Listen to Lena

Perfecting the Art of Conversuasion

Safety at its BEST with Best Buy!

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NOTE: The following giveaway is open to Canadians only.

It’s an argument I’ve had with my husband at least twice in my lifetime.

“You are not going to mount that TV yourself,” I’ve cautioned.
“Of course I’m not going to do it myself! I’m going to call Dave to come help,” he’s responded.

And the conversation loops on repeat for about five days, until Dave shows up, measurements are made, holes are drilled, and the television is hoisted… and then set back down. On the TV stand. Where it currently resides.

I hate to say I told you so but… yeah.

Okay, in my husband’s defense, we can’t actually mount our television in our current setup because the wall has a concrete backing. So, we either redesign our glam cave or use a television stand as an alternative. (Which actually has its own safety concerns – read on.)

For the purposes of this post, here’s a picture of the glam cave in our basement, the last time it was super clean – which I believe was last Christmas. Hey! Halloween is over. I’m allowed to post pictures of holiday happiness!
IMG_32001As you can see, the 60-inch television is supported by about a 4-inch stick which connects to the base… and that’s about it. Nothing could go awry with that, right? WRONG. Settle in, friends, because I want to chat about a topic you haven’t attributed enough time and attention to. I’m talking about safe television installation. And I’ve got a super sweet giveaway coming up – valued at approximately $500.00! – so it’s in your best interest to follow along. 

You may have read in the news recently about a study reporting on the hazards of falling televisions in the home.

“Those top-heavy, flat-screen televisions can topple over onto children, crush their tiny bodies and in the worst-case scenario, fatally cave in their skulls, researchers say.” Um, YIKES.

According to the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP), Sick Kids treated 33 children who had been injured by falling TVs between 2011 and 2013. Twelve of the children were admitted, 16 had head injuries and 18 had fractures, including skull fractures. The Toronto researchers determined that about 85 per cent of these injuries occurred in the home and more than three-quarters were not witnessed by a parent or caregiver.

So, what can you do to prevent this needless injury?

– Avoid placing toys or remotes on top of the TV.
– Create a restricted play area around the television.
– Use a proper TV stand or console; don’t place it on top of a high piece of furniture.
– Position the TV back from the edge of where it’s placed.

And, there are two SUPER important things you can do right now –

1. Experts recommend attaching the television to the wall, which can be done through a simple flat-screen wall-mount such as the Sanus Full Motion Flat-Panel TV Wall Mount from Best Buy Canada. The mount provides a sturdy base to support flat panel televisions, with full motion range that lets you swivel and tilt to suit your optimum viewing angle.

And, don’t be like my husband and try to wing it with a college friend – the Best Buy Geek Squad team provides a number of in-home television set up services to give you peace of mind that your home entertainment technology is installed safely and soundly. Services range from Standard Set Up that includes delivery, installation and demonstration of basic functions; to the Elite Premium Service Package that includes delivery, installation, connection to up to three devices in your home, dressing of wires, 3-year, 24/7 hour support and more.

2. If you’re unable to mount your television due to the location, purchase a safety strap such as the Sanus Anti-Tip Safety Strap. Newsflash: it’s JUST $19.99! Never before has peace of mind been so affordable. The Sanus Elements Anti-Tip Safety Strap helps reduce the risk of your television or furniture from accidentally tipping to create a safe environment in any room. Its unique 3-point attachment design allows the television to continue to be swivelled left or right on its pedestal base, if it has one. Here’s a visual for you:
10158442We received a Sanus Anti-Tip Safety Strap for review and you can bet I put my husband to work right away. I’ll be honest; installation wasn’t a breeze initially, but that’s only because we lacked the correct screws (or drill, or something) and my husband had to run out to purchase the right tools. The lighting in our basement doesn’t allow for the best photos, but rest assured, we are now resistant to tipping!

And now… drum roll please… courtesy of my friends at Best Buy Canada, one lucky reader will WIN a Sanus Full Motion Flat-Panel TV Wall Mount PLUS Geek Squad installation! The total prize package is valued at approximately $500.00!

To enter, simply fill the form below with your qualifying entries. And friends, even though this giveaway is amazing, if your current setup includes a television that is not wall-mounted, please do invest in a Sanus Anti-Tip Safety Strap. The universal design allows it to be attached to almost all televisions up to 60″ and weighing up to 200 lbs, so there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be a mandatory piece of safety equipment in every home.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Clair P

    up on a (fake) fire place but little man is a climber and I’m scare one day he will try and go for it

  4. Terri Baker

    My TV is currently sitting on a TV stand. Now that my granddaughter likes to walk in front of the TV and touch it, a Sanus Anti-Tip Safety Strap is a great investment and I will be purchasing one very soon.

  5. Lynda

    I have a very small tv on a stand ( I never watch it), my computer screen is as big as my tv almost

  7. Andrea Morley

    Our tv has warped edges and the remote doesn’t work. All volume/channel control has to be done by getting up and pressing the buttons on the tv.

  10. Shannon Langford

    I have a 55 inch flat screen tv sitting on a regular tv stand. I am having problems with it lately. Also my daughter crawls around everywhere and always wants to go near the TV stand so with that strap at the back will be amazing.

  11. Jay M

    In our basement (I’d say man cave, but it’s more of an exercise/music room) we have an old tv, but we are planning on moving the flat screen from upstairs to downstairs and parking it in front of some bike trainers. The wall would be ideal, as we have a wood stove, drum set, 4 guitars and amps, keyboard, and couch also in the room!

