Yesterday we had an accident that was a little too close for comfort.
My son Joshua; who is 3 1/2 years old, decided that he was a big boy and could change a DVD by himself. I had left the room for only a few minutes and in that time he tried to climb up our TV to get to the DVDs. Our TV is on an armoire; pretty low to the ground, but our TV is easily over 100 lbs. It is the old tube style.
Well, I heard a crash followed by a piercing scream. I thought the kids had knocked another kitchen chair over again as they have several times in the past. But as I walked out to the living room I could see the TV on the ground and all I could think of is please God no. In a split second I remembered a devotion that a lady gave in PWOC last year. The ladies daughter I believe was about three years old and had a little TV on her dresser in her room but she tried to climb to get it or opened all of her dresser drawers and the TV fell on her and she later died.
Thankfully, Joshua wasn't under the TV but his arm looked a little blue and his shoulder was all red and his face was purple, most likely from his screaming. He probably scared himself pretty good. He has a nice knick about where his right collar bone is but he seems to be able to move his arm pretty well.
After much crying; mostly by me, it was all okay. THANK GOD! Joshua was just looking at me, "Mommy I want to watch 'My Favorite Things'", that is the DVD he was trying to grab. He didn't think anything of the situation and I am just sitting there thankful he is okay and that nothing more serious happened.
Zach and I never even thought that the TV falling could happen because the thing is so darn heavy. I mean he only weighs 25 pounds but I guess a determined toddler is all it takes.
When my husband came home, he and a friend of his put the TV in the back of our vehicle along with our glass and wrought iron coffee table and side table as the kids have stood up on those too. So all those things are leaving because they just aren't safe for toddlers.
They are in a climbing and jumping phase that to them seems fun but to us as parents can be rather daunting. It is daunting in the fact that we can't take things for granted. We thought we were okay, I mean we 'safety proofed' the house. We have plugs covering the outlets, the kids can't get to any electrical cords, the strings to the blinds are put out of their reach, we have kid-proof covers on our door knobs, most all our big furniture is anchored to the walls, but despite all of that things still happen.
I know I can't put my kids in a bubble and believe me they get their fair share of bumps and bruises from falling and playing outside but aside from that I feel that my job as a parent is to try and ensure that their environment is as safe as possible.
NPR reported on falling TVs as a growing threat to children. It happens more often than people like to think and it isn't just the TVs aren't safe it is our furniture too.
We had bought some furniture from IKEA and they came with wall anchors but if you were in a pinch you could buy some 1 inch wide nylon chord, some washers, and screws. Kid Smart Living is just one site that you can find some products to help make your home a little more safe.
I understand that getting rid of things isn't always the answer but for us it was in this situation. We will be looking for a TV in the near future that isn't so heavy as our last one but this will be mounted either to the wall or will have anchors used with it.
***If you have young children at home or have young children that visit your home, I urge you to please go through and see what are some things that you can do to help make it more safe. If you are unsure HowStuffWorks has a few tips to help you out. With young children it only takes just a moment for things to happen. PLEASE DON'T ASSUME OR TAKE THINGS FOR GRANTED!
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