Hellobee Boards

Aren't ALL dressers considered to be a tipping hazard?

I don't understand why in 2016 people still aren't anchoring their furniture and then blame the company that furniture fell on their kid

On the flip side, the problem with anchoring these things though is that it leave permanent holes in the wall. This isn't usually feasible for renters. =(

@catlady: maybe but one of the solutions was to just get an anchor kit to solve the problem which tells me it was related

"The recalled chests and dressers are unstable if they are not properly anchored to the wall, posing a tip-over and entrapment hazard that can result in death or injuries to children"

I was just at Ikea last Friday to pick up a Hemnes 3 drawer dresser ( I own 1 already and love it!) and a Hemnes bed....they were both out of stock. I was so bummed! I guess now I know why. Well, I think the bed was a supply issue but the dresser was for safety.

I'm glad the recall is promoting awareness, but I don't think that it's Ikea's fault. They do advise you to anchor the furniture in the instructions. That's one of the first things I did when babyproofing. 2nd was anchoring the TV.

I agree that even renters can and should anchor and patch the walls. I put some major holes, scratches, and dents in my last apartment. I patched the crap out of everything an got my security deposit back.

@Chillybear: We have the same problem at our house.

So, if they're being recalled, what do you do? Just take it back to the store?

I do wonder if Ikea determined that their dressers were more topple prone because of the construction (most of the furniture is made out of fiberboard and not real wood like other dressers you can buy). I have both Ikea and more well made (more expensive) furniture and I would say Ikea is slightly more front heavy and therefore can tip. I do understand that all furniture should be secured to the wall but maybe Ikea's design has it's weaknesses, too. Either way, I think it's great that Ikea has decided to recall the furniture.

@bluestriped bee: I agree that the IKEA stuff is more tip probe than old heavy wood dressers- both from the weight, being more top heavy, and from the fact that the drawers slide out so easily- a good thing usually but in this case, a toddler could easily open the top couple drawers and make it really top heavy. My old heavy wood dresser from childhood has drawers that are hard to open- my almost 3 year old cannot, and the weight is more on the bottom.

I didn't realize hemnes were on there too, have to take a look.

I'm not seeing where hemmes is recalled? I have the three drawer one.

@Boopers: Yes I drilled into studs for this one. It's super sturdy. I can yank on the shelf and it doesn't move. LO does pull all the books out, of course, but the shelf isn't going anywhere. I have adjustable tethers on my TV though, which is very helpful in case you need to move the furniture around.

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: I had no idea about anchoring furniture to the wall until well after LO was born. I think shortly after I first heard about some of these toddler deaths. We bought the IKEA dresser in 2015. I don't recall seeing anchor instructions, nor did it come with one. Never came up in our baby prep or newborn class either! The other day I was talking to my coworker who is also an attorney, and she's never heard of the 529 plan and has a kid! It's always interesting what people know and don't know.

@Freckles: Oh, I know there are other furniture companies that use particle board. Like some furniture I've purchased from Target has more whole pieces of particle board, while Ikea might use that super thin backing that's pretty much just think card board. In Target furniture that particle board would be more weight in the back, but in Ikea furniture it's replaced with something lighter and might be way it's more front heavy. Ah, yes, Hemes is made out of wood.

Up until about a week ago, we had the Malm tall dresser and the wide one. I called Ikea to learn about the dresser recall and even though I had purchased it years ago, they offered to come pick it up and then issued a full refund!

These stories are so sad, because every single child who died died because the dresser was not anchored to the wall. Every single piece of heavy IKEA furniture we’ve purchased has come with instructions on how to anchor to the wall (and this is as far back as 2006/2007). It really should be common knowledge ...