# Falling flat-screen TVs a growing threat for kids



## KatWrangler (Mar 21, 2005)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30686493/

Quote:

Nearly 17,000 children were rushed to emergency rooms in 2007, the last year for which complete figures were available, after heavy or unstable furniture fell over on them, a new study reported this month. The study, published in the journal Clinical Pediatrics by researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, found that the such injuries had risen 41 percent since 1990.

We stayed in a Marriott on the way to Florida. They had a flat screen tv in the room and I swear I was scared to death the kids were going to knock it over. I told my husband, "Who the h*ll thought it was a great idea to put a flat screen tv on here?" I mean if it was on the wall, thats one thing. But no, this was on the desk/chest of drawers thingy.

I should of wrote them.


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

I saw a kit at Babies R Us for securing standing flat screens. Which really should be done, just like with regular TVs.


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## queenjane (May 17, 2004)

I'm alot less scared of flat screens than the big huge tvs. My mom has one, and i think if the kids pulled it down, the poor tv would sustain alot more damage than the kids. Whereas the tv i have, would probably cause more injury, its really really heavy, i can barely lift it.

We might tether the tv to the wall at my mom's (its not mounted because there isnt a good spot to do so), more to protect the tv than the kids. The tv itself seems really light.

Katherine


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## MomInCalifornia (Jul 17, 2003)

My parents is on a stand and I've thought about my kids accidentally knocking it over, however, like a previous poster I'm worried more about the TV being broken than it really harming my kids. It seems so much less heavy than the older TV's. Granted, my kids are older and it's not a huge TV.

I can see it being more of an issue with huge TV's and babies, toddlers etc.

We're in earthquake country so everything should be secured anyway!


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## kay4 (Nov 30, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *queenjane* 
I'm alot less scared of flat screens than the big huge tvs.

ditto, our flat screen is much lighter than our previous tv


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## Drummer's Wife (Jun 5, 2005)

I am also a lot less afraid of my kids getting hurt by our LCD tv than I was when we had a huge, heavy television.

We do keep our TV on a stand and while it seems stable to me, there is always the possibility that it could fall. I will have to look into securing it better. Thanks for sharing the article.


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## Amylcd (Jun 16, 2005)

Our flat screen is very light. I don't see how it could possibly hurt an older toddler or child, unless it is falling from high up.


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## Moonglow Girl (Oct 27, 2007)

Flat screens seem safer than tube TVs to me too.

A few years ago, a 9 month old in our community died after tipping a 25 inch tube TV over onto himself. He was climbing the stand. So tragic.









If it'd been a flat screen, the TV would've been ruined, but I don't think he would've died.


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## Jilian (Jun 16, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Moonglow Girl* 
Flat screens seem safer than tube TVs to me too.

A few years ago, a 9 month old in our community died after tipping a 25 inch tube TV over onto himself. He was climbing the stand. So tragic.









If it'd been a flat screen, the TV would've been ruined, but I don't think he would've died.

I agree. A few months ago my sister's friend almost lost her 18 month old son when he tipped grandma's projection TV onto himself. It shattered most of the bones in his face and skull. It is a wonder that he lived. He was in the ICU for a long, long time. Most LCD TVs are lighter than the older TVs out there. Our LCD weighs about 60 lbs versus our several hundred pound older TV that we recently got rid of. But we've opted to keep it on the wall for safety reasons with a wall mount that holds TVs up to 160 lbs to be on the safe side.


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## Drummer's Wife (Jun 5, 2005)

I do wonder how many deaths there are comparing the different types of tv's. LCD, Plasma, Tube, rear-projection etc.

The article seemed to focus on flat screens but yet they didn't say what kind of TV killed the little girl. At the end it says she was climbing up the entertainment center/stand to reach a book on top of the TV. I don't know about other people TV's but the LCD we have would definitely not hold a book on top... which makes me think she must have had a larger, thicker, heavier TV.

DH's goal is to have a nice projector and a screen that we would pull down from the ceiling. That seems like the safest option to me (but the most $).


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## mommy2maya (Jun 7, 2003)

The stand is more likely to hurt the kid than the lcd tv. That said, anything tall, climbable, heavy, unstable or similar is bolted to the wall at my house. Including the dressers, tv stands, bookcases, etc.

