I wish I could say that this post is NOT in any way linked to a real-life event. But it is. Okay, I’m a bad bad mummy. How could I have let that happen?
Anyway, from that horrid experience that never-should-have-happened, I’ve picked out 10 things to share here, although I really hope from the bottom of my heart you would never get to use them.
Sigh.
Here goes.
1. Don’t panic. Pick the baby up from the floor and calm him down (assuming he’s wailing his head off).
2. Resist the temptation to knock your own head on the floor just to find out how painful it is. Resist.
3. While you’re at it, resist crying or banging your head against the wall too. General rule: If it doesn’t help you, it will not help the baby.
4. Look for bruises or other signs of injury; make a note of the colour and size of the swelling.
5. Use a cold compress if the swell looks nasty.
(Note: only do this when baby is calm; NOT when he’s still wailing his head off. If he protests and wriggles when you use a cold compress, it’s actually a good sign.)
6. Call for help if you’re unsure of what to do, and preferably from a family member who’s usually calm and cool-headed. Husbands / dads are unusually good at this.
7. Call a doctor if your baby is very young/vomits/exhibits obvious changes in behaviour. (E.g., if he used to be able to sit by himself, and now he can’t.) If he seems okay, just keep monitoring over the next 48 hours. If you notice anything unusual during this time, call the doctor to make sure. Use your mummy instinct.
8. Don’t leave your baby on the bed anymore. Especially if there’s no one around. Especially if he’s a very active baby. And especially, particularly if he’s a boy.
9. If you absolutely have to, use barricades. AND a baby monitor so you know when he’s awake and are near enough to make sure he doesn’t do anything funny.
10. Pray. (This should actually be No. 1.)
~~~
In case you’re wondering (or worried), baby Javier is fine. He had a red patch (not raised) on his forehead immediately after the fall. And I used a cold compress on it (for 5 whole seconds, as I endured his wriggling and cries of protest) and the next day, there was barely any sign of a bruise. Amazed? I am too. And I can only thank God for that!
BTW, here’s a weird tip that the doctor gave. Apparently, if you have to leave the baby on a surface, make sure the height of the surface is not taller than the baby. Hmm, how does that help? I’m still trying to figure out. Let me know if you have any ideas on that.
Here’s a Babycenter article on falls that I found helpful.
Linking up with Monday Listicles at The Good Life!
June, my little guy was rolling from one end of a room to the other by three months, so I never left him anywhere… plus I was paranoid. BUT… he did fall down an entire flight of stairs once. So scary… so I know how you must have felt! Good idea, giving people these tips!
Thanks Sue. It makes me wonder…is this only applicable to boys or what? Hmm..
Well, they do SEEM to be more active and to get into more trouble, don’t they?
I have this weird concept that ‘Every baby must have their first fall’, so please feel too bad about it! For both my kids, after their first fall happened, I tell myself ‘Great, it’s happened! Now everything’s gonna be great from now onwards!’ Very ah-Q, but no choice right? =P
*gasp* I mean please DON’T feel too bad about it! =P
Hahaha, you’re Q-ute. =P So, good for us then, we’ve passed that first hurdle. Hurhur
hahahah would be really funny if you did mean “please feel TOO bad about it” :p
I am sorry you have fodder for this list but it will help others. My boy felt while climbing out of his bed when he was about 1. Never heard a louder thump in my life. He was fine, I needed a drink…
Yeah, I heard a thump too. Not sure if it was my heart…
It seems like every baby will surely have 1 ‘fell off the bed’ rite of passage! My son had his first fall when he was 3 months old. Was really loud as we heard the thump from the living room with the televison on too! Was really afraid cause he was wailing and wailing. Thankfully there was no bumps or anything serious. After that he had a few more incidents, heh but always nothing serious. Like what you’ve mentioned, keep a lookout for bumps or swelling and if there’s no unusual behaviour, it should be fine!
Rites of passage! Golly…I had no idea that baby falls were so common. Maybe that’s how the song ‘Rock-a-bye baby’ came about.
juney! sorry but tip number 2 and 3 are sooooo funny!!! ))
Hahaha thanks dear
I have tried the “hitting the floor” just so I know how pain it is. :p
On the height-tip, that’s probably because the distance from the surface to floor is proportionate to the length/height of the baby and hopefully (??) the legs can touch the floor first, softening the impact as opposed to a free-fall? I’m also guessing.
BTW, one more tip to add, is DO NOT let the baby go to sleep straight after. monitor for 1-2h.
And another, also try NOT to repeat the story when they grow older because then they will ask you non-stop why they fell off the bed and “why mummy never protect me?”
Ouch*
Yea, that crossed my mind too…better chance that a leg or arm could hit the floor first…guess that makes sense huh.
I have also come across the tip about not sleeping after. But just find it sooo hard to do, I mean wouldn’t the baby just want to sleep after the ordeal? But I appreciate the logic behind it though, the fear of a head injury leading to coma. *shudder*
And…does this mean I have to delete this post?
yups so you can properly monitor for vomiting or after-effects after the fall. if baby sleeps, then u can’t really monitor for the signs.
no need to delete cuz by the time they can read, they probably can understand :p (password protect maybe haha)
Good to know Javier’s ok..
Incidentally (& quite unfortunately), my boy fell off my bed this morning too.. Scary as my bed is abt a metre off the floor.. Thank God all he has to show for it is a bump on the forehead and is still his usual happy & greedy self.. 😉
Now time to go get those mattresses on the floor just in case (and prayfully none to speak of)…
Thank God he’s ok. It’s a big relief when we see they are well and acting their usual! Yup, I too think mattresses are the way to go…at this stage. The fall is a good wake-up call for us eh?
Happened to me countless of times! I can only thank God for His amazing grace that she got away without even a bruise on her head.. Just pain and shock which she reacted by wailing the house down. Thankfully no other side effects too after close monitoring. God protected her from her newbie mummy! Haha
Hee, we can really see His protection and grace through such events…and it also teaches us to take more care yeah? You are an experienced mummy now!
Haha! I had to laugh at #2. I think I did that when my boy rolled off the bed at 4 months while I was getting his bath ready. My girl fell off the bed when she was about 6 months. She fell back first as she was sitting up. Now, what does that say about me - BAD BAD mommy! I panicked with both AND prayed like I never prayed before!
You know what? Knowing that we’ve all been through this gives me an amazing sense of comfort, albeit in a warped kinda way since it’s not something to be proud of. I initially struggled with posting this, but am glad I did!
I am always worried about this! I know it’s going to happen though…taking notes!
Hi Natalie, thanks for your comment. I truly hope you will never get to use the notes.
If this makes you feel better, I’ve to tell you that all my 3 kids fell off the bed before. Boys do seem to be more active. But then, my youngest, now 11-month-old baby girl has fallen off the bed 3 times. So what does that mean? Either this is really common, or I’m a really terrible mother!
As for not placing baby on a bed taller than them, I’ve heard this rule before. I think if they fall off from a height shorter than them, it’s not that serious. That’s what I heard.
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