Mounting a TV With Your Child’s Safety in Mind


Just remember sitting in the living room, watching TV with the family, growing up. In those days the TV was tall, long and deep, and to move it anywhere took two grown men at least. However, gone are the days of giant TV boxes being anchored to the floor, flat screen plasma TVs have long since replaced them. Flat screens are unsteady and can be easily moved. These TVs along with a rise in home theatre systems are a recipe for injuries to kids.

The number of injuries has also increased with the progress in technology. Kids are notorious for climbing, pulling and crawling to anything within their reach. Flat screen TVs are easy to grab onto and hence with little effort can tip forward, even if the person doing so isn’t particularly strong. Minor bumps and bruises can be caused by TVs falling on to children, but it can also lead to crush injuries or concussion, and even death in the most extreme cases.

In order to keep your little ones safe, there are various preventive measures you can take while setting up the television. Most importantly, prevent potential fires or electrical shocks by making sure you have plugged the cord of the TV into the outlet. Do not modify the cord of the TV in any way, whatsoever.

Secondly, make sure the TV is stable. You’ll want to move your TV to a secure location if it rocks or tips easily. Keep in mind that your TV can also be tipped over by your furniture being rocked therefore assess the risk factor of that too. If at all possible consider wall mounting for flat screen TVs in order to eliminate the risk of toppling and tipping.

Fasten your TV securely using all wall straps, braces and manufacturer approved brackets so there is no chance of it toppling off its stand. Make sure the cables and cords are connected to the TV and out of reach of  children. If you want to keep the TV on furniture, you can use anti-tip straps, as this will help keep the TV secure and stable. However, in order to support the weight of your TV, the stand will need to be heavy or else the whole lot could topple.

Recent Posts

x