'I knew better': Mum's safety warning after toddler's cabinet toppled over

"Isn't this just admitting to being negligent? You knew all the dangers, yet you blatantly ignored them until your toddler almost became a statistic," read one response on the former EMT nurse's post. 

A recent Instagram post by a mum and former EMT nurse has sparked a crucial conversation about child safety.

Janae from @preparedlikeamother posted the video, which includes a heart-stopping clip of a toppled cabinet in her toddler's room. She wanted it to serve as an urgent reminder to parents to secure furniture to the wall.

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But as comments poured in, many couldn't help but highlight the cruel irony—Janae's awareness of the potential danger before the cabinet fell, contrasted with the lack of safety measures. 

Yet Janae herself acknowledges this irony too, which is why she is now determined to ensure other parents don't make the mistake of complacency that she did.

Image: Instagram

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"My procrastination could have injured or killed my toddler"

The clip, which now has over seven million views, 88k likes and 1.7k comments, shows the toppled cabinet with draws ajar and toys scattered across the room. 

The text over the screen reads, "Here's your friendly reminder to anchor your furniture to the wall."

"Share this reel to help prevent injury and/or death."

Janae, who runs an emergency preparedness social media account, is no stranger to knowing about dangers like this, something her caption addresses right away.

It reads:

"Here's the thing... I know better. I worked as an EMT, I have heard the stories of children being pinned, injured or killed by falling furniture.

"I run an emergency preparedness account aimed at helping people but mostly mums prepare their families for accidents, injuries, and disasters.

"I live in an earthquake country. The number one way to prepare your house for an earthquake is to secure furniture.

"This exact dresser was recalled for tipping hazards a few years ago. I know all this. I make a living teaching all this. BUT-

"I didn’t do it. My procrastination could have injured or killed my toddler. We are very fortunate that she was able to get out of the way and was only shook up.

"Other people haven’t been so lucky. Take this as your reminder to secure your furniture, especially if you have climbers for children. Don’t put it off another day."

Image: Instagram

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"Practice what you preach"

The shocking video and Janae's plea to parents is no doubt an important reminder. Despite this fact, not all comments were supportive. 

One person told the mum, "Practice what you preach. It takes no time at all the anchor the furniture. If you take the time to put it together. You can take the time to anchor it. How lucky your toddler got away this time. Most people will try to troll me saying if I have nothing nice to say don’t say it but then why post if you expect nothing but sympathy?"

Someone else offered this piece of parenting advice, "Or just watch your kids..." But this woman sarcastically replied, "Absolutely! Parents should watch their kids every second of every single day even while they’re sleeping or in the shower or on the toilet or grabbing the mail or cooking or answering the doorbell or..."

But then someone else wrote, "Just teach your gremlins not to climb on furniture, is parenting not an option anymore?"

A different user pointed out, "You literally have to sign something at IKEA when you buy these that they must be anchored to the wall."

"Isn't this just basically admitting to being negligent? You knew all the dangers yet you blatantly ignored them until your kid almost became a statistic," a different mum replied. 

"This is old news 15 years ago. Kind of irresponsible for you not to [do this]," someone else remarked. 

"This is such a great visual reminder of what can happen at any time in any home"

Amid the negativity, there were a few people who were grateful for the reminder. 

This viewer wrote, "Big hugs to you and her. I know that had to be scary. And thank you for being vulnerable enough to use this as a learning opportunity."

A second commented, "I am proud of you for putting this out there! That takes a lot of vulnerability. Thank you for sharing so that others can learn."

"Goodness, but listen, we all have those 'I should have' moments. We just have to learn from them. Thankful your kiddo is okay," assured another parent. 

"This is such a great visual reminder of what can happen at any time in any home. Thanks for sharing!" concluded one more. 

Originally published as 'I knew better': Mum's safety warning after toddler's cabinet toppled over