Well my Humpty Dumpty had his first BIG fall on his 11 month birthday and it shook me completely. I was standing 50 meters away from him, talking to my maid...I am sure I had an eye upon him as he was playfully standing on the sides of his cot and he just toppled over upside down.....
I remember myself shouting his name loudly & then I went all numb....I didn't even go & pick him up. My maid picked him & I took my wailing baby in my arms just for my husband to come out of the restroom & pull him away from me. I was so shocked that
when he asked me what part of his body hit the floor first I couldn't reply, as all I had in my head was I looking at him toppling off the cot bar.
It took 20 mins for my child to come back to normal & begin his toy story again but two hours for me to stop crying & figure out what happened. Finally I realized he basically walked over his big car soft-toy which was kept in the corner of the cot, gained some height & slipped over on his left arm & not his head. But it was scary.....
Well I am not a doctor but I as a first time mom made my notes upon "Babies Fall's" so sharing my pointers with you guys:
1. Do Not Panic - there isn't much I say can about it but as my mom says, "Now you are a mother so you have to manage everything, Keep calm & Raise your child."
2. Resist any temptation of banging your head on the wall or floor - its okay, if the baby fell & especially when you were around.... you did not commit any crime, breathe easy as you too are a human, you never intentionally wanted anything bad for your child.
3. Call for help - There might be a few falls & especially the first ones (like mine!!!) when you might not be able to get a hang of what has happened and what to do. Just call for help from another family member & someone who is more calm & composed (usually husbands are the best bet at this time!) who will handle the initial situation.
4. Check for any injuries - Usually babies and toddlers do not get any broken bones so easily as that's how they are into making of an adult.... But check the baby for any bruises or bumps and its severity. Also check for any other 'serious injury' like a broken bone, head/ back injury, unconsciousness, bleeding which is not getting stopped by pressure, seizure, persistent vomiting, excessive sleeping, change in eye ball size, eye movement, etc
5. Use cold compression - As and when your kiddo starts exploring and standing with support, 'Bump Eggs' - as I call them; are the most common things that's gonna happen. Usually they are not of a big concern but cold compression is the best form to bring them down. Just wrap a few ice cubes in a cloth and press it on the bump off & on till the bump subsides a little.
6. Visit the doctor in case - Visit or call your doctor immediately in case there are signs of any 'serious injury' (as mentioned above in point no 3) or if there are symptoms you cannot handle. 'Follow Your Instinct' as no read or another individual can tell you about what is the best for your child.
7. For the next time - Whenever Nevan has his usual falls during the day (for which now I have lost the count of falls/day) I prefer not to look at him or react for the fall with a sudden sound or jerk. This does not further surprise the kid and maximum no of times he gets up again and starts playing. In case if he does start crying and ask me to pick him up, I distract him immediately with his toys, light or whatever random thing is in front of us so that he forgets about the fall. These two are my rules for the regular falls.
I remember myself shouting his name loudly & then I went all numb....I didn't even go & pick him up. My maid picked him & I took my wailing baby in my arms just for my husband to come out of the restroom & pull him away from me. I was so shocked that
when he asked me what part of his body hit the floor first I couldn't reply, as all I had in my head was I looking at him toppling off the cot bar.
It took 20 mins for my child to come back to normal & begin his toy story again but two hours for me to stop crying & figure out what happened. Finally I realized he basically walked over his big car soft-toy which was kept in the corner of the cot, gained some height & slipped over on his left arm & not his head. But it was scary.....
Well I am not a doctor but I as a first time mom made my notes upon "Babies Fall's" so sharing my pointers with you guys:
1. Do Not Panic - there isn't much I say can about it but as my mom says, "Now you are a mother so you have to manage everything, Keep calm & Raise your child."
2. Resist any temptation of banging your head on the wall or floor - its okay, if the baby fell & especially when you were around.... you did not commit any crime, breathe easy as you too are a human, you never intentionally wanted anything bad for your child.
3. Call for help - There might be a few falls & especially the first ones (like mine!!!) when you might not be able to get a hang of what has happened and what to do. Just call for help from another family member & someone who is more calm & composed (usually husbands are the best bet at this time!) who will handle the initial situation.
4. Check for any injuries - Usually babies and toddlers do not get any broken bones so easily as that's how they are into making of an adult.... But check the baby for any bruises or bumps and its severity. Also check for any other 'serious injury' like a broken bone, head/ back injury, unconsciousness, bleeding which is not getting stopped by pressure, seizure, persistent vomiting, excessive sleeping, change in eye ball size, eye movement, etc
5. Use cold compression - As and when your kiddo starts exploring and standing with support, 'Bump Eggs' - as I call them; are the most common things that's gonna happen. Usually they are not of a big concern but cold compression is the best form to bring them down. Just wrap a few ice cubes in a cloth and press it on the bump off & on till the bump subsides a little.
6. Visit the doctor in case - Visit or call your doctor immediately in case there are signs of any 'serious injury' (as mentioned above in point no 3) or if there are symptoms you cannot handle. 'Follow Your Instinct' as no read or another individual can tell you about what is the best for your child.
7. For the next time - Whenever Nevan has his usual falls during the day (for which now I have lost the count of falls/day) I prefer not to look at him or react for the fall with a sudden sound or jerk. This does not further surprise the kid and maximum no of times he gets up again and starts playing. In case if he does start crying and ask me to pick him up, I distract him immediately with his toys, light or whatever random thing is in front of us so that he forgets about the fall. These two are my rules for the regular falls.
Take care of your kiddo's.....Do let me know what are the others important pointers in case I have missed any.
Keep the bed covered with pillows from all the open sides. Also, you can put a mattresses on ground.
ReplyDeleteYes Varun....that's also a good suggestion. But my kiddo is now 13 months, the pillows on the bed sides do not stop him now, those are mainly for the younger ones :)
ReplyDeleteNice post ...my girl was fell off from bed last night .Gud thing no bruise or any injury on head coz of mat bt her lil pinky tounge was injured wd her own teeth.whn she was eight month old startd climbing on bed nd loved to switch off da lights from eight to 15 month i did my best to keep her safe from her special adventures thing she loves bt last nite she sat on two pillow jus to reach on switchs (main reason of imbalancing of two pillows).i give him to mishri jus to stop bleeding nd brhamastra mother feed;) ..its really work to stop her cry
ReplyDeleteYes Sonam, Breastfeed is definitely the ultimate solution for small babies fall & mishri (crystalised sugar) is an age old thing used to stop blood....thanks for your added suggestion!!! :)
Delete