  13. Heather Hwoard

    Tv is not as big as we would like…it’s 30-something inches….would love to have a tv wall mounted. The sound is going on it but we still have something to watch. Thank you for the opportunity!

  16. Monique L.S.

    We have our tvs mounted high on the wall. However, having 2 little ones running around, you can never be too safe.

  18. Melanie wilsher

    We have one tv mounted to our entertainment unit. We have an old large 27 inch tv that sits on top of a smaller armoirer that makes me nervous

  21. Olga

    I have a big flatscreen on a chest…. probably not the most stable, as it wobbles when the cats try to get behind it (to the Narnia that is multiple cords and wires).

  26. lori novak

    We have the unsafe setup–smaller tv–.. no little kids but it is still concerning when my nephew & niece or other little ones are over.

  28. L.M. Leitch

    A neighbour was helping me since my hubbie was at work and scoffed at bolting the smaller tv we got a few years back–I insisted and ended up doing it myself. Just the next day the tv almost fell over (would have if it hadn’t been bolted down). It’s a must for everyone!

  39. tasha may

    I have a tv with a built in mount for my flat screen tv. It works for now, but could definitely get a better set up!

  40. Angela Massis

    My flat screens are sitting on my coffee table in my family room and on an end table in my bedroom. I would love to mount my bedroom tv on the wall.

  45. Gillian Morgan

    Our main tv is on a glass stand in the living room. We have another on a fireplace mantel and one on a dresser.

  49. Alayne Langford

    Lena, now that I read your post and knowing we have 2 little grand daughter’s crawling around, we could definitely use the Sanus Elements Anti Tip Safety Strap for one of our televisions!! The other is wall mounted. Thanks for the info!! :)

  51. Lorena Grande

    I haven’t had a TV for years. This would be very exciting for me. I have space challenges, so this wall mount would certainly make it possible. Thanks for the chance! This would be a great prize. :)

  54. Dana Miller

    My current set up is my old, heavy box-style tv is inside a hutch and held in by the front doors which slide only part way open. My newer tv is not installed/plugged in and is sitting on top of my entertainment unit not being used. I need help securing and setting up. This is perfect for me!

  55. Jonnie

    Currently, we all have tv’s in our bedrooms plus one in the living room and another in the family room. They are all on TV stands or dressers.

  56. SueSueper

    We have an old 27″ tube tv on a tv stand. I assume it’s tube because it isn’t a flat screen.

    Sitting in the corner.

  63. Sunshine H

    My current set up is the tv set pretty far back on a tv cabinet that hides our PVR and DVD player.

  68. Nate Fuller

    We watch shows on my Mac which is one of the biggest screens Mac makes but by no means as huge as most Ty’s these days. We could use a new flat screen since the kids inherited mine so we could have a little peace and quiet in the living room.

  69. mrdisco

    interestingly enough i saw tv commercials while in Paris advising parents to secure their TVs and large furniture from accidental tipping

  70. Branka Stefanovic

    We have one TV on the stand, the basement TV is mounted on the wall. I need to get the anti-tip strap for my son as he has a 60″ on a stand. Thank you for the review :)

  71. Emily Smith

    Right now we have a classic box tv (might be time for an upgrade?!) in a very secure pine stand with doors. It’s securely anchored to the wall for support.

  72. Danielle Delera

    I’ve been needing this! I live in a condo and space is key to living comfortably. Right now, my TV is on a stand, but I would love to safely mount it on my wall and be as minimalist as possible!

  85. Deborah Haentjens

    My TV is a 40 something inch tv and is wall mounted. As we still have to renovate our living room in our new home, it’s not the prettiest sight with wires everywhere.

  89. Dianne Gardner

    We have our upstairs television on a desk and it takes up too much space in the room. I would love to see it go onto the wall.

  91. Tim Strieder

    I mounted our 42″ tv to the wall out of the reach of our little one with the help of my lovely wife. Now I just have to figure out a way to get the computer and monitor out of his reach since he loves to climb everywhere and seems to be fascinated by anything electronic!!

  97. Kristy Short

    We have one tv hung on our wall and would love to hang our other for both safety reasons and aesthetics!

  99. Gail OConnor

    We have an older flat screen in the livingroom. We got it used in replacement of our old tube tv which was so heavy it collapsed our entertainment centre and made a huge mess

  103. Karen C Hill

    Ours is just on a stand in the corner right now, but I’ve been dying to get it mounted on the wall for years now.

  107. Barbie S

    We just moved, so right at this moment my TV is still in it’s box under my bed. I have no room to put it until I get a wall mount for it. I love Best Buy they have been fab to me in the past.Great giveaway as always.

  127. lisa

    I moved to a new apartment and now my tv looks absurd without being mounted (the ceilings are very high). Been meaning to get this done, just a matter of saving up!

  137. Elizabeth H

    Our television setup in our living room is a broken 42″ TV that just sits there on a nice dark glass stand. The room looks empty without it, but we never use it. I know, so sad.

  141. Loc V.

    My television is mounted on an articulating arm. So it swivels. I have an entertainment console underneath.

  142. Michelle D.

    We mounted our 48″ television on the wall. We have a console underneath to keep our Blu-ray player, wi-fi router, movies, mini-stereo system, etc…

  150. Gabrielle Compolongo

    We have a 50′ flat screen in our living room that is on a pretty small entertainment center. I’m surprised it’s still standing haha.