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Baby has repeat accidents under husbands care

119 replies

GreeneQueen · 12/02/2026 13:52

I am writing to ask if I am being unreasonable being concerned about my husbands attitude to the safety of our child. She is 15 months old and has by now suffered 3 accidents with impact to the head under his care. First two were when she was 8 months old. One, he left her unbuckled in the pram knowing that she is able to stand up. As she stood up in the pram she swung it forward and fell hitting her head on ceramic tiles. Second, he left her unsupervised on the couch and she fell backwards from sitting and hit her head on ceramic tiles. The third one was at 15 months when she newly developed the skill to climb chairs. He saw her standing on the chair and didn’t think to go up and ensure that she remains safe. Seconds later she was on the floor having hit her head on ceramic tiles. Each time there was a lot of crying and distress and a bruise. Thankfully no major consequence although I do believe that repeat impact to the head of this magnitude is not without consequences to the brain. Each time she would have been at around 1.5 meters above the ground before falling onto a hard surface. He will say things like - look at her, she is fine - after she is settled from crying. He is of the type who says that children should be free to explore and I’m a helicopter mother. This time he also said that now he will know not to leave her standing on the chair but I feel like this should be anticipated and not learnt by the parent at the potential cost of the child’s health. There were several other near misses with her being left on the couch unsupervised when she was able to roll or later when she was left unbuckled in a high chair and stood up in it. Can I please have some second opinions. For me these are preventable serious accidents and simply not acceptable. I am worried leaving her under his care.

OP posts:
SchoolDilemma17 · 13/02/2026 11:02

mindutopia · 13/02/2026 10:59

This definitely warrants social services involvement. That’s a lot of head injuries in a small child. I’m guessing you have never taken her to A&E to be checked because these absolutely would have been flagged as possible abuse. If you haven’t seen them happen with your own eyes, that would also worry me.

exactly what I am thinking

SchoolDilemma17 · 13/02/2026 11:02

Have you actually seen these accidents or is this how he explained her head injuries to you?

My children never had head injuries like you described and 2 in a short amount of time is very worrying. I assume you didn’t go to A&E as otherwise SS would be involved.

pinkyredrose · 13/02/2026 11:00

You need thick rugs to cover the ceramic tiles. You husband needs to buck up.

mindutopia · 13/02/2026 10:59

This definitely warrants social services involvement. That’s a lot of head injuries in a small child. I’m guessing you have never taken her to A&E to be checked because these absolutely would have been flagged as possible abuse. If you haven’t seen them happen with your own eyes, that would also worry me.

Eaglemom · 13/02/2026 10:54

@GreeneQueen do you care to comment on what people have been saying, such as are you going to take the advice and get your child seen by a doctor, and have you considered this may not be accidental or at the very least this is neglect?

TeaAndStrumpets · 13/02/2026 07:53

AutumnClouds · 13/02/2026 07:39

It sounds absolutely nothing like AI, it sounds like a stressed human. If you’re going to AI hunt can you spend some time using AI or reading about it so that you have a better idea of what it actually sounds like en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Signs_of_AI_writing

I was agreeing with a previous poster.

Scarydinosaurs · 13/02/2026 07:45

I’ll start with saying all parents will have different tolerance levels of allowing “risky” behaviour, and generally studies have shown men have higher tolerance than women.

However, not strapping in is just lazy/not allowing the child to explore.

So, on balance, yes he has poor judgement, but three examples of falls isn’t suggesting to me incompetence, but a parent who is learning.

I guess it’s more important to judge if you think he is learning, or just uninterested in improving/keeping your child safe.

AutumnClouds · 13/02/2026 07:39

TeaAndStrumpets · 13/02/2026 07:18

I thought this. Sometimes i see upsetting posts where the OP never comes back and I wonder if the horrified reactions are being deliberately provoked.

It sounds absolutely nothing like AI, it sounds like a stressed human. If you’re going to AI hunt can you spend some time using AI or reading about it so that you have a better idea of what it actually sounds like en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Signs_of_AI_writing

GreeneQueen · 13/02/2026 07:39

Thank you for all the comments.
Forgive me, I meant the 1.5 meters as the distance between her head and the floor, not the height of the surface she was on. She is 80 cm tall so combined with the height of the pram or chair seat is a probably closer to 1.3 meters.

OP posts:
TeaAndStrumpets · 13/02/2026 07:18

ScarlettSarah · 12/02/2026 22:32

This is such an odd, wooden writing style. Sounds like AI.

I thought this. Sometimes i see upsetting posts where the OP never comes back and I wonder if the horrified reactions are being deliberately provoked.

Upstartled · 13/02/2026 06:03

1.5m? From a couch? I'd have to take a run and jump to get on to the sofa to sit down at that height.

mathanxiety · 13/02/2026 05:27

BreadstickBurglar · 12/02/2026 17:44

I feel like everyone suggesting rugs is missing the point! The floor could be made of crash mats and it still wouldn’t be great to let a tiny baby tumble head first repeatedly onto them from a height.

