Best furniture and TV anti-tip kits

How to choose

Do it before a child starts climbing

Tip-overs send an estimated 17,800 people a year to emergency departments, by CPSC staff's average for 2020 to 2022. Of those, 7,800 are children and 4,200 are adults 60 or older, so this isn't only a nursery job. CPSC counted 217 deaths from January 2013 through July 2023, and 155 were children. Of those deaths, 44% happened in bedrooms.²⁴

In a peer-reviewed analysis of 19,045 emergency cases in children under 18 from 1990 to 2019, those under 6 made up 69.9% of patients, injuries peaked at age 2, and 47.0% involved the head or neck.²⁵ Anchor the bedroom dresser and the TV first, and do it before a child starts pulling up. The same study notes that an anchor works only if it's installed correctly.²⁵

Start with what's behind your drywall

Find a stud before you buy anything. Consumer Reports built 90 wall segments, tested 14 kits and found that results depend heavily on the wall.^{3 8} Over wood studs, several metal and nylon kits did well. Over metal studs there were fewer good choices.⁵ Screws in studs are what count, and regular drywall anchors can rip out.^{26 27}

Don't trust a no-stud claim. Six of the nine kits that claimed to work in drywall without a stud failed to hold 60 pounds, the force Consumer Reports used to simulate a child's weight.⁸ For exposed brick or cement, Consumer Reports says to call a professional.³ If you rent, ask your landlord before you settle for a no-stud kit.

Replace anything plastic

Choose metal or nylon. Consumer Reports found both stronger than plastic parts, and peel-and-stick kits tended to do worst.⁸ Plastic kits have also broken in real homes. CPSC said Cranach's kits failed the ASTM F3096-23 standard, with at least 115 reports of breakage and six tip-overs among about 55,170 kits.¹⁰ 4our Kiddies recalled about 253,500 kits after at least 150 breakage reports and three tip-overs.¹¹ Millions of New Age kits packed with furniture were recalled because the plastic tie can become brittle.⁹

CPSC has also warned consumers to stop using KareKlub kits, and it lists recalls from School Specialty, American Bolt and Screw, and Sauder.^{12 13 14 15} Check the kit that came with your dresser now. If it's a plastic tie or plastic brackets, or it's named in a recall, stop relying on it, keep children away from the furniture until a new restraint is in, and look up the CPSC notice for a free replacement. The Cranach and 4our Kiddies remedy is a stainless steel kit, and Alliance4Safety handles the New Age kits.^{9 10 11}

How many you need

Anchor every dresser, bookcase, shelving unit and TV, at two points at least. Consumer Reports found that two straps often more than doubled the force needed to break or pull out a kit.^{3 5} If your strap allows it, double-loop the tether, which it says doubles the anchor's strength.³ Check the package count, because some kits hold one anchor and others hold two.^{1 4}

Make sure the furniture can hold a screw

The furniture end fails too. Thin backing panels won't hold a bracket, so screw into the solid top or a back brace on pieces with particle board or thin plywood backs.⁷ When you finish, tug firmly on the straps, as CPSC's Anchor It campaign advises.²⁸

Treat the TV as its own job

Strap the TV to the wall, and never rely on a dresser to hold it. CPSC counted 54 deaths in which furniture and a TV fell together.²⁴ If you can't anchor a TV, CPSC says to use a low, sturdy base and push the TV as far back as it will go.²⁹

Read load ratings as claims

A 400-pound rating on a package is the seller's number. In the lab, the weakest kits named were Lomily at 77 pounds and Qdos Zero Screw at 63.⁵ CPSC tells buyers to look for compliance with ASTM F3096-23, the standard for these restraints.¹² Treat that as a minimum. The test applies a 60-pound load to the restraint alone, built up over 2 to 15 seconds and held for 30, and it doesn't cover how the kit performs once installed.³⁰ None of the maker pages for these picks mentions the standard, so ask the seller.^{4 17 31}

Anchor newer furniture too

A federal rule on the stability of clothing storage units took effect September 1, 2023. It covers units such as dressers at least 27 inches tall, and it leaves out bookcases and entertainment furniture.^{24 32} So anchor bookcases and TV stands whatever their age. CPSC also advises anchoring clothing storage furniture no matter when it was made.²⁹ Newer dressers should resist tipping better, but stable furniture and anchors work together, and one doesn't replace the other.²⁵