My 5 Month Old Baby Fell off the Bed!!!!!

Updated on June 22, 2010
T.G. asks from Montgomery, AL
30 answers

Yesterday, while i was on the phone with my boyfriend, my daughter and i had laid down. I had taken some antibiotics and was sleepy but i really did not feel that way. Well, once i hung up with him all i remember is waking up to the loud shrieks of my little darling. I just knew she was not on the floor!!! I jumped off the bed with the speed of a cheetah, and there she was crying with her eyes wide open. I scooped her up and with an instant was on the phone with the doctor. I could barely dial the numbers, i was shaking so bad!!! Once i picked her up she acted as if the wind had been knocked out of her!!! I was soo scared i rushed her to the ER. They said that she would be fine but i dont know!!!! And to make matters worse my mom had told me whenever we lay down together make sure i put a pillow next to her to keep her from rolling off. I wanted to kick myself!!!! I just wanna know if she is truly going to be ok

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A.V.

answers from Oklahoma City on

It sounds like she will be just fine!! I wouldn't worry about it anymore, you had her looked at and they said she was fine. :) My son rolled off the bed when he was about that age, he was just fine! I felt SO bad! I just didn't put him back on my bed, only in his from then on. :)

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S.B.

answers from Kansas City on

my daughter fell off the bed as a baby too. No lasting harm. Babies are more resilient than you think. She was probably more scared than anything else.

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K.D.

answers from Dallas on

I think we all have the baby fell off the bed story. Its the worst and we always feel TERRIBLE after it happens. Baby will be fine :)

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M..

answers from Miami on

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S.C.

answers from Fort Wayne on

She'll be fine :) It happens to ALL of us! No need to beat yourself up over it. That first fall is ALWAYS the worst. Just like the first bruise, the first shots, the first..well..any injury. Babies are amazingly resilient. They seem to be able to bounce back from a lot of stuff really easy.

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A.G.

answers from Las Vegas on

This happened to my son when he was about 9mo. He was and still is FINE!! It happens to every kid!

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M.P.

answers from Portland on

She is just fine. This will not be the first time she rolls off of something. Babies bones are still flexible. They have a good skull to protect their head. Please relax and know that as long as you take common sense precautions she will be fine. Also know that accidents happen. If she's crying and in every other way acting fine then hold her until she calms down. Keep an eye on her to see if there are any changes over time but be calm. Your anxiety will increase her fear and she will continue to cry.

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B.S.

answers from Houston on

I'm sure she is fine. I was once told that if my baby never fell off the bed then I was watching him much to closely. I think my son was about 6 months old when he fell off ours...same thing I dozed and he ended up hitting his face on a metal hand weight we had sitting by the bed. :c( Since then he has fallen off a few times while wrestling with my husband. Now it doesn't even bother him. He just gets up. (He is 2 1/2).

The doctors at the ER checked her out so I'm sure she is fine. When napping with my son I do put a pillow next to him so he doesn't roll off.

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K.E.

answers from Jacksonville on

This happened to my husband while I was at work. I've never seen him that shaken. He called me at work and had me come home and we rushed to the doctor who said our daughter was just fine. It's always good to get babies checked out after a fall and at that young of an age. You did the right thing by taking her in to be checked out, but you aren't the first or last person to do this. She'll be fine. Take a deep breath and try not to be so h*** o* yourself. You're human, mistakes happen. It's how we learn. :) Take care!

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S.H.

answers from San Antonio on

This is your first baby, isn't it, LOL? My boy has fallen off the bed countless times. My girl once fell off and had to get stitches in her head (she was sleeping on a normal sized bed) but aside from a shiney spot of skin on her forehead, she's fine now. In fact, she spends a lot of time bearing her whole body weight on her head. By choice. I tend to see her feet sticking up in the air more often than her face. She must have healed pretty well.

