How to Deal with Baby Falling Off Bed

The initial stages of being a parent can be one of the most stressful times of your life, especially if it is your first child. However, fear not; most of your fears are irrational and stem from your parental sense of protectiveness.

Babies have an irregular sleeping pattern, especially in the early months. They can fall asleep during the daytime, and most often than not, they wake up crying when everybody is asleep. Usually, the only time when they are not the focus of their parents’ attention is when the parents are asleep, or out of the room. In these few moments, it is entirely possible that the baby may fall off the bed

What should you do if your Baby Falls Off the Bed?

Babies are small, so it is easy to think that they are incapable of crawling over to the edge or even falling off the bed. However, the effects of flailing arms and kicking legs should not be underestimated. The baby falling off the bed is a common problem faced by new parents.

Your baby falling off the bed can make you feel as if you are a terrible parent. However, the baby falling from the bed is a widespread occurrence. Instead of fussing over the baby, you must remember to follow the steps to ensure that there are no lasting effects on your child’s health. Prevention may be the ideal way of dealing with infants falling off the bed, but accidents can happen to anyone.

If this problem ever happens, there are a few steps that you can follow and a few checks you can carry out to ensure that your baby is fine and you can finally put your mind at ease.

Initial Checking

If you do wake up at night hearing a thump and find out that your baby has fallen, it is important to observe your child for the next 24 hours to find out if there are any lasting effects.

Initially, you need to check whether your baby is conscious. The fall could make your baby lose consciousness initially, and the toddler may appear to be limp or sleeping. The consciousness is regained rather quickly, and they may resume crying. Even though it may seem normal, it is imperative that you treat this situation as a medical emergency. It is advised to not move your child immediately after the fall, since it may cause further injury to the child.

You have to pick up the child and comfort them gently if the child does not seem to be injured outside. Babies may be confused, alarmed and scared, after a fall. While holding the baby, you need to inspect the child for any physical signs of harm, on the head area. Although the baby falling off the bed and hitting its head is a common accident, it needs to be treated with caution. If the child is under the age of one, the situation should be treated as a medical emergency, and you must take the child to the doctor right away.

Dealing with the Bump on your Infant’s Head after Falling Off the Bed

If there is any impact on the head of the infant, it is possible that he/she may develop a bulge in the shape of an egg in that area. However, the egg-shaped bulge is not as bad as it seems- they usually turn out just fine, and go away after a short period. The bulge means that there is swelling in the area, but only superficially.

To deal with the bulge, you have to apply a cold compress on it every hour, for about five minutes. This is easy to do, but the only difficulty is distracting the child from the chill of the ice pack. The bulge usually disappears within a few hours, and if it doesn’t, you should consult a doctor.

When should you call the Doctor?

If the situation seems out of control or seems to worsen, you should call the doctor for an expert opinion. However, in most cases, this won’t be necessary.

• If your child seems to have any deformity after the impact of the fall, you should visit a doctor immediately.
• Broken bones are another case of emergency, and you need to visit a hospital without any delay to get the necessary treatment for your toddler.
• In case of any cuts or bruises, it may be advisable to wrap the wound with the help of an expert nurse or doctor.
•   If the bleeding is internal- your child has bloodied nose, eyes or ears, then a visit to the doctor is a must. This should be treated as a critical condition as it could be symptoms of internal clotting.
• Brain haemorrhages also have the same symptoms, as internal bleeding. Remember this when you take your child to the hospital.
• A concussion is another danger, and its signs include dizziness, weakness, and sluggishness, combined with vomiting. This indicates that the hit was harder than it seemed.
• Another thing to notice is if the baby seems to be experiencing a blackout without any quick movements in the eyes.
• The pupils may seem to vary in size after the fall, with one pupil more significant than the other.
• Finally, if the baby appears to be crying for longer than usual, it is indicative of some internal problem. Take your child to the doctor immediately.

How to Prevent the Baby from Falling Off the Bed?

There are many ways to prevent your baby from falling off the bed and hitting their head, or at least reducing the effect of the fall.

• First and foremost, remove the bed frame and place the mattress on the floor, to minimize the distance to the floor.
• Push the mattress against a wall, and ensure that the nearby table and chairs are far away so that the child does not get stuck in any way.
• Teach your child to get off from the bed in a safe manner, by sliding off on their belly, when they are old enough.

Babies falling off the bed is a phenomenon that is bound to happen during the initial stages, no matter how attentive you are. While there are few things that could go wrong in the long term, care must be taken to ensure that there are no lasting effects of the fall on the child.