My baby fell down the stairs (Trigger warning)

I’m feeling so much worry and guilt. My baby almost 8 months, was in his walker and our litter box is in the basement. Our cat was scratching at the door to go down so I opened it a crack knowing he was in his walker still and just thinking I’d shut it in a minute. He was in the other room and I went to start a load of laundry which is right by the stairs but I couldn’t see baby I thought he was still on the living room. as I was putting soap in I heard the thumping and my heart started pounding and I rushed to him immediately. He was laying face down in his walker on the concrete. We have very steep and long stairs too. I called the hospital and went there right away. His CAT scans came back fine but the whole one side of his face is swollen and he has a puffy black eye and a small fracture above his cheek. I’m so grateful he’s okay. But every time I look at him I’m so angry at myself and I know he’s in a lot of pain. On top of that I’m feeling a lot of anger and resentment towards my boyfriend for not coming with me. He says it was because of work and I just woke him up and he wasn’t’t thinking to go but this was 2 hours before he had to be there. I told him sorry for freaking out on him and that I know he loves us but I still feel angry like I don’t even want to look at him. Now I’m feeling depressed and I’m at my mom’s but I don’t even want to see ANYONE. I feel like the worst mom ever even though I know it was an accident. Every time I look at my baby’s face it makes me feel worthless.

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How awful, I'm so glad things didn't turn out worse. Babies are resilient! My husband's family has tons of stories about mishaps like this, but everyone is fine and it's easier to laugh about (and warn others!) as time goes on There's been a push by the AAP to get walkers banned. Several other countries have already done so. They're one of those things that people don't realize how dangerous they can be. https://www.consumerreports.org/product-safety/baby-walkers-unsafe-still-sold-in-us-a3111814380/

@Raqi my mom says that babies are resilient too as this happened to my older brother when he was a baby. It doesn’t make me feel better though just wish I would have been more attentive

Accidents happen, mistakes are made, but you did everything right when it came to making sure baby was okay after it happened. I wasn't paying attention for a second and our cat scratched my baby in the face leaving her with a large permanent facial scar and I'll feel guilty about it every time I notice it. These things happen, nobody can be perfect, give yourself some grace and know you aren't alone with this experience or with the feelings following it. I hope things get better for everyone involved soon 🩷

It shows how much of a good mummy you are by how much it’s affecting you! Reading that just tells me you’re caring and loving towards your son! So glad that he is okay, a tough cookie 🫶🏻💪🏻 xx

I know how you feel. I fell asleep with my baby in my arms and dropped her and her head hit the side table. She still has a scar on her face and might have it forever. I still feel extremely guilty every time I see it. My partner was furious with me. Even knowing it was an accident and I love my baby more than anything. As if he didn’t know that I already felt horrible. I just say to myself “It happened and I can’t change the past. All I can do is learn from the mistake.” I know it’s hard now but you guys will get through this. You’re a good mom. And you’re not the only one who’s ever made a mistake like this. Try not to beat yourself up. It will be okay.

Thank you everyone.I’m glad everyone’s babies are safe and doing well. I’m going to learn for sure and try not to let it get me so down

Ohhh mama I am so sorry, I can only imagine how you feel. I dropped my baby twice when he was younger and I still feel so guilty about it. One time he was literally in my arms and I dozed off, and he rolled out of my arms onto the floor on his face 😭. Another time he was laying on the couch with pillows around him. I ran to pee and while i was washing my hands I heard the thud and him crying. That was his first time ever rolling over but i still felt so so so bad for being so careless to leave him on the couch 😭

@FairyMother hi! My son recently had surgery and his Dr recommended silicone scar tape to help with the scarring. That may be worth looking into for your little one. They have it on Amazon for pretty cheap

@Carmen I'll look into that! It happened almost a year ago so I'm not sure if anything can be done. She's almost 2yo and all scar creams for kids are for 2+ so we hadn't used anything on her yet. Her doctor recommended certain vitamins known to help repair skin but I don't think it made much of a difference

@FairyMother I’ve seen that it’s supposed to work on old scars too and my son is only 17 months so I know it’s safe for younger toddlers. A stick of cocoa butter has also worked wonders for me!

Sending air hugs over. It’s a terrible feeling seeing your little baby hurt like that. I think expressing how scared you were with your family might help. I’m thinking they were scared too and would want to reassure you that your baby will recover and be okay. It might also help with the guilt to have a game plan, like keep baby away from stairs, loud music, strong lights, and bumpy car rides. Babies are built to survive things like this, and I hope your little one will have a speedy recovery

Ooh man I am so sorry . . They have said that baby walkers are dangerous for this same reason. Another thing I learned from someone else’s experience was tying /locking them to their high chair like actually strap them in because I’ve heard stories about them falling. I’m glad he is okay babies recover fast. I’d get ride of the walker!!!!! Take my angry out on that 😭😭😭

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