Babies are made of some pretty strong stuff. I would not give it another thought. They'll get worse bumps than that in life and you can't wear yourself out worrying like this. I sympathize, I do, I was like that when my dd was a baby. After the second group of stitches in her head I've thrown up my arms. She knows that if she needs stitches in her head again she has to get a job to pay for them. :)

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J.B.

answers from Houston on

My husband is a martial artist and he is still amazed at how when my three year old falls, he falls "correctly". Adults have to be taught to fall without getting hurt but because babies and small children don't fight the fall, they actually get hurt less often. I am not saying you were wrong to be shaken up, I sure would have been! But they are usually fine and if the ER said she was good to go, try not to worry. We all get used to the fact that we are usually in control and think we can prevent accidents, but they do happen sometimes. If I rest with my baby in the bed, I put him in the middle and a pillow on the outer edge. But I usually only do this when I nurse in the morning, and I have a three year old bouncing around as well! But let me just say, I tripped while I was prego and holding my then 2 year old and we both fell on a hard tile floor. He hit the back of his head, I was freaked, he was fine. Someone I know, dropped her little baby in the middle of the night from the rocker while nursing, he was fine too. I really think she will be Ok. Sorry you had the scare, but believe me you aren't the first, it is scary, but sounds like she is just fine:)

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J.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

She'll be fine. Be assured that the ER checked her out and try not to feel guilty. My first son fell between the bed and wall in the middle of the night when he was about 5/6 months old. It was horrible, but he was totally fine. I think it scared me more than him...

I agree with other posters who made suggestions about finding some new sleeping arrangements. I started pushing the bed all the way against the wall after that and it never happened again.

Jessica

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M.G.

answers from Chicago on

She'll be fine! Don't beat yourself up, either. It was an accident.

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C.M.

answers from St. Louis on

She will be fine - glad you took her to the doctor to reassure you!! My daughter fell off our couch when she was at home with my husband and was a few months old. Then another time she was in bed with him in the morning and was crawling around and fell off - but again she was okay. As long as she is acting/breathing normally, you are okay.

Of course you feel bad (as you will with most parenting things that go badly) but remember that she will be okay and now you know to put the pillow next to her!

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J.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

Its only going to get worse, wait till she starts climbing. I would suggest to move the bed against the wall or get the bed rails if you want to lay down with her on your bed. She will probably be ok. One time we put our lil girl in her swing and somehow she undid or slid out of one side of the belt that straps them in. All of a sudden I hear a loud thunk, she's screaming at the top of her lungs, I turn around and see her head on the ground, one leg in mid air, and the other still strapped into the swing. She was 6 months old exactly. She had the ugliest bruise on the side of her face where she hit the ground for like 3 weeks. My boyfriend wants to buy her a helmet. LOL You will be ok, don't worry, you did the right thing and had her checked out. =)

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A.S.

answers from Dallas on

This has happened to me and pretty much everyone I know. Sometimes, they start rolling when you least expect it. But, you did well to take her to the er and if they gave her a thourough inspection, as well as warning signs for you to look out for should there be a problem. She should be fine... just use the pillow positioner next time.

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B.E.

answers from Tulsa on

I hope your baby is ok, yes pillows will help her not roll of but if she is very active she could roll over the pillow and onto the floor. As parents we always feel guilty . Babies are very resilient and it probably scared her more than anything. Best of luck to you in the future

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M.P.

answers from Texarkana on

Don't stress too much, if you took her to the ER and they said she is going to be fine, then please trust the doctors and nurses. Doctors don't discharge patients home if everything is not ok. You did everything you should have done, taking her to be evaluated by a doctor. These things happen, even if you aren't asleep, something will happen to your baby. My son was in my lap when he was 1 or 2 and leaned backwards, slamming his head on the coffee table. He is 6 now and perfectly fine; no pain, memories, or scars remain of his accident. Just trust the doctors and nurses that they know what they are doing. Good luck! And maybe try a play pen or something for her when you lay down. When you are sick it is easy to doze off.

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H.J.

answers from Minneapolis on

She should be just fine, I remember when our 4month old daughter fell off the bed after my hubby put her there and I was in the bathroom all I hear is this thump and then my hubby yell "she bounced!" lol at the time it wasn't funny but now when we look back at it; it's a good laugh. Anyhow she is 5 now and just fine

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L.A.

answers from Birmingham on

This happened to me at about 4 mos. old for our daughter. She was fine, scared and I was absolutely horrified. I laid her down on the bed for what seemed like just a minute to grab something in the bathroom and all of the sudden a THUNK and screams. I was crying, she was crying. She was fine and my guilt laste far longer than her fear. It probably would be good to always put some barrier between the baby and the edge of the bed.

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T.B.

answers from Lafayette on

My 2 year old fell out of the bed in the middle of the night not long ago. I felt the same way. I was depressed and felt horrible for like a week. He cried for about 20 minutes but there was no sign of bumps or anything. I stayed up with him for a while to make sure he was OK. He was fine and still is. You are not the only parent whose child has fallen out of the bed. I learned this after it happened to mine. If the docotrs said she is fine then she is. It is just your conscience making you feel bad.

