As a parent, what is your worst nightmare? Your child being involved in a bad accident? Or worse, a fatal accident?
What about a fatal accident that could have been prevented…by YOU?
One simple step you can take to potentially save the life of your child (or children who visit your home) is to CHILDPROOF your home. 
Have you ever thought to yourself – “I won’t let her out of my sight” or “he’s old enough now to know better” or “we always have the back door to the pool locked” or “I don’t want to mess up our walls and furniture (by securing them to each other)” or “I don’t have time” or any of a number of other excuses we provide for NOT taking 5 minutes and a few dollars to insure the safety of a child?
It’s truly not that difficult and it doesn’t take that much time.
Amazon has a ton of options for securing everything from furniture to televisions to electrical outlets to ovens to staircases to pools (as does Lowe’s, Home Depot, Babies R Us, Buy Buy Baby). And if you still don’t think you have the time, energy or ability, there are plenty of companies who will do it for you.
I recently hired Brad Lemon with Little Bird Baby Proofing, and he did an excellent job (and very affordable to boot!). I’ve also heard/read very good things about a company called Infant House, however, I haven’t used them so I can’t personally vouch for them.
Whichever method you choose, please just choose.
Choose to take one simple step to protect those who can’t yet protect themselves.
No matter how hard I try to convince you how important it is to childproof your home, nothing I can possibly say or do would have a greater impact than Kim’s story. Her real-life nightmare actually.
Normally, I wouldn’t dream of encouraging (insisting) anyone read something so incredibly heartbreaking, but in this case, it truly could save a life. Just have a tissue (or 30) handy.
For me, the moral of Kim’s devastating story is that unimaginable tragedies happen, and the sooner we stop thinking that “it” will not happen to us, the sooner we can take action to prevent the easily preventable.
If, by chance, you think Kim’s story is an isolated case that doesn’t happen often, please take a minute to read this report – The Tipping Point: Highest Number of TV and Furniture Tip-Over Deaths Recorded by CPSC in 2011.
Kim recently created a petition at We the People, and in order for it to be considered by the Obama administration, it requires 25,000 signatures before February 3rd. You can read about and sign the petition here – Petition to mandate warning labels and anchors for furniture, TV’s and Appliances (please don’t be deterred by the fact that you have to register with Whitehouse.gov…it only takes 2 seconds to register).
Is there anything you can do in your home to make it safer for your children?
* This is not a sponsored post. I was not asked or compensated to mention any of the above stores or services. My opinions are solely based on my personal experiences.
I’d read Kim’s story a few weeks ago and ordered wall furniture anchors from Amazon. Reading the longer version you posted motivated me (after I finished crying) to go and install the furniture anchors. My daughter’s dresser and the dresser in our room are now secured to the wall. Thank you.
Jill,
Writing the post was totally worth it just to know that it’s motivated at least one person to take action. Kudos to you for taking the time to complete your furniture anchoring project. One big thing to cross off the “worry” list!
-Michelle
Infant House works with parents who want to protect their children from injuries in the home and around the swimming pool. Nothing is more effective at preventing an injury than tohave an in-home consultation with Infant House. We will go room to room with you. It is a two-way conversation where we will make recommendations and you say “yes” or “no”. The consultation will take about an hour. Then we will put a quote together for you based on your selections. By using the right products and having them professionally installed, you will have safety for baby and peace of mind.
I seriously was not able to get through Kim’s post. So heartbreaking. But so important to read. Thanks for sharing these tips, and a babyproofing company is probably so worth the money! Do you pay them a flat fee and then buy your own products for the to install? Or do they bring the products?
Lauren,
Brad Lemon with Little Bird Baby Proofing first visited our home to provide a free consultation and estimate based on the areas I requested.
He will also make recommendations as needed/requested.
He charges for the parts/hardware (less than you’d pay at a store) plus he charges for his time. His estimates are very clear regarding what hardware he’ll need and how long it will take him to complete the work in each area of your home. He estimated our house would take him 2 1/4 hours, and I recall that it took him that amount of time exactly! He’s been doing this a long time, I think! 🙂
Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a website, but he responds great to phone calls. He can be reached at 972-712-3312.
Hope that helps!
-Michelle