As a parent, it is obvious to worry about your child’s health and safety. After all, your baby is surely the apple of your eye, right? However, despite taking the best care, there is a high chance that your baby might fall off the bed.
According to the experts, falling off the bed usually doesn’t impact the baby’s developmental milestones. However, you should seek immediate medical assistance to avoid any major consequences. Let us walk through every single detail to handle any such situation more effectively.
Immediate Actions After The Fall
“My baby fell off bed” – this is one of the common issues that most parents face. While you can take the best precautions, accidental falling can still happen. It is always frightening to even imagine your baby falling off the bed, but luckily, you can be well-prepared to handle such situations.
Irrespective of all your precautions, if your baby has fallen off the bed, the first thing to do is maintain calm.
Avoid panicking while analyzing the situation to get a better understanding. Get a glance at the surroundings to be aware of the complications.
Secondly, avoid moving or shaking your baby after the fall to reduce the chances of further damage. Especially if the baby has a head or spine injury, be very careful while picking up the baby.
However, if you fear any further complicated injury, gently shift the baby to a safe place without any extra pressure.
You should immediately consult a doctor if:
- Your baby is unconscious
- Your baby is bleeding
- There is a serious visible head injury
If your baby vomits frequently after the fall, turn them onto their side, keeping their neck straight. Always be very gentle with your every moment to make your baby comfortable.
If there is any bleeding, use a clean gauze or cloth to clean the wound and apply gentle pressure to stop the bleeding.
No matter how bad or normal the situation looks, if your baby is less than a year old, don’t hesitate to consult your doctor. Get your baby thoroughly examined by the doctor to get the best treatment.
Be quick to comfort your baby after the fall, especially when there are no signs or symptoms of injuries. Your baby will feel safest when he is in your arms and warmth; try and make your baby relax with your hugs and love.
Your baby will surely feel scared and disturbed after the fall. Try making them feel normal by distracting them with their favorite activity.
Lastly, you can completely relax if your baby acts normally after a fall. Wait for some time as your baby gets back to his normal routine to inspect his body for any internal injury or pain.
Check his arms, legs, chest, nails, and back to identify bruises and monitor your baby’s behavior.
Can A Fall Impact Baby’s Development Milestones?
So, can a fall impact a baby’s developmental milestones? Well, honestly, most falls don’t!
Generally, when a baby falls off the bed, there is a chance that they may act sleepy for a while, but that is usually because of a sudden shock.
However, if your baby remains unconscious for a long time, you should seek medical help.
Additionally, the sudden fall can largely cause pain to your child’s body, especially the head. But, if there is no bleeding, the pain will gradually become less without impacting the development of the baby.
If the doctor prescribes, you can give some painkillers to your baby, like ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
You shouldn’t wait to get proper medical help if your baby finds difficulty waking up or is not fully conscious even after a while. Give gentle massages to your child to ease their pain and swelling.
Give your baby proper rest if he is behaving and breathing normally; this indicates that the fall hasn’t impacted his brain development.
As a precaution, avoid any rough activities or play with your baby; try some quiet and relaxing activities.
Precautions
Precaution is always better than cure. Take a quick look at the following precautions.
- Don’t leave your baby without supervision, especially on an adult bed. They can either fall or get trapped in the surrounding objects.
- Let your baby rest in a properly constructed crib with a fitted mattress and bed sheets.
- Don’t put your baby on any elevated surface, even with proper safety norms.
Final Thoughts
It can be extremely stressful and horrifying even to imagine your baby falling off the bed; however, the situation can be handled.
As suggested by the experts, most falls do not impact the overall development milestones of the baby. Maintain your calm and patience while handling the situation.
Give your baby the most love and care after the fall, and seek medical assistance if necessary.
You can write to us in the comments to seek more advice on how to take care of your baby after falling.
