Friday, August 28, 2009

Important Safety Tip: Attach your child's dresser to the wall

The twins tried to kill themselves this evening.

It's true.

One month before they turn 2 years old, they tried to off themselves via their dresser. This dresser:
Yeah, it looks innocent, doesn't it?!

Except that it's not that clean anymore and has stuff all over the top, like that trashcan that you see to the right in the photo. Babies like smelly trash, as it turns out. It also has other things sitting on it like wipes, creams, possibly dirty/clean clothing and sneakers. Babies like to wander off with their shoes, you see, and then when it's time to go out? The Great Shoe Hunt begins.

Oh and all of the handles have been removed from the bottom four drawers because short people kept trying to get into the drawers and fling baby clothes all over the place. You know, that's not nearly as much fun to clean up every 30 minutes as you might think it is. Oh, and they'd try smashing each other's fingers in the drawers, just for fun. So off went the handles.

The one thing we didn't do? We didn't attach it to the wall.

Why?

Because the entire time Caitlin was small, she never once tried to climb her dresser. Her dresser which is skinnier and taller and more top heavy than the twins. The dresser from which we never removed the handles. Apparently we thought that for SOME REASON the twins wouldn't really think about climbing theirs, either. Especially since they couldn't really get the drawers open without handles. (You can see where this is going, can't you?)

Tonight, while I was downstairs washing dishes and cleaning up the Dinner Blast Zone, Eric was upstairs doing laundry, Caitlin was off doing Caitlin things and the twins were in their room. Safe.

We thought.

Then there was the loud rumbling crashing noise, the sound of babies crying and Eric yelling for me. I dropped the sponge as soon as I heard the loud rumbling and crying and sprinted up the stairs.

I haven't learned to teleport yet, but I'm still working on it.

I leapt into the room to find Eric straining to hold up the dresser. All 6 drawers were open and the twins were laying at its base, crying and scared. I grabbed the other end and started shoving the drawers back in and pushing it back upright. Clearly, they decided that tonight was the night to try to climb Mt. Dresser and were bloody lucky that upon tipping over, the drawers themselves stopped the dresser from falling on them both and crushing them.

That dresser is not light. It is completely full, as well. They could have been killed.

We were lucky.

So fucking lucky that we were both home and that one of us was right there, next door to their room. Incredibly lucky that the drawers stopped it from falling further and that neither one was hurt.

You never know what might happen to your children. You can't be with them every single second of the day. And, let's face it, you'd like them to be safe in their own rooms. First thing tomorrow, Eric is going to install wall anchors.

If you haven't already done so, please go out and get some anchors for your children's dressers and bookshelves (and anything else heavy you think they may consider climbing). YOU may not be so lucky.

Don't let your child become a statistic.

7 comments:

Cousin Janet in NY said...

So, that's what you do for fun over there in Colorado, hmmmm?
Grace a Dieux that everyone is safe. Can you believe that original dresser post that you pointed us back to was 2 days less than 2 years ago??? How time flies when you're having fun!!!!
Hope the weekend is less eventful!

Anonymous said...

OMG, they are a handful. They never stopped moving last night. That is why my mother was fond of saying she had earned her grey hairs!

Hava said...

OMG! Thank goodness they were ok. It is AMAZING the amount of trouble twins (hell, any baby) can get into when left alone for a minute. I have found Derby standing on top of the rocking chair arm leaning over to grab shutters when I caught him in time and last week they found that by throwing their bodies against our bedroom door, (which had a finger guard) would rip the hinge from the door frame.
For all the times I have thought what if.....(what if I didn't see them in time or pick them up....or stop them from putting something dangerous in their mouths) I've realized there is a higher power for little ones

ellen said...

Yikes! It's scary when things like that happen. Glad the twins are ok. Scary, scary.I have a lot of furniture strap/wall anchor things from living in Seattle. Earthquakes knock down things too...

Scylla said...

I am sorry you had that fright! We had a similar one when Marlena pulled a corner bookshelf down on herself. She was saved by the coffee table.

I am starting to feel books and knick knacks should be kept in wide low boxes.

I am glad they are okay.

Missy said...

How scary. Glad your babies are ok.

Valerie said...

Oh my goodness! Crazy toddlers! I'm so glad they are safe.

And the Great Shoe Hunt... I know it well.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...