It stands for Stop Tip-Overs of Unstable Risky Dressers on Youth.  Did you know that every 24 minutes a piece of furniture tips over in the U.S. and that every 37 minutes a child is sent to an emergency room with injuries from a fallen piece of furniture? About every 11 days a child dies from those injuries. We know that from 2000-2018, there were 556 deaths due to tip-overs, and 459 of them were children, which means while most of these injuries and deaths happen to children, they can happen to adults, too! Have you ever heard of this danger before?

<if yes, engage in conversation about how they knew.  If no, then share your personal connection, or Meghan's story and how it impacted you, and why preventing tip-over is so important to you.  Maybe because you have young children and until you heard Meghan's story, you had no idea, maybe your child or even you had a near miss and didn't realize how lucky you were, maybe you had a dresser that's been recalled or you saw the documentary BROKEN.  Whatever your connection is, share it and it's ok to be emotional!> 

This bill would require that the CPSC issue a mandatory rule (furniture safety standard) within one year of it's enactment that would mandate:

• Testing on all clothing storage units, regardless of height
• Require that testing to simulate the weight of a child 72 months of age
• Require testing that accounts for the way children interact with furniture in the real world.  Testing that would include loaded drawers, accounting for the impact of carpeting on stability, and simulating the dynamic forces a climbing child would cause
• Mandate strong warning requirements and labels

The STURDY Act passed the House in September with bipartisan support, and is now in the Senate Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation.  I know there is a lot on the Senator's plate right now, but this is an issue that affects every single one of their constituents.  Furniture tip-over is not a partisan issue, it's a safety issue.  Furniture falls on Republican and Democratic children equally, and their parents are equally devastated when it happens.  The Senator is in a position to save lives and protect their most vulnerable constituents, our children. 

In the course of your day today, 70 people will be victims of a tip-over.  38 will be rushed to an ER.  One of them may die from their injuries, or suffer a catastrophic, life-changing injury. It could be a child you know and love. All of them could be prevented, if the STURDY Act were law.  

As the voice of the people in the Senate, Senator___________ has the opportunity and the power to protect children from this danger in every home, right now.  I respectfully ask that the senator take the time to learn more about this issue and strongly consider co-sponsoring the STURDY Act to send a message to your constituents and your colleagues that protecting their children is a top priority for you. 

I am happy to send you additional information/links to the bill, and resources that you may find helpful for yourself and Senator _____________ as they consider their support of this important safety legislation. What is the best email address for me to send that to? My contact information is ___________________ (name, phone/email). Could I please have your name and contact information as well?  

Thank you so much for your time and it's my sincere hope that Senator _____________ supports this important and lifesaving bill and signs on as a co-sponsor."

If you write:

• Send your letter or email to their Washington D.C. office address and to the attention of their legislative aide.  If you don't know who their legislative aide is you can call and ask for that person's name and email address or just put "Attention: Legislative Aide" in your email subject line or on your envelope. This helps get your letter into the right person's hands faster.  Know that it can take weeks or your letter to actually reach someone's desk.
• You can find a generic letter here.  All you need to do is personalize it with your Senator's contact information, your contact information, and ideally a brief, personal story explaining why this issue and bill is important to you. You can share how Meghan's story impacted you, your own story of a tip-over or near miss, or that of someone you know personally, and why you want them to represent your voice by co-sponsoring this bill. These areas that need you to edit/change are highlighted in yellow.  You will need to copy and paste the letter, personalize it, eliminate the highlighting, and then you can send it via email or regular mail.  Or even better, both! 
• You can of course, also write your own letter, too. You don't need to use the template I provided! 
• You can/should also refer to the STURDY Act by it's name and bill # which is S1902, the STURDY Act Fact Sheet, and attach both to any emails you send and print a copy to mail if you are mailing the old fashioned way. 
• You can also refer them to Meghan's Hope, Consumer Reports (search furniture tip-over) and Parents Against Tip-Overs if they have any questions or would like additional information 

Up the ante, and encourage your friends and families to do the same! 
Please encourage your families and friends in your state and other states to also contact their Senators and ask them to co-sponsor and support the STURDY Act. Share this blog post along with an explanation of why you want your friends and family to take a few minutes to use their voice to protect kids from tip-overs and prevent any other family from knowing my pain.  People are far more likely to click on a link and take action, as well as share it with others, if you include your personal reasons for asking them to. 

There is tremendous power in numbers and the more people they hear from, the more aware they will become about tip-overs, the more likely they will be to support and co-sponsor the bill, and the more likely they will be to give this bill a chance to be heard and discussed in the committee, and hopefully, become law by the end of this session of Congress.

Otherwise, it will die there at the end of this year without ever being recognized or discussed when this session of Congress ends, as will countless more children, until an effective mandatory furniture safety standard is a reality, and without the STURDY Act becoming law, that is far less likely to happen. 

Thank you for your help and your support!  If you have any questions or need any assistance, please message me at info@meghanshope.org.