Did Baby Ever Fall on Her Head?

January 10, 2010

There are some accidents and parenting disasters that are par for the course and others that are inexcusable. Driving your children after drinking could run you far, far off the right course, but other calamities — like dropping baby on her head, or a baby rolling off the bed — are somewhat unavoidable. Have any of your children been dropped or fallen or rolled on to their heads as babies?
Photo copyright 2010 ABC, Inc.

19 Comments

3 years 11 weeks

Dear judgemental, I'm assuming you have 1 kid. Maybe two. Coming from a mom who grew up in a daycare, graduated a psycology major, has more child care experience then 10 normal moms and has three young boys, it is completely inevitable. My oldest, now 5 was about 6 months when he was being baby sat my sister. She lived 2 blocks from me, when she drove my son from her house to mine, she strapped the car seat into the car but neglected to strap him into the seat. When I was carrying him from the car to the house he slid about a foot onto the floor. No damage done. This was not a bed but is one of million examples on how baby can hit head.

3 years 18 weeks

Also, what if the first time your child goes into "climbing mode" is the time they make it over the top and fall to the floor? Should we be psychic as parents?

3 years 18 weeks

And if the child still learns how to climb out? We've had the crib on the lowest setting and a child who still learned out to climb out, even with a crib tent over it. You're focused on this very literal interpretation of the story rather than the big picture. It's quite fascinating. Of course, it makes it difficult to take you seriously, but still, I'm enjoying reading the complete lack of common sense involved. It's a nice escape from real life.

3 years 18 weeks

The actual text is "rolling off the bed". Rolling off the bed is completely avoidable. And if your child is in climbing mode, you lower the crib down to its lowest setting and just use a stool to get your children in and out of the crib.

3 years 18 weeks

So again I ask you the crib question - how do you propose that be absolutely taken of, never an accident? A crib is a bed, you know. "Falling off the bed" doesn't have to apply solely to a full size bed.

3 years 18 weeks

You may call me sheltered...but I call you irresponsible. That's fine. My kids have never fallen off the bed because I know that they can roll off in the blink of an eye, so I've never put them in that position.

3 years 18 weeks

Yes! Just that day I was saying to my mother not put my son on the bed anymore as he JUST learned how to roll from his back to his tummy. So later that day I turn around to gather up some stuff THUMP, he hit the ground! Shit happens man - of course you'd do whatever you can to avoid it but it's impossible to say it's 100% avoidable. That's why it's called an ACCIDENT.

Bettye Wayne 3 years 18 weeks

Babies have very durable heads. Thank goodness!

FrankiLee 3 years 18 weeks

Ooh I just realized my grammar error. Meant to say "doesn't mean you're a bad mother." Sorry, I'm a stickler for grammar! Glad to see that other mothers are telling their stories too. Like one person said, unless you pack the crib in foam and live a sheltered life, situations like this are bound to happen!

Roarman 3 years 18 weeks

My daugher, who was eight at the time, was holding my then four month old son and he threw his body back and she dropped him. I will never forget the sound he made when he hit the floor. We had to bring him to the hospital to make sure, but he was fine, just a bump on the back of his head that was gone the next day. It took my daugher, however, far longer to get over it.

meandtheo 3 years 18 weeks

my two year old fell down ONE stair over christmas and hit her head hard enough to pass out and start vomiting...ONE step, we were not watching her go down the stair. i was terrified. we rushed her to the ER where a cat scan showed all fine aside from a minor concussion , but still super scary. every fall is scary and parents feel bad enough without others passing judgement :(

3 years 18 weeks

There's no where that it says specifically that the "baby" has to fall off a bed either. Babies just learning to sit, crawl or walk all regularily fall and hit their heads! IT HAPPENS! Like another poster said, if you think things never happen, you really do live in a very sheltered world!

3 years 18 weeks

So a baby about 8 months or so that learned to crawl out of his crib without his parents' knowledge and falls on the way, that's avoidable? How would you recommend that be avoided? Stay awake all night and watch? Install cameras in the room and again, stay awake to monitor them every moment? Cosleep? Can't do that, then you're going to say if they roll off the bed there, they should've been in a crib. I suppose you could pack the crib in foam. Of course, that would be a suffocation hazard...

3 years 18 weeks

I consider my two-year-old a baby. And if you truly think that every bed roll is totally the fault of the parent, you live in a very sheltered world.

FrankiLee 3 years 18 weeks

We have a really low bed, and I laid my daughter down on it to fold some laundry. She was about 4 or 5 months old at this point. I looked away to grab a shirt and in that split second she had rolled off. She fell on her belly. Of course I felt like the world's worst mother, but if you talk to any mom, they've had it happen to them at some time or another. Doesn't mean your a bad mother, unless it happens on a regular basis and you're leaving your infant unattended. Things like that can happen in seconds, even if you're the most cautious mom.

3 years 18 weeks

This question doesn't ask about your toddler or a two year old. It asks about a baby. "Did baby ever fall on her head?" There is no scenario where a baby should be rolling off a bed. Period.

3 years 18 weeks

Once a child's in their own bed, chances are it's pretty unavoidable that they'll fall off at least once. Also, there's no reason not to leave my two-year-old on a regular bed without having my hands on her, doesn't mean she's never going to fall. My children have all hit their heads. The two-year-old does it on a regular basis. Sure I could avoid it by removing all furniture from my house and not letting her ever run because she might slip and fall again, but that's pretty ridiculous.

3 years 18 weeks

I remember my mom telling me a rolled off the couch as a baby. No harm done (I think). Sure, it's avoidable, but it happens.

3 years 18 weeks

How is rolling off the the bed unavoidable? Seems very avoidable to anyone with common sense.