Furniture and TV Anchoring Checklist

Who this is for

A room-by-room round of everything that could tip over. List each chest of drawers, bookcase, wardrobe and TV with the anchor kit it needs, what it is fixed into, who fitted it and when the strap was last tugged to check it holds.

Parents of babies about to crawl and toddlers who climb, grandparents with visiting children, people moving into a new home, and anyone who has bought flat-pack furniture and left the anti-tip strap in the box.

What this helps you track

• Every tall or heavy item and TV, room by room
• Which have a kit, and what kind of strap or bracket it is
• What each anchor is fixed into, who fitted it and when
• When each one was last given a firm tug to test it
• The habits that stop children climbing in the first place

How to use it

1. Write the home, your name, the date of the round and when you plan the next one.
2. Walk every room and list each chest of drawers, dresser, bookcase, wardrobe, unit and TV that could tip.
3. Note the anchor kit each one needs and tick Have kit once you have it; fit it following the kit's own instructions.
4. Record what it is fixed into, who fitted it and the date, then pull firmly and write the date of the tug check.
5. Tick Heavy low once the heaviest things are in the lowest drawers, and work through the checklist; the browser version saves in your own browser.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Which furniture needs anchoring?

Anything that could tip if a child climbs it, pulls out a drawer or hangs on a door: chests of drawers, dressers, bookcases, wardrobes, TV units and the TV itself. Much flat-pack furniture comes with an anti-tip kit in the box.

What should the anchor be fixed into?

Something that will hold the load, using fixings meant for that wall. The kit's instructions say what it needs. If you are not sure what your wall is made of or where the studs are, find out before drilling.

What is a tug check?

After fitting, and again from time to time, pull firmly on the furniture to make sure the strap or bracket holds. Write the date each time. The sheet sets no interval; choose your own and write the next date at the top.

Does anchoring mean children can climb safely?

No. Anchoring makes tipping less likely, but keeping toys and remotes off the tops of furniture and watching young children still matter. The checklist covers those habits.