Televisions are supposed to entertain and inform, not kill.
But dozens of North American children die every year when a TV comes crashing down on them.
One of the reasons given is that people are moving older sets into a child's bedroom after buying a new flat screen.
Erin Kaiser wants parents to know how deadly a television can be.
Her youngest child was just 18 months old when she was crushed by a TV.
"My husband had run into the bedroom and picked up the television and all we could see were her hands and feet. All I know is she wasn't responding at all," said Kaiser.
Consumer Reports says the weight of a TV makes it a deadly danger for kids, especially when its set on top of a dresser or other furniture not designed to hold a TV.
"They'll use the drawers of a dresser as a climbing platform to climb up like a ladder and try to reach the television," explains Consumer Reports' Don Mays.
"That can cause an unstable condition. The television could tip over and crush them."
Consumer Reports checked to see how much force it takes to tip over various-sized televisions.
It turns out, the bigger TVs tested on the dresser were not the easiest to tip over.
"We found that the biggest risk is probably with the smaller TVs, because with those sitting on top of a dresser, it takes much less force to get the dresser to tip over," explains Mays.
In the case of Chloe Kaiser, it was a 27-inch TV that killed her.
"You should never put televisions on a dresser or other type of furniture that's not designed to handle it," concludes Mays.
But, as Erin Kaiser now realizes, even television stands can be unstable.
"It was a TV stand that had a drawer in it and she got up into the drawer and the whole thing just collapsed on her.
They're little. They only want what they want. You just have to try and protect them every which way you can," she advises.
"A lot of households have more than one TV and we have to make sure that those TVs children are using won't tip over," warns Alyson McKendrick, of the Safe Start program at Children's Hospital.
TVs need to be attached to the furniture or stand they are on and the furniture attached to the wall.
And while you are at it, secure your children's furniture too. As these test show, a child's weight can easily topple a set of drawers and that kills children every year too.
And don't put things that attract kids on top of TVs or furniture. That's when they climb and pull them over. Securing TVs and furniture is a good idea for earthquake preparedness too.
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen
