“Blag!”… ” ungaaaaaaaahhh!!!!” next thing I know I found my 7-month old baby on the bedroom floor. My baby fell off the bed! She fell from our high-mattress bed. I felt heartbroken as I picked her up from our wooden floor. Though she stopped crying after she felt she was already in my arms, the guilt in my heart didn’t stop. Why did I miss her tonight? Why did I fall asleep not securing my co-sleeper? Why did I let her fall? It was 1:30am and happened in a split second after I stepped on dreamland. I should’ve not fallen asleep on the first hand. But I did, probably because I was too tired.
This was not the first time I experienced a child falling from the bed. My first and second also fell from the bed when they were around 6-9 months, not just once, but more than twice and everytime it happens, I feel terrible. It is usually the time when they are learning to crawl and what others refer to as “kalikutan” days of a baby. But this time, with my youngest, even though I knew that it can also happen, I admit that I became complacent. Maybe because she is well behaved (she rarely cries!) compared to my first two children when they were of the same stage.
“Wow.. what kind of a mother is she? 3 kids and still not learning? Or maybe she doesn’t care at all.”
These might be your thoughts right now as you read this blog and I totally understand. I admit it’s my fault, and I swear, I feel I’m the worst parent ever every time it happens. My inner conscience shouts to me the same thoughts. But I can’t linger too much on the situation. I have to relieve my baby’s pain rather feed my own with guilt. I have to forgive myself and move on.
Miraculously, they are always okay, and so normal after a fall like as if nothing happened.
Thank you Lord.
Probably guardian angels are real, if moms can’t catch them, they will. But hey, we can’t just rely on them all the time and not to be careful at all (That’s one lesson I learned). We should also be cautious and do all possible ways to protect our kids from these kinds of situations.
As a mom who wants to keep my kids close to me most of the time possible and because of these many instances that I experience a baby falling from the bed, I researched how I can prevent these from happening again. If you are like me who likes to keep the family bed, here are a few ways you can do to prevent your child from falling out of bed, or at least make it less traumatic if they do:
- Start by removing the bed frame and setting the mattress on the floor. This lessens the distance that your child might fall if they roll off the edge. If you have a footboard or headboard, remove it.
- Push the head of the mattress against the wall, and make sure all bedside tables are far enough away from the bed that your child can’t get stuck between the table and the mattress.
- Always place the child on his or her back to sleep, and keep pillows, blankets and other soft materials away from the child as they sleep to avoid the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
- When your child is old enough, make sure they know how to get down from the bed safely–by sliding off the bed on their belly–never by jumping off the mattress.
Sometimes, no matter how careful we are, it might happen one day. If that happens, stay calm. Do an immediate check for any injuries and observe your baby very carefully for at least 24 hours after the fall. If your baby acts perfectly normal after a fall, you might be in the clear. If you are worried and want to get the baby checked out, by all means, do so.
In these cases, I also keep Oleia Topical Oil at hand to relieve pain and inflammation fast. This should always be in your first aid kit. It is all natural and very safe to use even in babies. I applied this immediately to my baby after she fell from the bed. It calmed her right away and even gave her a goodnight sleep after.
About The Author
Andrea is a full time home maker. When she is not busy taking care of her husband and kids, she goes out giving financial management talks. She is a proud breastfeeding mom for four years running and an avid Oleia Topical Oil user.
