Mom Urges Parents To Secure Furniture After Son's Tragic Death

Trigger Warning: This article is about the accidental death of a child. This may be difficult for some readers.

Idaho, USA — Toddlers are naturally curious and creative, so this mom is raising awareness about the importance of childproofing homes.

On February 14, mom of three Lindsay Dewey shared on Instagram that her 22-month-old son, Reed, had suffered a traumatic accident, and they were praying for a miracle. Just four days later, on February 18, she posted a heartbreaking update: her little boy did not receive his earthly miracle.

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"We are beyond shattered. But I can't help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for getting to be his mama for 22 months. All he knew was love. And all he gave was love. Truly. And those close to us can attest to that," she wrote.

As they grieved, the family also faced criticism from people making assumptions about what happened to their son. Though Lindsay knows she owes no one an explanation, she chose to share their story publicly to prevent similar tragedies.

Mom loses son in tragic mirror accident

On March 10, she revealed the details of Reed's accident. She compiled her statement in an Instagram story highlight titled "Awareness."

"I feel like people who have mirrors in their homes with little kids need to know this. Never in a million years did we think our mirror, which we've had in the same spot for over a year, would EVER take our child's life," she wrote.

She explained that Reed had been playing with a suction cup bowl, sticking it to the mirror and pulling it back and forth. Tragically, the force caused the mirror to tip over, falling onto him.

At the time, Lindsay was just 10 feet away, making dinner. "Last I saw him, he was sitting near the kitchen by the pool table, playing with Magna-Tiles by himself. I never saw him with a bowl," she shared. She noted that her son often plays with his utensils.

"I never even heard him playing near the mirror. Until I heard it fall. And within five seconds, I lifted it off of him," she recounted.

At first, she was confused about how it happened, as it had never been an issue with her other children. "There was no way our kids were strong enough to move it, let alone pull it down themselves, so we didn't feel an urgency to anchor it," she explained.

But when Lindsay picked up the mirror, she saw the bowl still stuck to it—realizing at that moment exactly how the accident had occurred. Though the mirror didn't shatter, seeing Reed's face, she knew something was terribly wrong.

She called her husband who was just three minutes away, and medics arrived within six minutes. 

Mom shares story to raise awareness on childproofing homes

"We're only sharing this because we don't want this to happen to anyone else. A few close friends we've told immediately started naming off items in their homes that weren't anchored. It hit home for them because they realized they could have been in our situation," she said.

She urges parents to be mindful of suction utensils and toys and to secure heavy items, "Even if you think they could never tip over—apparently, they can."

Lindsay describes herself as a protective mom, with child locks throughout the house and most of their furniture anchored. But this tragedy has been a painful reminder that accidents can happen unexpectedly.

Amid their grief, the family made the selfless decision to donate Reed's organs, helping to save the lives of other sick babies.

Read the rest of Lindsay's posts on her Instagram highlights here.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Dewey family.