In an average year, nine children, usually younger than 5, are killed when household furniture tips onto them, and an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 people, mostly children, are hurt. Toppling furniture can cause broken bones, bruising, and death from suffocation. But furniture straps can help keep your child safe. They secure a dresser, armoire, or bookcase to the wall to prevent it from tipping over when a child grabs it to balance himself or tries to climb. You'll need to find a stud in the wall to drive the screws into. If installed properly, furniture straps are effective protection up to about age 4.

Several manufacturers make furniture straps. We judged the Parent Units Heavy Duty Topple Stop Furniture Fastening System, $14 for two, the best model of the three furniture straps we tested (www.parentunits.com). Installing the straps requires many steps involving screws and adhesive, and none of the required tools is included. When installing the straps on furniture made of particleboard instead of solid wood, it might be necessary to first attach pieces of solid wood to the furniture.

Other products we tested were the KidCo Anti-Tip Furniture Strap, $6.99 for two (www.kidco.com), and Safety 1st Furniture Wall Straps, $4.49 for two (www.safety1st.com). These fabric straps must be screwed into both the wall and the furniture (or into wood attached to the furniture). The length is adjustable.