Updated

My 2 year old fell out of the bed in the middle of the night not long ago. I felt the same way. I was depressed and felt horrible for like a week. He cried for about 20 minutes but there was no sign of bumps or anything. I stayed up with him for a while to make sure he was OK. He was fine and still is. You are not the only parent whose child has fallen out of the bed. I learned this after it happened to mine. If the docotrs said she is fine then she is. It is just your conscience making you feel bad.

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M.B.

answers from Washington DC on

She should be fine! I, too have had moments like that with each of my 4 little ones. I'd have to agree with the statement that it happens to everyone.

Just take a deep breath and stop thinking about it :)

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

Its fine. you did the right thing.

In the future, as she really starts rolling around, you might want to lay down/sleep with her ON the floor, on a floor mattress or something. Or just surround your bed with pillows.
But a friend's baby, even though their bed was surrounded with pillows... her baby fell off the bed and right in the spot in between the pillows and the wall.... and as she fell, she hit her head on the bedside table.

this happens. It happened to my kids too, as babies.

all the best,
Susan

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K.S.

answers from Kansas City on

When our son was 4 months old and not wiggling yet he fell off the couch(the moment we took our eyes off of him, is when he decided he should wiggle!) We called the doctor and we were told that this happens to just about every baby and not to feel bad...easier said than done! We checked out his movements and his eyes and Dr. said he was fine, but if it made us feel better we could take him in. We felt bad for so long, but realized we are good parents and it happens to just about every baby-at least your first anyways. I hope you have some comfort seeing this has happened to most of us. Try not to feel too guilty. I think we should be more worried if this happens more than once(that's when parenting needs to be questioned). Good luck to you, just your reactions here, show you are a good mommy!!

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M.L.

answers from Fayetteville on

She is probably fine. This happens to everyone at least once. My first daughter fell off a couch onto a wood floor once. She was fine. When she was 3 she fell headfirst out of her bed onto the wood floor again and this time split the skin on her forehead. Talk about panic, I found her with blood all over her face. We went in, got stitches, and she was perfectly fine.

If you took her in and they checked her out, she is most likely fine. Babies are pretty resilient. She may have been crying more from fear than from pain.

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T.A.

answers from Jonesboro on

Yes she will be okay I have been there before waking up to the baby on the floor it makes you feel so bad in so many ways just try to move on from it and try to prevent it from happening again. Hope you get to feeling better.

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L.N.

answers from New York on

is your floor carpeted, did se sleep longer than usual afterwards (even if a few hrs later, was it longer). did the ER run any scans, xrays etc?
i don't think anyone can answer your question.
my question is how did antibiotics make you sleepy? they don't, that's is not a side effect of an antibiotic.
that aside, i have heard of babies falling by accident you just have to have 8 pairs of eyes when with baby, no phones, no tvs, no sleeping unless the baby is safe in the crib.

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S.C.

answers from Grand Rapids on

Just wanted to add, the fact that she was crying after a fall is a good sign!! She was concious and apparently no head/neck trama. This must be your first babe! I took my first to the E.R. for everything it seems like. Number 4 though, he has only rolled off the bed 1time, I can't remember how old he was, but was probably around the 5-7month range. I also co-slept w/ him up until he was about 12-13 months (and he is sometimes in my bed when I wake up... an amazing feat for one in a crib... must be able to fly... or be carried...) anywho, you could always put a pillow on the floor or two, or a big blanket so if it happens again, it will soften the fall. I never up until like a month ago (my youngest boy is almost 16 months)
Anyway, she is FINE
if you have stiars, just wait, falling off the bed would seem as harmless as doing a summersault, can't keep them off stairs forever! (don't worry, she'd probably still be fine!!) lol

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C.S.

answers from Monroe on

She will be fine. She was probably more scared than anything. Remember she is at the age where she moves a lot. Put pillows around her.

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L.G.

answers from Hattiesburg on

I have done something similar with both of my kids.my daughter is six and she landed head first at six months old and my 8 month old son just did it last week. I kept them awake for at least two hours, watched their eyes, ears, and nose for signs of blood and just kept a close eye on them trying not to kick myself. They are both fine and I'm sure it's not the last time either will get a bump. It's ok.

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