Do I get a safety helmet to my baby or is it ridiculous?

[SleepFreeZone]

Hear me out before you all say I'm being ridiculous.

DS is 10 months old, has been standing for months, is now walking with a push along dog and cruising. Fine. It's early but ok. He falls, a lot. It scares me. I have come off all social media to make sure I have no online distractions (I Mumsnet while he naps). I am with him everyday. I try and make sure that I'm close by when he is practicing however still he falls.

We have thick carpet with thick underlay and floor boards so on the one hand the floor is as good as it can be, but still he bangs his head on the floor around twice a day.

I was looking at those safety helmets you can get babies. These kind of things www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00PRVEBU2/ref=mp_s_a_1_33_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1480596128&sr=8-33&keywords=safety+helmet+baby. Has anyone used one? Are they just a nonsense? Is all this head banging going to damage him long term? I just don't know what to do 😁

He's adorable . Enjoy him xxx

Wow, cute kid! Don't buy one, they are ridiculous. You sound like a lovely mum

No he needs to learn to be careful so he doesn't bang his head. Putting a helmet on will inhibit his development.

The "stair gate" period is worst time ever! Grey as a result I am sure. The near fatal heart attacks I have had thinking someone had left the stair gate open and the noise being heard was the "unsteady one" toddling up them is incredible .......

Life is full of obstacles.

Of course you mustn't buy him a helmet.

Oh his beautiful! Lovely big eyes.

I totally understand where you're coming from. A helmet isn't a realistic option but then, neither is you not having a break at all. What about foam play mat tiles? Gives him extra padding.

I thought you were going to be taking the baby on a bike and would have said please just don't (I watch so many near misses round here with angry rush hour drivers. There is a very blase dad we see who has one baby on the front baby basket and a little toddler on a clipped on tiny little bike to the back behind who looks like she is holding on for dear life in really busy fast flowing aggressive traffic, my heart lurches everytime I see him fly past!). But anyway, that is clearly irrelevant!

Your carpeted setup with you hovering is probably safer than 99% of babies - my first literally grew up in a house we were renovating and there wasn't a single carpeted floor, loads of steps and corners and exposed stone. I was paranoid but he was oblivious and totally fine. This phase passes quickly (& then we always get something else to worry about!..)

Btw please don't put a helmet on him, he'll be fine!

Missed the photo. He's too cute! 😍

being a toddler is crash-bump-howl-stand up-smile-do it again. If kids with no health problems needed crash hats the human race would have died out long ago. They are designed to cope.

remove obvious hazards - cables, telly he can pull down, naked flames, sticking out pan handles, naked flame, unguarded fire, fragile objects, stuff like that.

BTW do NOT use socket covers if in the UK. They ARE dangerous.

enjoy this stage, it is funny if nerve-wracking!

Honestly, you sound lovely but no, just no. That is how he learns! I would suggest that you work on moderating your response when he does fall - instead of a "poor you, are you ok", go for a big brisk cheery "whoops-a-daisy, the floor went boom-boom again, up you get" or whatever. It will help you both!

Also there is some research from cyclists showing that wearing a helmet or anything on the head can distort your sense of self in space - I can't remember the exact term but we naturally have a sense of where parts of our bodies are relative to the rest of the world. Wearing a helmet disrupts this. for an active child learning to move about in space, this would not be a good thing to inhibit. Every baby bashes their head when learning.

Gorgeous boy. Well done you for being an active concerned mommy, but he'll be fine :) my DS (now 12) did a Houdini out of his crib and landed on his head several times. I'd move the crib against the wall and he'd climb out the other! Anyway, he's absolutely fine now, he's educationally slightly above average (stealth boast, but mostly trying to reassure OP!!) and I never noticed any ill effects from his Houdini days.

Your wee one is just falling from wee-one height with wee-one weight/velocity, he'll be fine.

oh, that's why i've gone grey - the stair gate phase ...

He'll be fine OP. I totally get why you hate the thuds. I hate them too.

5yo dd balanced on the edge of the tube and fell back into it - the resounding thunk of her head on to the fibreglass was NOT what I wanted to hear! And I was right beside her - just didn't know she was going to push herself over backwards. She is completely, totally, fine -barely a bump.

When he starts tearing around on a scooter - then definitely get a helmet. (along with the bathtub thing I have also heard the thunk of a helmet hitting a sidewalk at speed...)
your ds is adorable btw

OH OP this has really made me chuckle, you lovely weirdo

And he's utterly gorgeous!

Yep this phase is definitely a scary one. Add my toddler into the mix four days a week and I'm anxiety ridden wreck. I love babies but I'll be happy when he gets more stable I think.

Oh god I didn't realise I was being so weird in my thinking 😳 I just want to protect his little head from the impact.

I saw these and thought they were mad

He's lovely posting to say we have a similar 'dog' walker and it is actually quite wobbly and inclined to tip...but you have carpet unlike us so will be fine.

Datsun I've noticed that he tips quite easily too. DS like to lean over him to pick unnecessary shite stuff up and of course ends up laying on the floor the other side 😁

Your wee boy is absolutely gorgeous!! What a beautiful smile!
I felt the same when DS was toddling, but just put some rugs down to cushion the impact! He's fine, he falls, he gets up, he carries on!

Bless OP, you're a lovely mum

Wait until he's in school. My klutzy son comes home with a head injury note in his bag at least once a fortnight 😬

He really doesn't need it, he's fine! Also, all it will do is a. Affect his balance so he falls more and b. Stop him from learning to be careful.

I've seen these used and I always wonder how the baby learns to be careful! I figure they won't learn that something hurts and to be careful etc.
I'm on my third and he's a climber. I obviously stop him when it's dangerous but other than that I just teach him how to get down safely. It makes me feel like I have a little control over the situation 😳😀
He's 15 months now and we haven't had any major bumps but I guess its all relative. When I had dd1 I was a neurotic mess and cried every time she cried (often for longer than she did 🙄🙈)
Hope you find a way forwards that helps you.
As an aside do you attend any baby groups so that you can interact with parents of children a similar age? It may help to allay your fears x

My daughter has a cyst in her brain & I was so paranoid as she started to move around that she was going to bash her head & do herself some damage. When I asked the neurosurgeon if she needed a helmet he laughed, babies skull bones don't fuse over completely until they're over 18 months so there is flex should they fall while they're just learning to walk apparently.