MADISON, Wis. -- A 3-year-old Waunakee, Wis., boy's death can perhaps be a safety wake-up call for all parents.

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Safety Tips To Childproof Your Home

Collin Barberino was killed when a dresser he was climbing on tipped over and fell, Madison television station WISC reported. Barberino's mother found her son underneath the dresser and called 911. The boy died one day later at a hospital.

Many parents told the station they feel for the Barberino family because it could have happened to their kids.

"It's scary and that's why we should never underestimate what our kids can do," said Lisa Bent, a mother. "You have to think of what they're capable of, and that could surprise you."

Experts told WISC that there are ways to prevent such accidents. For less than $10, you can install a safety strap to keep your furniture from falling over.

"You secure one side of the strap into the wall," said Bob Helmholdt, owner of U.S.A. Baby. "It just prevents the dresser from falling on the child."

The strap can be installed within minutes, and it's strong enough to keep a 150-pound dresser in place.

The Bureau of Consumer Protection said about 2.5 million children are injured or killed by home hazards each year. Doctors said parents should start childproofing their homes when their babies start to crawl, which is usually around six months.

"They're exploring their environment," said Dr. David Gronski, of Dean Clinic. "The function of a parent is to try and make that as safe as possible. One of the problems is that some kids have no fear. They really don't understand the link between being high and getting potentially significantly injured."

Gronski said parents should spend time crawling around on the floor like their baby to see how much trouble they can get into. He also said safety latches could be found in baby stores and hardware stores. But he wants parents to remember nothing is 100 percent childproof, no matter how hard they try.

"The take-home point is that you do what you can to protect the kids, but you can't always prevent every possible injury to them. It's unfortunate, but true," Gronski said.