what to do if your baby falls

I always hear of stories baby falling off the bed and wonder how can any parent let that happened in the very first place. Now that I am a parent myself, I say no parent is perfect that mistakes are never made.

To date, Luqman has fallen out of the bed on more than one occasion. Three times, to be exact (and hopefully no more!)Yes, that is more than enough to make us feel like we're the worst parents ever and I can never explain how upset I was (and still am whenever I think about it). Truthfully, I never would expect we would be among those whose child rolls off the bed despite strict supervision.

I still remember the first time my husband told me of Luqman's fall once I arrived home after a camp at school. I broke down into tears almost immediately thinking of what he looked like when he fell, the 'thump" sound and the pain! *sobs* We rushed to the clinic just to be safe though Luqman seemed to look fine.

The second time I managed to cushion him with my hands upon landing and the third time he landed on his back just when we thought he was really asleep. I guess babies never really 'sleep' in their movements. In case you're wondering, no, Luqman doesn't sleep on the bed with us (he has his cot), but these unfortunate events occured on days when we thought putting him on the bed for a while will not cause any harm.

Then I start not to be too beat up and console myself that accidents do happen even if you eye your child like an eagle. And this is something that every parent goes through as part of learning to live with a child. Lesson learned : Luqman either hangs out on lower surfaces or off he goes in his cot. Three times is a curse! No more!

Safer

Anyway, I'd like to share what to do if your babies fall off the bed. These are what I gathered from my readings and what the doctor told us.

1. First and foremost, relax. I know, it seems ridiculous (I was screaming and crying when it happened. I mean who wouldn't??), but that's what you have to do. Stay calm and don't panic. This will help your child calm down, too, so you can better assess your child's condition.

2. Check your child's limbs, head and body for any bumps or bruises, swelling or redness. Undress your child while doing so. If there aren't any on the head or body, there is probably no insignificant injury.
Info : babies' skulls are so flexible that they absorb falls better that adults . Theirs' aren't fused so if there is any swelling it doesn't press up against the skull like adults.

3. Watch out for any vomiting, diarrhea, unusual or extreme behaviour changes (i.e inconsolable crying for hours) and eating changes for 3 weeks. If any of the above occurs in the next 3 days following the fall, go to the hospital right away.

From what I gathered, most falls are not serious even if it's a 1-2 feet high fall onto a hard floor. Kids are very resilient and that most falls seem worse that they really are. However, if your child falls from a high place such as highchair or a counter top onto a hard floor and you know he/she hits head first, you should probably rush to an ER.

Anyway, it is such a great relief knowing that we are not alone in this and that it happens. Most of our friends and families also told us of the stories of their babies falling and alhamdulillah that our babies are fine.

Ummi and ayah are sorry little boy!