Ikea safety warning after another toddler crushed to death by Malm chest of drawers

IKEA has issued a safety warning after a toddler was crushed to death by a chest of drawers — the third child killed by the same range of furniture.

IKEA has issued a safety warning after a toddler was crushed to death by a chest of drawers — the third child killed by the same range of furniture.

All three fatal tipping incidents involved furniture from the popular Malm range of drawers and wardrobes.

In the latest tragedy 22-month-old Ted McGee managed to tip a wooden dresser on himself in Philadelphia, US.

His mum Janet said she put him down for a nap and was checking on him every 20 minutes until she found his bed empty and assumed he was hiding — but then found him under the chest of six drawers.

Ikea said the chest was not fixed to the wall and issued another safety warning to parents following two similar accidents also in the US in the past two years.

In February 2014 a two-year-old boy from Pennsylvania died when a Malm chest fell on him and pinned him to a bed.

Three months later a 23-month-old child from Washington was killed when a three-drawer Malm chest tipped over.

Ikea’s Malm range has now been linked to the deaths of three children.

Assembly instructions advise fixing furniture to the wall.

Although no deaths have been reported in the UK or Australia, parents have been urged to make sure they use the wall restraints that come with the flatpack furniture.

The Swedish chain said: “We at Ikea offer our deepest condolences to the McGee family.

“We believe children are the most important people in the world and the safety of our products is our highest priority.

“Upon being informed of this incident Ikea US immediately reported it to the authorities and an investigation is taking place.”

“We wish to emphasise that the best way to prevent tip-over of chests of drawers is to attach products to the wall with the included restraints and hardware per the assembly instructions.

“Ikea has included restraints with our chest of drawers for decades, and wall attachment is an integral part of the assembly instructions.”

Anyone concerned about their furniture can contact Ikea to request a free restraint kit if they have lost the original.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission.