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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:
Oblahdeeoblahdoe · 12/02/2026 22:22

Your DC should be checked out by a medical professional every time she bangs her head from that height. It might also stop him minimising the incidents. He sounds like a right idiot

Luxlumos · 12/02/2026 22:19

Head injuries need checking. A lump forming on the outside is usually ok, it’s the ones on the inside that can’t see that are dangerous.

PinkyFlamingo · 12/02/2026 22:17

Clearly you are putting your DH above your child . No mention of A and E at all why?

CarrierbagsAndPJs · 12/02/2026 22:09

Nearly50omg · 12/02/2026 22:03

Why wasn’t the baby taken to hospital for checks after falling onto ceramic tiles? They would have reported you by now to SS - is that why you didn’t go to hospital?

This. You are covering up your husband’s neglect. He would have been seen by ss after the third time. Hiw do you react to him? Has this child ever been taken to the hospital after suffering these head injuries?

marcyhermit · 12/02/2026 22:09

Did you witness these falls, or did you notice the head injuries and that was the story?

If she falls from a distance greater than her height she should be seen by a doctor.

I would also change the flooring or add a mat or rug as a matter of urgency.

Hankunamatata · 12/02/2026 22:06

Buy some rugs and mats?

Nearly50omg · 12/02/2026 22:03

Why wasn’t the baby taken to hospital for checks after falling onto ceramic tiles? They would have reported you by now to SS - is that why you didn’t go to hospital?

ItsPoochie · 12/02/2026 21:51

Catwalking · 12/02/2026 14:42

Just don’t leave child alone with anyone you can’t trust, father or any1.

‘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.

AfraidToRun · 12/02/2026 21:43

What is he doing when he's just leaving her to it?

Tootiredcantsleep · 12/02/2026 21:23

Obviously the 1.5m stuff is exaggeration. A baby falling whilst sat on a sofa isn't 1.5m - the same for baby in the pram, and in the chair.

But yes he needs to take more care.

Both of you need to give your head a wobble though about having uncovered ceramic tiles whilst having a mobile baby/young toddler. Yes am accident eating to happen, and the fact that you've had 3 and still haven't covered them is the most baffling thing about your thread tbh.

TiredofLDN · 12/02/2026 21:21

If the baby really fell 1.5m, she needs checking over at a hospital. Anything taller than a persons own height, warrants a once over.

DS stood on the back of the sofa when he was five, and fell landing squarely head first on the ONE bit of un-rugged flag floor in our living room. Probably from a height of about six feet (from his head to the floor) Took him to hospital. Had a concussion.

These things happen - particularly with more climb-y kids- but it’s how you respond to them, and mitigate them, that indicates what kind of parent one is.

MxCactus · 12/02/2026 21:16

This is horrendous. She's a baby and doesn't have co-ordination to prevent injuries. He's essentially leaving her to harm herself - even animals don't let their kids hurt themselves like this, they watch them.

He sounds completely negligent. I'd leave him

Eaglemom · 12/02/2026 20:35

Has it crossed your mind these may not be accidents? With no witnesses and repeat injuries i would be considering this possibility, as awful as that is, it does happen.
Either way, he is not fit to look after his own child. Head injuries are no joke.

EvangelicalAboutButteredToast · 12/02/2026 20:04

I’ve just realised you are actually in a relationship with this man and not broken up!! I honestly thought these accidents were happening when he had custody. Do not leave your child in this feckless man’s sole care. Honestly I’d be doing everything I needed to do to supervise. It’s giving vibes of that American male who left his child in a boiling hot car because he wanted some time to scroll the internet in peace even though the mother had repeatedly told him to not leave the child in the car.

Feckless males don’t stop being feckless males. He has shown you he is irresponsible multiple times now, so stop playing Russian roulette with your child’s health and be proactive.

EvangelicalAboutButteredToast · 12/02/2026 19:57

Balloonhearts · 12/02/2026 17:54

The average dining chair to the seat is 50cm high. Please introduce me to this metre tall baby.

You honestly want to pedant over exact measurements. My god I’ve heard it all now. This small child has had three head injuries under the fathers ‘care’ and god knows what else might have happened the mother doesn’t know about. Just unbelievable that you want to quibble about the measurements and if they’ve been (I assume) exaggerated. Maybe it was one of those Tripp Trapp high chair things. Who knows.

EvangelicalAboutButteredToast · 12/02/2026 19:54

Fucking hell this is so awful to read. What on earth. I have no idea legally what you can do but I would be losing my mind and trying to do something.

Balloonhearts · 12/02/2026 17:54

FairKoala · 12/02/2026 15:12

The chair seat plus the child’s height (head is what hit the ground not her feet so was probably around 1.5m

The average dining chair to the seat is 50cm high. Please introduce me to this metre tall baby.

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.

1987qwerty · 12/02/2026 16:42

You sure that they are falls and not something worse?

SalmonOnFinnCrisp · 12/02/2026 16:32

Whatever you do one thing is clear
You need rugs.
Lot of rugs.

He sounds a bit of a useless dick in terms of minding the baby.

But some kids are more accident prone - if I had my youngest first i'd have lost my mind...

This is a quite a time bound problem - in 6 months it'll be less of an issue it 3 yrs... not an issue.

canuckup · 12/02/2026 15:43

It's neglect.

No other word for it.

FairKoala · 12/02/2026 15:34

dadtoateen · 12/02/2026 14:38

He probably does need to up his game somewhat, however............

From a personal perspective, you need eyes in the back of your head at that age, certainly when they start crawling/exploring. Accidents happen, 3 in 7 months?

I'm not being all defensive to the hubby but has your child suffered any accidental bumps when in your care?

Please don't all come at me, I'm not justifying anything.

It's bloody hard this parenting lark

It is very easy this parenting lark. You don’t need eyes in the back of your head.
You just can’t turn your back on them.
Plus you need a modicum of common sense of what could happen

One of these falls was when he was supposedly watching her on the chair and it took her falling off it to get that she could overbalance and fall.
That is mental incompetence

When you go into a room with your child if you don’t know your child and what they can or can’t do and are unable to scan the room and see the dangers then it will be extremely hard.

FairKoala · 12/02/2026 15:23

I have known 2 people who died after falling on their heads and only a relatively short distance. (Less than 1.5 metre)

One got up and walked away then collapsed several hours later. These things can look ok but without a proper medical check, things can look ok until they are not

Maray1967 · 12/02/2026 15:21

PS the Dr made it clear it was essential we’d been to hospital and the impact was on the back of the head. Fortunately all was well, but I spent that night having to check on him every two hours. Having hit the roof with DH I made it clear I would not tolerate him overruling me on safety ever again.

Vaxtable · 12/02/2026 15:21

I would suggest you need to change your flooring. Put rugs down in the ceramic tiles for a start

but no he should be taking care