Frames above babies bed. Learn from my mistakes

[badmum82]

When my mum pointed out maybe I shouldn't have frames above my babies cot I just thought of all the Instagram nursery inspo pictures I'd seen and thought that she was being irrational. She wasn't, at some point last night/this morning my toddler either pulled down a print, or it fell down. We woke up this morning to screaming from the baby monitor, pulled the covers back to find broken glass everywhere, the frame and blood on the mattress Cuts to 4 fingers on one hand, 2 on the other, the palms of the hands, cheeks, belly. I've cried all day, been to A&E, we're home now and I'm feeling like the worst mum in the world. Please learn from my mistakes, it could of been so much worse

[Flappityflippers1]

Sending hugs OP and a strong glass of whatever

I had a dangly love heart thing above newborns crib next to our bed - it never once occurred to me to move it (it’s been hanging there since we moved in!)

Thankfully our HV took a look at our safe sleep set up and pointed it out, never crossed my mind!

Accidents happen, hope LO and you are ok!

[NailsNeedDoing]

It’s very kind of you and brave to share what happens on here as a warning to other parents, well done you. There will be plenty of babies sleeping regularly under wall pictures without incident, you just got unlucky. Do whatever you need to do to calm yourself and relax, and then try and forget about it. One day this will just be a story that you occasionally tell.

[ladycarlotta]

there are so many safety issues that just never cross your mind until you have a child, and maybe not even then - you simply can't get it right all the time. It's a minefield. And so much harder to get right when you see this kind of thing looking lovely on Pinterest. Please don't beat yourself up, you didn't set out to harm your child and you have done everything right since.
Sharing this is the best thing you could have done. I am currently planning my toddler's new bedroom and hadn't considered the dangers of glazed pictures on the wall. I know now. Thank you.

[DarkishBlue]

Similar happened to us. SEN daughter was 5, and slept on a mattress on the floor with lots of cushions around (No way she would stay in a bed.)
Heard her bumbling around one morning, not crying, just messing around with her toys etc, so in I went .....

To a horrendous sight. She'd knocked a frame off right up high on the wall, it had broken, and there was blood smeared just everywhere, all over her, the walls, her bed, I must have shrieked like a banshee.
In rushed husband and we took off her nightclothes. . . .eventually we traced the injury to her little finger which had a very sharp cut so was bleeding much more than a graze would have. That was all she had.
One comparitively small slice which didn't even need stitching. Amazing how far a bit of blood can go. Maybe my memory is exaggerating the amount, probably is, but it could have been a hundred times worse and the shock is indescribable. Be kind to yourself. You're not a bad Mum. It was an accident.

[AdultierAdult]

I never would've thought of this. How awful for you

[Lassy1945]

Why did you think your mother was being irrational?

[DarkishBlue]

One day this will just be a story that you occasionally tell

So true. I'm evidence.

[CigarsofthePharoahs]

My husband once left a box of charging leads near ds1's cot. Idiot. I found my baby happily playing with one. I lit a fire under DH that day.
You've got to give yourself time to deal with the shock.

[Nanny0gg]

I second checking that mattress very carefully.

And getting wall stickers...

[AndreaMarteau]

I managed to pull an old analog tv on myself when I was about 3 or 4 (I'm old and those things were heavy). My mother panicked and ran off down the street to get my aunty, leaving me under the tv

I was fine, don't remember it and I don't bear my mum any grudges. These things happen, OP, don't beat yourself up. Glad your baby is ok.

[UnholyStramash]

OP, you’re not a bad mum, you made a mistake. I know you’ll feel bad for a good while whatever any of us say to you. Silly accidents happen and luckily you’re all okay. The baby won’t remember - all they’ll remember is the love you’ve shown. Here are some unMumsnetty hug from another mother who made mistakes too.

[justanotherneighinparadise]

I have to say I’ve never done this, nor shelves for exactly this reason. I just didn’t want to risk it.

[Runway]

Hardly any frames these days are glass - so all the pictures you see are probably perfectly safe.

[Alsohuman]

Oh sweetheart, that’s awful. You’re absolutely not a bad mum. It was an accident. They happen. I hope your toddler makes a swift recovery.

[SunshineCake]

I sometimes wonder if I am a worrier as I would have not put pictures above a baby's cot as I would have expected them to fall down but I'm glad now.

There are posts every year about a baby who has strangled themselves with a blind cord and the parents often do a bringing awareness post. I just don't understand why anyone would still do this.

Glad you are all relatively okay.

[lightand]

You are not the worst mum in the world! People learn as they go along.
I told my DD today, who is moving house, not to stack boxes too high, as they may topple on the kids, or the kids enjoy kicking them over on top of themselves.
Mums help DDs the world over. Totally normal.

[lightand]

And help sons too obviously, in case anyone says anything!

[YippieKayakOtherBuckets]

Glad your baby is OK, OP.

Ikea frames all now have plastic instead of glass.

[ArabellaScott]

Aw, OP. You must have had such a shock. Hope your baby is all better soon.

If it helps, I had parts of the ceiling fall off and onto my head as a child. Plaster mould bits. Accidents happen.

[thebillyotea]

It's awful when it happens, but that's life. You'll just be more careful about similar things from now (and people will think you over-react because they have avoided such bad experience).

You have been more than unlucky too. I haven't even seen glass frames anywhere for years, frames need to be very low for a toddler to even reach, and unless you glue the cot to the wall, the frame slides between cot and wall if it falls, don't smash on the bar of the cot. It's a lot of bad luck, but your baby is nowhere feeling as bad as you are and will forget a lot quicker than you!

[thebillyotea]

@Nanny0gg

I second checking that mattress very carefully.

And getting wall stickers...

I personally would probably just chuck it or at least turn it round after cleaning it carefully.

[Ivyiris]

Your not a bad mum accidents happen. Hope your baby is ok, don't beat yourself up.

[Flittingaboutagain]

How awful. I will definitely learn from you and never do this no matter how cute the photos look! Definitely a crazy idea, just not worth the risk to baby.

Glad baby is OK.

[MrsPnut]

If it makes you feel better, I fell out of a first floor window onto concrete when I was 2.5, that was when my mum realised I could open the catch.

Thankfully, I was young enough not to tense when I fell and got away with a fractured skull and a night in the hospital.

To make it worse my mum picked me up and put me in the car to take to hospital and half way there remembered she’d left my baby sister at home in her pram. Had to go back and get her.