Baby Fell Off Bed Twice in a Week

xstaticnyclove

I'm so sorry this has happened and am feeling terrified. I screamed and cried when it happened. The first time was a few days ago and I had left my son in the middle of our king sized bed with pillows around. He's 5 months old so hasn't started crawling yet. I was in the kitchen and not even a minute passed and heard a big thump and him crying. I ran to him to find that he fell on our hardwood floor on his back about 3 feet from our bed. I looked out for signs of vomiting, bruising and seeing if he acted differently. He was totally fine. Then about an hour ago my husband was asleep in bed with him by his side with pillows all around and the same thing happened. He cried and finally has settled down. I insisted we take him to emergency this time as I'm still terrified from the first fall. What would you do? Has this happened to you before? So far, we don't see any abnormal signs in him. He's calm again and doesn't have bruising. Is there a way to tell if there is a problem without signs? Thanks for your input!

emolee84

If you're concerned I'd call your pedi's office, I'm assuming there should be an after hours nurses line, and see what they suggest.

I freaked when DS1 feel off the bed, but he was fine.  His pedi told us that you're not really a parent until they fall off the bed at least once (he was joking of course and trying to make us feel better)

rjeller32

My FB fell off of the bed far too much. No matter what we did, she would fall. It's good to be safe and get them checked if you see any signs of damage or concussion. I think that babies are a lot less fragile than people believe, but it definitely is scary! I am glad we have a crib this time around. DD2 has only fallen off of our bed once so far.

brachysira

Ours fell off the couch onto the hardwood (with a thin mat on top) at 3 weeks.  We have no idea how she did it.  We called the doctor and she said if the limbs were working and see was acting normal we wouldn't need to go in.  DD had a small bruise on her head that hasn't completely faded in months, but despite this, we're convinced there was no harm.

ForeverEverAfter

If anything seems off, even just a gut feeling-take the baby to a Dr. They're usually fine, but working in ER I have seen babies and toddlers who have fallen from shopping carts, benches and couches that have managed concussions or skull fractures, one who showed no symptoms til the second day and had to be airlifted to a bigger centre. Like I said, the vast majority are fine, just keep an eye out for changes.

RissKay

If you feel the need to take LO in, do it.

Also, obviously pillows aren't working. I wouldn't leave LO on the bed anymore.

Your mommy intuition is there for a reason, but I'm sure LO is fine!

ilenegrace

DS fell off the bed once at 7mos. It comes out of nowhere and is so scary! But then we got bed rails for our bed and filled the wholes left over on each end with pillows and it never happened again. Good luck.

puppy_love6969

Just curious, did you end up calling? Perhaps its not a good idea anymore.

saturdaynightdoubletree

I'd call if his behavior seems different. I also wouldn't put LO on higher surfaces unattended or while someone is sleeping. I guess I'm the minority here, but none of my kids have ever fallen off the couch or a bed as babies... I would be terrified! Just trust your gut, GL.

tilsonc

RissKay:

If you feel the need to take LO in, do it. Also, obviously pillows aren't working. I wouldn't leave LO on the bed anymore. Your mommy intuition is there for a reason, but I'm sure LO is fine!

 This! 

kateraid

I've seen this topic so many times. Lets stop putting our babies unattended on high surfaces. Never underestimate what your baby can do. Put them on the floor on a blanket if you have to.  

xstaticnyclove

Thanks for the advice. It's definitely a wake up call to be more attentive. We've decided to never let him on the bed anymore. He's going to be on the floor or in his crib from now on. He is fine so no need to call the doctor. We are keeping a close eye on him. Thanks again!