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Baby hurt himself and it was totally my fault. I feel awful

7 replies

LlamaFace19 · 04/05/2023 22:50

Hi all. DS is 10 months old and pulling to stand, cruising etc. He hurt himself today (not badly, he's okay) and I feel like it was totally my own fault 😭

So after doing some ironing I put the iron away and then folded up the ironing board and stood it up behind the living room door, which is almost always left open (we live in a flat that has quite limited storage). A little while later the doorbell went, so I left DS in the living room for no more than 20 seconds to see who it was. To be honest I completely forgot the ironing board was behind the door and I assumed DS would be fine as the rest of the room was baby proofed. Lo and behold I hear a bang and then an almighty cry 😭 DS had crawled over to the ironing board and pulled the bloody thing down on himself 😭 it hit him on his head/face and gave him a little red mark on his, forehead and a bloody nose 😭 he screamed the house down for about 5 minutes but then happily went back to playing.

I did panic and call 111 in tears and they were very reassuring, just said to keep an eye on him for any vomiting, lethargy etc. DS has been his totally normal self, chatting and playing, eating etc. He's gone to bed normal time and is sleeping soundly (though I keep checking on him!). I'm now sure he's fine but I feel so horrifically guilty. I've been crying on and off since it happened, more than DS did WHEN it happened! I feel like it's totally my fault, DS could have been seriously injured and it would have been my fault. DH keeps telling me not to dwell, to just thank my lucky stars DS is fine and move on from it. But I feel like the world's worst mother.

OP posts:
ChicChicChicChicChicken · 04/05/2023 23:30

Honesty we’ve all felt like that when our babies have hurt themselves because of something we have/haven’t done.
My stair gate didn’t catch properly one time and I’d turned around to pop some baby grows in the drawer…we’ll you can guess the rest. I cried more than my poor baby did, it’s a terrifying ‘what if’ moment.
Your DH is right, your baby is fine so don’t dwell on it. Flowers

Samlewis96 · 14/06/2023 15:54

My eldest daughter at 2 years old managed to knock an iron off the board and burn herself( luckily it was off and cooling while I bent down to unplug it. Felt awful on that one. Dd2 had daily accidents both supervised and unsupervised with cured me of guilt trips lol. DS managed to somehow spill hot tea down himself that we thought was placed out of his reach on a dining table with me sat one side of him and his grandmother the other.

It happens!! And they've all grown into undamaged adults ( although dd1 still has small scar on her hand )

iamnottoofatiamjusttooshort · 14/06/2023 15:55

It happens to us all
They are resilient .. just keep and eye on him and then forget it

Be good to mention at his 18th birthday party 😂

Marylou62 · 14/06/2023 16:10

Oh darling...be kind to yourself... accidents happen...
I'm one of the safest people I know (I have a knack of 'seeing' potential dangers) but I've had many accidents with my own 3 DC's.. luckily no serious ones..
A few requiring A&E tho... they're all adults now but I still remember the sick feeling...
Sending hugs

Roselilly36 · 14/06/2023 16:11

Aww what a shock for you OP. But honestly it happens to every mum, I can remember my son toppling over from the sofa to the floor the second my back was turned, also my other son putting his hand in the toilet bowl and then in his mouth! That I had just filled with bleach, in the split second DS1 was asking to get his coat on. Honest to goodness I know how bad these things make you feel. Not to mention twice losing DS2 at an attraction and in Toys r us, as a mum you don’t forget these things. But no lasting damage my two are 21 & 20 now, they survived with me as their mum 😂 have a cuppa and a cuddle you and baby will be fine.

Outofthepark · 14/06/2023 16:31

Listen, this just shows how it's almost impossible to leave a little one alone for even 20 seconds, without them pulling down the most dangerous object in the house on top of themselves (I mean, why?!), so it should just reinforce what a bloody amazing job you're doing to keep him accident free the other 99.999999999999999999999% of the time 😁

FictionalCharacter · 14/06/2023 16:43

We’ve all been there, many times over, and he’ll have many, many, many more accidents! Please try to think about something else and distract yourself from this misplaced guilt. Your son has moved on and isn’t too bothered - try to do the same. You’re not doing him any good if he sees you looking upset.

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