Safety Tips for Bedroom Furniture with Children at Home

Every year in Australia, thousands of children are injured by furniture-related accidents, with tip-overs being among the most serious. While bedside tables may seem like innocuous pieces of furniture, they present specific risks in homes with young children—from sharp corners at head height to unstable units that can topple when climbed upon.

This guide covers practical steps to make your bedroom furniture safer for families, without requiring you to live in a padded room until your children reach adulthood.

Understanding the Risks

Children interact with furniture differently than adults. A toddler sees an open drawer as a step, a tabletop as a climbing goal, and an interesting object on a high shelf as a challenge. Understanding these behaviours helps identify risks:

Climbing Hazards

Children aged 1-5 are natural climbers. They'll use drawer handles as footholds, pull on furniture edges, and attempt to scale anything that provides grip. Even a seemingly stable nightstand becomes unstable when a 15-kg toddler hangs off one side.

Sharp Corners and Edges

Bedside tables often feature corners at exactly the wrong height—face and eye level for crawling babies and toddling toddlers. Falls onto sharp corners can cause serious lacerations and eye injuries.

Drawer and Door Pinch Points

Small fingers find their way into drawer edges and cabinet door gaps. Without soft-close mechanisms or finger guards, a closing drawer can cause painful pinching or crushing injuries.

Cord and Lamp Dangers

Lamp cords trailing from nightstands are pulling hazards. A child grabbing a cord can pull a lamp (and potentially other items) onto themselves. Hot lightbulbs and unstable lamps compound the risk.

Furniture Selection for Families

When choosing bedroom furniture for homes with children, consider safety features from the outset:

Weight and Stability

• Heavier, solid timber furniture is inherently more stable than lightweight flat-pack alternatives
• Wide bases are more stable than narrow ones—look for furniture where the base is at least as wide as the top
• Lower centre of gravity is safer—shorter, wider units resist tipping better than tall, narrow ones

Corner Profiles

Furniture with rounded or bullnose edges significantly reduces injury severity. If you've already purchased furniture with sharp corners, aftermarket corner protectors are widely available and effective.

Drawer Safety

• Soft-close mechanisms: Prevent slamming that can catch fingers
• Drawer stops: Prevent drawers from being pulled completely out and dropped
• Smooth runners: Reduce force needed to operate, less likely to snap shut

Anchoring Furniture Properly

The most effective way to prevent tip-over injuries is to anchor furniture to the wall. This is particularly important for:

• Tall dressers and chests of drawers
• Bookshelves
• Wardrobes that aren't built-in
• Television stands (if TV isn't wall-mounted)
• Any furniture a child might climb

Types of Furniture Anchors

Nylon straps with brackets: The most common solution. A bracket attaches to the back of the furniture, another to the wall, and an adjustable strap connects them. These allow the furniture to be pulled slightly away from the wall for cleaning while preventing forward tipping.

Metal L-brackets: More secure than straps but more visible and less flexible. The furniture sits flush against the wall and cannot be moved without removing the bracket. Good for permanent installations.

Anti-tip furniture cables: Steel cables provide stronger restraint than nylon straps. Recommended for heavier furniture or higher-risk situations.

Installation Tips

• Anchor into wall studs wherever possible, not just plasterboard
• If studs aren't accessible, use wall anchors rated for adequate weight
• Install anchors near the top of the furniture for maximum leverage benefit
• Check anchors periodically—children pulling on furniture can loosen connections over time
• Re-anchor after moving furniture or if straps show wear

Child-Proofing Existing Furniture

Already have furniture that wasn't chosen with children in mind? These modifications improve safety:

Corner and Edge Protection

Clear silicone corner protectors are nearly invisible and cushion impacts effectively. For tables with sharp edges all around, continuous foam edge guards provide comprehensive protection. Apply with adhesive that won't damage finishes—test in an inconspicuous area first.

Drawer Locks and Latches

Magnetic drawer locks install inside drawers and cabinets, invisible from outside. They prevent children from opening drawers (eliminating both the climbing-step risk and access to potentially dangerous contents) while adults can open them with a magnetic key.

Cord Management

Secure lamp cords with cable clips along the wall behind furniture, keeping them out of reach. Consider battery-operated lamps or wall-mounted lights that eliminate cords entirely near children's reach.

Lamp Security

Museum putty or earthquake wax under lamp bases prevents them from being easily pulled or knocked over. LED bulbs eliminate burn risk from hot incandescent globes.

Room Layout Considerations

How furniture is arranged affects safety as much as the furniture itself:

• Don't place climbable furniture under windows: The combination of furniture and an openable window creates extreme fall risk
• Keep tempting objects out of sight: Don't store toys, remotes, or attractive items on high surfaces that require climbing to reach
• Maintain clear pathways: Cluttered rooms increase trip hazards during nighttime bathroom runs
• Consider door swings: Furniture placed where doors swing can be pushed or knocked over when doors open suddenly

Age-Appropriate Safety Measures

Safety needs evolve as children grow:

Infants and Crawlers (0-1 years)

Focus on padding sharp corners at floor and low levels. Ensure nothing can be pulled down onto them. Keep all cords well out of reach—strangulation risk is real.

Toddlers (1-3 years)

Peak climbing age. Every piece of furniture is a potential climbing frame. Prioritise anchoring and stability. Remove drawer handles that serve as footholds if possible.

Pre-schoolers (3-5 years)

Still climbing but with more strength. Continue anchoring. Begin teaching furniture safety rules—children this age can start learning what's safe and unsafe behaviour.

School-Age (5+ years)

Can understand and follow safety rules more reliably. Some child-proofing can be reduced, but maintain anchoring until children are old enough and heavy enough that tip-over risk genuinely diminishes.

When to Seek Professional Help

Consider consulting a child-proofing specialist if:

• You're unsure whether furniture can be safely anchored to your wall type
• You have antique or valuable furniture that needs protection without damage
• Your child has specific needs that require customised safety solutions
• You want a comprehensive home safety assessment

The investment in professional child-proofing is minor compared to a hospital visit or worse. Many services offer free initial consultations to assess needs.

For advice on choosing stable, well-constructed furniture from the outset, see our beginner's guide to choosing bedside tables, which includes tips on evaluating build quality.