That story made very little sense, and I really don't see how they correlated it to flat panel tvs. Especially since they say those injuries have been on the rise since 1990- flat panel tvs have only very recently become popular. This is a bad bad bad article.


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## changingseasons (Mar 24, 2008)

Our flatscreen TV weighs 180 pounds, so it is definitely more dangerous than our regular tube TV (which weighs maybe 30-40 pounds?)!!

Ours is on a stand and we do have it tethered to the wall, but it still makes me nervous as the tether is just held in by one small screw. As soon as we move, we plan to put it on the wall. Until then, DD isn't allowed in the TV room by herself.


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## Drummer's Wife (Jun 5, 2005)

I'm pretty sure flat panel just means the screen is flatter rather than curved a bit, like all TV's used to be. it doesn't necessarily mean thinner, lighter, etc. I've seen big boxed TV's that had a flatted screen. Plasma tv's haven't even been on the market for that long, much less LCD's.

Our TV stand is heavy and sturdy and like 2 feet tall. I can't see it tipping over and hurting anyone. One of the reason's we don't have any dressers in our home is b/c of the fear of injury (that and I prefer to hang everything up).

ETA: what I'm thinking is that since the 90's TV's have gotten a lot larger and more affordable... so more people have something bigger and heavier than a 19 inch tv in the corner, yk?


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## mamaUK (Jul 9, 2008)

we have a 36 inch flat screen tv. We replaced it b/c I was so frightened that our old heavy TV would seriously injure one of our kids if pulled over. When the flat screen arrived there was a hole in the base so you can tie the TV to the TV stand. I wasn't happy with that so I got my husband to drill a hole in our wooden TV stand, and use a bolt through the hole of the flat base of the TV and bolt it to the wooden TV stand. Even I can't pull it over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## UberMama (Feb 27, 2007)

We have a flat screen mounted to our wall. DH and I spent hours one night mounting that thing, making sure it was definitely attached to the studs in the wall and NOT the sheetrock alone, etc. That said, we have an "entertainment center" below it, so if it falls - it either falls behind it or on top of it. By the time it'd fall over the front of the center, it would have hit the center at least. That and the kids don't play in front of the center, we never walk in front of it, etc. Only time DH or myself are in front of it is to change out the DVD's and such.

I am scared of it falling. I'd say I look at the attachment to the wall once a week and if I touch the TV to dust it, I push the TV a TINY bit to see if it budges at all.


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## mommy2maya (Jun 7, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *UberMama* 
We have a flat screen mounted to our wall. DH and I spent hours one night mounting that thing, making sure it was definitely attached to the studs in the wall and NOT the sheetrock alone, etc. That said, we have an "entertainment center" below it, so if it falls - it either falls behind it or on top of it. By the time it'd fall over the front of the center, it would have hit the center at least. That and the kids don't play in front of the center, we never walk in front of it, etc. Only time DH or myself are in front of it is to change out the DVD's and such.

I am scared of it falling. I'd say I look at the attachment to the wall once a week and if I touch the TV to dust it, I push the TV a TINY bit to see if it budges at all.

I'd be far more worried about the entertainment center falling on one of them


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## UberMama (Feb 27, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mommy2maya* 
I'd be far more worried about the entertainment center falling on one of them

Our "entertainment center" is similar to this: http://www.audiovideocomponents.com/...-25_room-s.jpg But the TV is mounted, not on the center like in that photo.

With the stand that came with our TV, we felt it was safer to mount it vs. leave it on the stand.

(We didn't get a choice of TV, being I won it about two and a half years ago via a sweepstakes I had entered. But it's a Samsung, so it's not a cheapo/off brand either but the even with the wide base/stand, it didn't seem safe enough to leave it on that.)


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## mommy2maya (Jun 7, 2003)

usually the scenario goes like this:

kid wants something on top of tv/shelf/dresser/etc, opens the bottom drawer/stands on the bottom shelf/opens the door to stand on the shelf, then the whole piece of furniture topples on the child. It is not always a heavy tv to hurt the child, furniture itself is very heavy and dangerous.


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## UberMama (Feb 27, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mommy2maya* 
usually the scenario goes like this:

kid wants something on top of tv/shelf/dresser/etc, opens the bottom drawer/stands on the bottom shelf/opens the door to stand on the shelf, then the whole piece of furniture topples on the child. It is not always a heavy tv to hurt the child, furniture itself is very heavy and dangerous.

