TESTED: The importance of child furniture safety

At Room to Grow we know the importance of safety when it comes to children’s furniture. However, we also understand that it’s something that may not automatically be the first thought for parents when they’re in the middle of the hustle and bustle of preparing for a new arrival.

This topic has particularly come into light more recently, when a shocking video portraying two young boys playing in their nursery went viral. They open a set of draws before climbing into them; the scene that follows is a traumatic one to watch for all, but it thankfully has a happy conclusion, where one of the 2-year-old little ones is able to rescue their climbing counterpart.

Whilst this particular story ended well, not all cases are like this, and we felt that it was super important to highlight this particular topic, and make sure that these events become a thing of the past!

We challenged three of our favourite parenting bloggers to get involved in a safety campaign, by sending them out a variety of different bracketing packs, to test on their own furniture at home, and see how effective they believed them to be. These tests had some super interesting results!

Hannah

We sent Hannah, from https://makedoandpush.co.uk/, out a set of Safety straps that prevent furniture from falling over by attaching to the back of the furniture and to the wall. After testing the product, Hannah found that whilst the instructions for how to put this safety measure in place were relatively informative, the purchased kit did not come with the screws that were needed in order to attach the straps. Whilst this was a slight negative to the process, Hannah concluded that the product provided a satisfactory level of safety and would recommend the product to a friend.

Pamela

We sent Pamela, from https://www.scottishfamilyliving.com/,  out a set of KEKU fixings that can be used to fasten a variety of different household furniture to walls. Pamela’s original obstacle was that this particular set of fixings come with absolutely no instructions, which for the less DIY savvy could cause some issues when attempting to implement this safety process. Thankfully Pamela’s lovely husband is super DIY savvy, and had absolutely no trouble with the instillation process. It was concluded that the fixings provided a satisfactory level of safety and Pamela would recommend them to a friend.

“Instructions for the less DIY savvy would have been good.  Other than that the product itself provided an excellent solution to restoring the safety to our daughter’s nursery.  Now we can place her on the floor whilst we run her bath, instead of her cot.  She is happier about that!” – Pamela, Scottish Family Living

Danielle

We sent Danielle, from https://someonesmum.co.uk/,  out a Mommy’s Helper Furniture Bracket Kit that helps prevent furniture from tipping over. After testing the product out at home, Danielle concluded that the instillation process was super easy, the instructions were really helpful and most importantly the product provided a satisfactory level of safety. Danielle would recommend this product to others.

“Very easy to install and seems very steady – my husband couldn’t get the furniture we attached to move at all once installed!” – Danielle, Someone’s Mum

Therefore, we would personally conclude that out of these particular three kits, the Mommy’s little helper kit appears to be the easiest and most effective form of prevention.

You can read more about Pamela, Hannah and Danielle’s experience, along with their personal thoughts on child furniture safety over on their respective blogs.

Room to Grow recommend that in the interest of safety, particularly where small children are concerned, you should secure your furniture to the wall to prevent the product from tipping forwards.  The screw included in the fitting pack is only intended for fixing the safety strap to the piece of furniture.  The customer needs to obtain and use fixing devices that are suitable for the walls in their home.  If they are unsure of what fixings to use, they are asked to seek further advice from their local DIY store.