How do people stop their small children from breaking their TV?

[Beccybw]

Our 15 month old managed to pull our TV on top is himself and break it, on New Year’s Eve. He was fine. After and emergency trip to Argos, we replaced it. But 3 day later he has broken it again! He managed to escape from him play pen (helped by his 3 year old sister), climbed up on the table and pulled the TV over again! 😫 at £300 a TV, we can’t afford to keep doing this! How do people protect their TVs? Are they fixed to the wall? All suggestions welcome! 😀

Wall mounted! Ours are wall mounted because of the cats, mainly. Just make sure they're mounted properly and securely. You can also secure them by their base to the TV unit using climbing straps or something like that. Might not look very attractive, but will stop them getting pulled over.

Is this a joke?

Stop leaving your young children unattended for a start!

A television falling on a child could kill them.

This isn't for AMA. Just keep your kids away from the TV, plenty of households manage it. Or put it up on the wall.

1 keep your child away from it. Close door to the room if necessary.

1. when in the room be very firm that they are not allowed near it. A combination or firm direction - no don’t touch the tv. No that is not yours do not touch and distraction let’s read this books, let’s play with this toy etc.

15 months is old enough to understand no but they have very little impulse control and that’s your job as a parent to instill the impulse control. Hope your new tv lasts a bit longer!’

Fucking hell, why wouldn't you have taken precautions with the second TV after the first FELL ON YOUR CHILD?!? Wall mount it or get a kit to attach it to the wall so it can be tipped forward, not rocket science!!

I love that your concern is focused on an inanimate, replaceable object rather than the well being of your child.
Maybe, watch your kids when they're in that room?
FYI, none of my 3 children have ever pulled a TV down?!

You can buy straps that hold it down. This is an Irish site but I am sure they sell they somewhere in the UK too.

Gone are the days of those massive box tvs that you couldn't just pull or push over easily!.. Wall mount OP

Yes wall mounted, would have thought that was common sense after the first time to be honest

Wall mount or screwed down.

You do understand that children have died having TVs fall on them?

We gaffer taped the stand to the unit it was on. Elegant it was not, but it was immovable. Please make sure your little one is safe.

We have a reasonably small tv, though. And a lot of tape. Not sure it would secure a really big tv.

We were just very firm about not allowing her too near, or to touch it, repeated NO every time she went near and distracted her with something else to do. She eventually got bored of trying!

Wow! Kids have died from pulling TVs on themselves. You can buy kits to strap the TV to the furniture it sits on (my TV came with one actually), or mount it on the wall. And be quite firm in reinforcing the concept of 'no' with your child.

Strapped down. I bought special straps for it from Homebase. They screw into the TV and the straps are nailed into the media unit.
And lots of duck tape. Perspex cut to size to protect the screen too.

I have a 10yr old who has smashed several tv's and the above system has kept the current tv alive for 6 months. A toddler would never be able to budge it.

Evening everyone and thanks for the reports about this one.

OP, we hope you don't mind but we've shifted your thread over to Parenting, where you'll hopefully get lots of useful tips on child proofing.

Good luck.

Fuck me, watch your children!!
You're very, very lucky that the only thing that's broken is the bloody TV.
That could've killed your 15 month old.

Get someone in to put it up on the wall if you don't feel able to do it.

Ours has the “feet” which are firmly attached to the back of it cable tied to the tv stand. DH drilled holes in it to do it. It’s very solid. Tvs are very dangerous

Please also make sure the rest of your heavy furniture is secured to the wall. Bookcases, chests of drawers, dressers etc. It’s not that hard for a child to climb up when your back is turned for a second

Have you tried actually parenting??

Wall mount it beyond his reach. If the kids touch the TV they should be punished by not being able to watch it.

We can't have ours on the wall so got a TV stand with a mount on which raises it up and secures it so they can't pull it down.

Although with that said I have a headbanger who such her head through it and bust the pixels even on the stand 🙄

Actually after she stuck her head through it we put the TV stand inside one of those babydan repositionable baby jail play pen frame things. It really wasn't pretty but it kept her amd the Tv safe!

Interesting how a TV lands on your baby and your 'emergency trip' was to Argos

Honestly at those ages you really can't leave them in a different room unless it's kidproofed, but we used a fire guard around the telly unit fixed to the wall, it obscured the bottom inch of the screen with wire but meant they couldn't pull it down. They never tried, I was just extra paranoid with the first 2.
They aren't allowed to throw stuff in the room with the telly and all of them knew from very early that they just don't touch it.

We bought these (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CZLJHR8/ref=cmswwrcppapiii_O0wlCbR0GWSJS) anti-tip straps for when our first little one was at that age. Worked perfectly and he's never shown any interest since. We strap down all the heavy/tippable chests of drawers, etc. too as there were a number of reported incidents of kids getting crushed by ikea dressers. Definitely worth the piece of mind. Glad your DS is okay!