Sorry, I forgot to mention that ours is mounted (as is most all of our furniture in our house - dressers, etc.). Even without that, I could stand on one of the shelves and rock my entire body back and forth and that thing wouldn't begin to rock. (Don't think DH and I didn't try this, and with how well built it is, it can hold us easily)









With the height of it, if even our youngest stood on the bottom shelf, if it somehow fell over on her - it'd hit her legs and not even her pelvis. It's a short yet very deep piece of furniture.


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## mommy2maya (Jun 7, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *UberMama* 
Sorry, I forgot to mention that ours is mounted (as is most all of our furniture in our house - dressers, etc.). Even without that, I could stand on one of the shelves and rock my entire body back and forth and that thing wouldn't begin to rock. (Don't think DH and I didn't try this, and with how well built it is, it can hold us easily)









With the height of it, if even our youngest stood on the bottom shelf, if it somehow fell over on her - it'd hit her legs and not even her pelvis. It's a short yet very deep piece of furniture.

if it is mounted, it's not an issue. the issue is with furniture that is not stabilized by being strapped to a wall.


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## UberMama (Feb 27, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mommy2maya* 
if it is mounted, it's not an issue. the issue is with furniture that is not stabilized by being strapped to a wall.

Sorry, I just didn't specify much about the center itself initially, since I was focusing on replying about the TV.


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## Amylcd (Jun 16, 2005)

Quote:

Our flatscreen TV weighs 180 pounds, so it is definitely more dangerous than our regular tube TV (which weighs maybe 30-40 pounds?)!!
Wow, what size it is? Our flatscreen (lcd) weighs 18 pounds (for shipping, so probably actually a few pounds less than that). It's only a 32 inch though.


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## changingseasons (Mar 24, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Amylcd* 
Wow, what size it is? Our flatscreen (lcd) weighs 18 pounds (for shipping, so probably actually a few pounds less than that). It's only a 32 inch though.

60" plasma, I think?? DP had to have THE biggest TV that Costco sold.







And I remember the weight clearly because (besides having to carry it...) it was really hard to find an entertainment stand that would hold that kind of weight.


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## mommy2maya (Jun 7, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *changingseasons* 
60" plasma, I think?? DP had to have THE biggest TV that Costco sold.







And I remember the weight clearly because (besides having to carry it...) it was really hard to find an entertainment stand that would hold that kind of weight.

and it's not bolted to the wall???? How is it secured? And, really, at that size, a comparable sized tube tv would weigh far far more than 180lbs.

Our TV is a 42" plasma, which is bolted to the entertainment center, which is bolted to the wall. I am not worried about it falling on one of my kids.


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## changingseasons (Mar 24, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mommy2maya* 
and it's not bolted to the wall???? How is it secured? And, really, at that size, a comparable sized tube tv would weigh far far more than 180lbs.

It is tethered to the wall.


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## mommy2maya (Jun 7, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *changingseasons* 
It is tethered to the wall.

ok, the hazard is when tvs or furniture are NOT tethered. Obviously, if it is tethered, a child won't be able to pull it down on top of themselves.


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## Mrs.Burke (May 14, 2009)

One thing I see why a flat screen tv is far more dangerous than tube tv is that the base was smaller than tube tv's making the tube tv more stable and heavier that they dn't fall easilly.


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## choosewisdom (Apr 29, 2009)

My niece pulled one of those rear projection televisions over on herself and broke her femur when she was 2. Her step-dad had left her for only a moment and it was a done deal. We have our flat screen mounted on the wall now that we are TTC. Prior to that it was secured to the wall with a mounting bracket since our LO is 10, and that is usually the age of children in/around the house.

I, also, believe in securing all other furniture to the wall. Furniture that seems especially nerve-wracking to me: shelves, stove, refrigerator, dressers...

Then again, I see hazards everywhere I walk. We had a LO in our unit that tripped on a package that was laying in the floor, it had come in the mail that day, and ended up crushing his trachea when he caught his neck in the blind cord. Such a total freak accident that I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't had him as a patient.


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## Ceinwen (Jul 1, 2004)

We had our flat screen professionally installed. I even had to move it from where I originally wanted it, because the tech said he needed to anchor it to studs in the wall. Honestly, mine is so secure - my six year old could probably swing from it!


