Child Fallen Out Of Bed: What To Do?
Once upon a time, the baby may fall out of bed. Instead of plaguing yourself with guilt, this is the moment to try to do the right thing and help your child.
If your child falls out of bed …
1. Keep calm
Babies are delicate and sensitive, but broken bones are relatively rare. If your child falls out of their crib, try to stay calm.
With a clear head, you can better oversee the situation and act correctly. Because now you have to determine whether you need to take your child to the emergency doctor or not.
You have to consider different aspects:
The first question is how high is the bed, sofa or changing table from which your child fell to the floor. Because on it depends the strength of the impact, which is fundamental in order to make the decision whether to go to the doctor or not.
2. Is the child bleeding?
You now need to determine if your child has fallen on their head or if they are bleeding. Check for possible wounds and use gauze to cover any bleeding wounds. If the injury is major, you must definitely take your child to the emergency doctor.
If the wound is small and insignificant, the pressure of the gauze and a band-aid will stop the bleeding. Don’t forget that even small wounds can bleed profusely!
Does your child have a lump on their head or other parts of their body? With a little ice, swelling can usually be relieved. But you have to watch out for other symptoms as well.
3. Vomiting and pain
If your child vomits after the fall, you should definitely take them to the emergency doctor!
Maybe your child is crying very intensely, this is completely normal. It can start coughing and vomiting. In this case, there is usually no worse problem hidden behind it.
But if your child vomits several times and is in pain, you should definitely have them checked out.
4. Confusion and disorientation
If your child is confused and disoriented, or even loses consciousness, you should not waste any time and take them to the emergency doctor immediately.
Even if it is drowsy and difficult to wake up, it will need a doctor’s examination. In addition, movement restrictions, visual or speech difficulties, cramps or twitching are other reasons to take it to the doctor immediately.
If your child is bleeding in the ear or nose after the impact, you need to urgently take them to the emergency doctor. It could be a loss of cerebrospinal fluid. Even if blood can be seen in the white part of the eye, it is an emergency!
Visible deformations on arms or legs or swelling of the scalp must also be examined by a doctor as soon as possible! Altered pupils or unusual eye movements also make a visit to the emergency doctor necessary.
If the child behaves and moves normally after falling out of bed, a visit to the doctor is usually not necessary. Even so, it should be closely observed for the next 24 hours to identify possible changes.
How to stop the baby from falling
This cannot always be prevented because the child’s motor skills develop and a fall from the bed, changing table or chair can occur suddenly and unexpectedly.
However, one should take precautions as far as possible so that nothing bad can happen. Start by protecting sharp corners on furniture, such as placing a soft rug in front of the cot.
It is best to attach a mesh door to the stairs so that your child cannot use it on their own. Remove items on the floor that your child could trip over.
Chairs and tables should not be directly by the window. Never leave your baby alone on the changing table as they may turn over and fall to the floor. Your child must always be securely strapped in the stroller or in the car!
