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Ikea recall of tip-over dresser still active | Opinion

We went from thinking Ted's death was a freak accident, to learning that Ted was the eighth child to die from an IKEA dresser in a 27-year period of time.

Bobby Puett, president of Diversified Testing Labs, watches as the Ikea Malm six drawer dresser falls over during a tip over test at Diversified Testing Labs in Burlington, North Carolina,  (Sara D. Davis/For the Inquirer)
Bobby Puett, president of Diversified Testing Labs, watches as the Ikea Malm six drawer dresser falls over during a tip over test at Diversified Testing Labs in Burlington, North Carolina, (Sara D. Davis/For the Inquirer)Read moreSara D. Davis

On Valentine's Day just two years ago, my 22-month-old son, Ted, was taking a nap in the safety zone of his bedroom. The last time I went to check on him, I opened his door and immediately saw his six-drawer Ikea Malm dresser had fallen forward. I lifted up the dresser and started digging through a pile of drawers, only to find him at the bottom of the pile, nonresponsive. By the time we arrived at the hospital, they had found a faint heartbeat. We were soon told there was nothing more that could be done. Ted died that day, about four hours after we found him under his dresser. It was the darkest day of my life.

My husband and I initially thought Ted's death was a freak accident. We had never heard of a "tip-over" before. But, since Ted's death, we've pieced together a bigger picture of what is happening. We have learned that the first child to die from an Ikea dresser was recorded in 1989, and by 2014, there were six documented children's deaths from Ikea dressers. The last two of these six children to die were killed by the Ikea Malm dresser in 2014, the same dresser line that killed my son. In July 2015, Ikea decided to issue a "repair program" (the word recall was not used). Under this program, Ikea would send out an anchor kit for free if a consumer requested it. Despite being up on current events, my husband and I had never heard of this "repair program" that had been launched seven months before Ted's death. Four months after Ted died in 2016, Ikea, facing pressure, voluntarily recalled 29 million of their dressers because they did not meet the current voluntary safety standard. Later in 2016, we learned that another little boy had also died from the Ikea Malm dresser back in 2011.

We went from thinking Ted's death was a freak accident to learning that Ted was the eighth child to die from an Ikea dresser in a 27-year period. And since Ted's death in 2016, two more children have died from Ikea dresser tip-overs.

I'm writing this to urge consumers to participate in the Ikea dresser recall. These dressers can be deadly; all 10 of these precious children are evidence of that. As part of the recall, Ikea has agreed to actually come to your home to pick up your dresser, as well as refund you the cost of the dresser. To participate in the recall and learn about all of your options, contact Ikea at 1-866-856-4532 or email secureit@ikea.com. If you aren't sure if your Ikea dresser is one of the 29 million that were recalled, go to http://bit.ly/IKEArefund to check.

Janet McGee is spreading tip-over awareness at www.janetmcgee.com