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## GISDiva (Jul 13, 2007)

Our LCD actually came with a strap to tether it to whatever it was sitting on to avoid tipping over forward. We got it pre-baby, but installed it for the cat's safety (as in, we would have killed her if she knocked it over







) as she likes to climb.

Is that an aberration that ours actually came with something?


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## riverscout (Dec 22, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *GISDiva* 
Is that an aberration that ours actually came with something?

Our LCD came with a tether strap too. I think it's as much for the TVs protection than anything. It doesn't weigh much (26 inch screen). We tethered it to our extremely stable TV stand.


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## Ironica (Sep 11, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Drummer's Wife* 
ETA: what I'm thinking is that since the 90's TV's have gotten a lot larger and more affordable... so more people have something bigger and heavier than a 19 inch tv in the corner, yk?

When I was a kid, everyone had a giant console television. The TV was a piece of furniture in its own right. It might have had little tiny legs, but it was squat with a low center of gravity, and a low ratio between the width and depth of the base. You couldn't tip it over. You had to bribe friends to help if you wanted to move it across the room.

As technology has improved, TVs of the same screen size have gotten lighter-weight, as well as more plentiful. We replaced our TV in 2001, and were astonished at how much thinner the new one was... even though they were both Sony Trinitron CRT TVs of the same viewable area. I don't know if anyone even sells console TVs anymore.

TVs are a special hazard because very young children find the screen images enticing as heck. If they can poke and slap at the glass all they want, at their own level, they eventually get the idea that they won't be able to cuddle that carebear no matter what they do... but now that TVs are usually *on* furniture, instead of *being* furniture, and also have more delicate do-not-touch screen surfaces, I'd imagine it's more of an attractive nuisance.


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## tankgirl136 (Dec 13, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mommy2maya* 
usually the scenario goes like this:

kid wants something on top of tv/shelf/dresser/etc, opens the bottom drawer/stands on the bottom shelf/opens the door to stand on the shelf, then the whole piece of furniture topples on the child. It is not always a heavy tv to hurt the child, furniture itself is very heavy and dangerous.

Add an ugly glass clown lamp into the picture and you get a whole lot of stitches. Ask me how I know







I was very lucky that was all that happened to me.

Yes I decided I NEEDED to get into the top drawer, so I pulled out the bottom drawer and had the entire dresser come down on me, and a glass lamp break and cut open my forehead. I was very lucky I had no broken bones.

I have to add the old wires on those old TV's like they used to hook up antenas with and all the other things were also very dangerous. Modern TV's on the whole are much safer. But still should be secured.


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## pixiekisses (Oct 14, 2008)

We don't have a TV, we don't want one. So I guess we avoided that one pretty good!









(We do have a big Mac screen though, but it's stuck to the wall. As are all bookshelves etc.)


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## BekahMomToOliver (Oct 31, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *riverscout* 
Our LCD came with a tether strap too. I think it's as much for the TVs protection than anything. It doesn't weigh much (26 inch screen). We tethered it to our extremely stable TV stand.

Us too. I barely even watch the thing, and don't know anything about it's size/weight/cost...anything. But I made darn sure it was strapped to the stand the day we got it!
Honestly, I'm much more concerned about our book shelves. And someone mentioned tethering a stove, but ours seems pretty immobile and I imagine it would be difficult to tip over even intentionally. Is there another reason to bolt it? Just wondering.


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## riverscout (Dec 22, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *BekahMomToOliver* 
And someone mentioned tethering a stove, but ours seems pretty immobile and I imagine it would be difficult to tip over even intentionally. Is there another reason to bolt it? Just wondering.

Supposedly they can tip if a lot of pressure is applied to the door when it is open. Ours came with an anti-tip bracket, but we got it pre-kids, and it seems like a real pain to install since we are on a concrete slab, so we didn't do it. I still have it sitting around somewhere waiting to be installed.


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## Treasuremapper (Jul 4, 2004)

This thread is horrifying me!!! Those poor sweet babies! We bought a 52 inch Aquos two months ago, but I have it sitting on a coffee table, waiting until I have time and money to find an adequate way to secure it.

I'm moving that up to first priority.

Our dressers and bookshelves are secured to the wall. One of our dressers is so huge and heavy (from http://www.restorationhardware.com/r...navAction=jump ) that we bought an earthquake kit with steel cables and drilled holes and secured it to the house's frame. It could crush a child.


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