Having seen PP’s post I’m also starting to wonder whether this could be deliberate harm rather than “just” neglect. 😔

My partner had two accidents with our daughter by that age (both slips/trips while I was watching) - I’ve never seen anyone so mortified and that was without any bruising/signs of injury. It is NOT normal nor humane to cause injury to your infant and be unbothered and let it happen again and again. Personally I wouldn’t be able to leave him alone with this baby for a minute, and in fact I’d have to boot him out to convey how serious this is. Your little one could die because he thinks he’s Bear Grylls and not some tosser with no care for his baby’s fragile body.

I agree.

All over the warmer parts of the world people live in homes with ceramic tile flooring. Toddlers crawl and walk on ceramic tiles.

They do not all end up with head injuries.

This is because like toddlers in carpeted homes, their parents amd caregivers supervise them.

mathanxiety · 13/02/2026 05:21

FancyCatSlave · 12/02/2026 23:19

Clearly you haven’t sought medical
advice each time because if you had you’d have had a social services visit right now. And they wouldn’t be impressed. Quite rightly they would be asking questions.

You are complicit and leaving your child at risk of harm. Why on earth are you being so passive about it all?!

I wouldn’t be surprised if there were other injuries you aren’t aware of…

Agree.

You need to take the child to be examined.

You need to tell the doctors exactly what happened.

Sadly, you may not be aware of other incidents.

mathanxiety · 13/02/2026 05:19

BraveMumOf4Explorers · 13/02/2026 02:24

Take her for brain scans, these types of falls do cause trauma especially with soft heads - like sports traumas-do proper investigation and do not leave your child with him - he is not safe.

Yes.

And do not lie to doctors to protect him.

The time may well come when you will need the documentation of his failure to provide basic supervision.

mathanxiety · 13/02/2026 05:17

GingerBeverage · 12/02/2026 14:24

Oh yeah, so now you have to pay attention all the time and he gets to label and mock you as 'helicopter parent'. Heads he wins, tails you lose.

Let me guess, there are other things he doesn't bother doing or does so badly you are forced to take over as well?

This.

And you'll worry about leaving him because he'll have weekend visitation, when you won't be able to make sure she's safe.

There's a huge difference between encouraging exploration and being a danger to your child. He's either too thick to understand the difference or he's a sociopath.

What consequences have you put in place to communicate to him that you will not accept his disregard for basic safety?
Have you told your family or his about these incidents?

Do not have another baby with this dangerous man.

Flooring is not the issue here.

BraveMumOf4Explorers · 13/02/2026 02:24

Take her for brain scans, these types of falls do cause trauma especially with soft heads - like sports traumas-do proper investigation and do not leave your child with him - he is not safe.

bevm72yellow · 12/02/2026 23:54

Poor parental supervision on his part....3 times on tiles....he is at something else instead of caring for the child. And with one child he has no excuse. He is making little of the child's welfare by saying you helicopter too much. Falling on a soft surface is dropping the risk but not a ceramic floor.

TheRuffleandthePearl · 12/02/2026 23:50

CostadiMar · 12/02/2026 15:02

Put some rugs down/foam puzzles.
Falls will happen, especially now when she starts walking. BTW babies falling out of prams/cots/chairs happened to almost all of us.

Edited

er no, my child didn’t fall out of a pram/cot/chair once because I was there/they were strapped in/they were correctly supervised./ the cot was raised as needed.

sharkstale · 12/02/2026 23:33

ItsPoochie · 12/02/2026 21:51

‘Just’.

So she should just do absolutely all of the looking after her child by herself forever. Just.

Never go to the supermarket without a toddler, take him to the dentist with her, do all the school drop offs and pick ups, all of the extra curriculars. Never have a night out or a weekend away.

I can’t see that having any impact at all. Just do that OP.

That's what I do? That's 'just' life for some.

FancyCatSlave · 12/02/2026 23:19

Clearly you haven’t sought medical
advice each time because if you had you’d have had a social services visit right now. And they wouldn’t be impressed. Quite rightly they would be asking questions.

You are complicit and leaving your child at risk of harm. Why on earth are you being so passive about it all?!

I wouldn’t be surprised if there were other injuries you aren’t aware of…

MusicWasMyFirstLove · 12/02/2026 23:10

Three times is no longer accidental.
I'd be worried it's intentional.

Also, change your flooring or cover it with thick insulation and carpet.

NewHere83 · 12/02/2026 23:06

AeroChambre · 12/02/2026 13:57

It sounds like he doesn't take enough care around risks and needs to be more helicopter!

But also all this talk of ceramic tiles? With a baby? I would be betting some foam squares and rugs and mats around. I was attentive and careful and yet my dc were covered in bruises from bumps once they were mobile so I softened the environment as much as I could.

This, exactly!

ScarlettSarah · 12/02/2026 22:32

This is such an odd, wooden writing style. Sounds like AI.

WinterSunglasses · 12/02/2026 22:27

You need to leave. He's either incompetent and doesn't care, or he's malicious. Leave, apply for sole care, but before you go, 'accidentally' smash three of his most treasured possessions and tell him how uptight he is for caring about them.

99bottlesofkombucha · 12/02/2026 22:26

Your daughter is helpless and her safety is the priority. I’d tell him that and that his marriage depends on him caring about his helpless child’s safety in a proactive way, and if a worse accident happens you will know it was avoidable, he is just negligent, and you will never ever look at him the same way again.