Anchoring furniture

Anchoring furniture means attaching dressers, bookcases, shelving units and similar top-heavy pieces to the wall using an anti-tip strap or bracket kit, so the furniture cannot tip forward if a child climbs, pulls on a drawer, or leans against it. Many dressers and shelves are tall relative to their base and can tip with less force than people expect once a drawer is pulled open as a step.

This step applies in small apartments just as much as larger homes, and arguably more, since compact nurseries often reuse existing furniture, shelving and storage pieces that were not originally chosen with a climbing toddler in mind. Anti-tip kits are widely sold separately from the furniture and can generally be added to pieces you already own.

When anchoring furniture, check that the strap or bracket is rated for the weight of the piece and anchored into a wall stud or with a fastener rated for the wall material, not just into drywall alone. Test the fit periodically, since straps can loosen over time. A common mistake is anchoring only the tallest, most obvious pieces while skipping shorter shelving units or bookcases that a toddler can still climb and tip.