My step daughter drop my baby!

[Gini]

Feeling really strange, my 9 year old SD dropped my 5 month old ds - I was mortified! it wasn't a big drop but I turned in the kitchen when I heard my son scream in the dining room and he was on the floor - with her and my dh standing there like tits in a trance!
I thought I would go mad, but no, poor little thing was so upset that she had hurt her brother that she was crying saying how we would never trust her again - told her accidents happen etc but ds has a HUGE red mark on his forehead, bound to turn in to a bruise and the hv will look at me funny....

Gini, dont worry, i'm sure he will be fine. and if you have any worries at all tomorrow you can always get him checked out. You have already told your sd that these things happen, as they DO. (check out 'worst mother thread'and we are all a LOT older than 9!) Have a good worry free evening, you sound like you are part of a lovely family.

I'm sure your ds will be fine. My friend had her son tumble off a bed onto a concrete floor and hit his forehead at about the same age. He had a blood nose and she called the ambulance (they were in a foreign country at the time) but it all turned out OK. My ds is forever getting bruises on his head but that is because he is walking now and trips over a lot, especially when tired.

Keep an eye out over tonight as if it was a really, really, bad drop then he may have a small amount of concussion. Check on his alterness and responsiveness to things.

It's nice to hear your step-daughter was so concerned and I'm pleased you reassured her even if you were trembling inside.

thankyou poppyloppy, feel very aware of little ones sleep tonight though...
Told emily (SD) that i do trust her and that she is a real help when she is here but she has told me that she is too scared to hold him again, she's scared she could really hurt him - have told her that babies are hardy and that it takes alot to hurt.... but no avail, she's gone to bed heart broken that she hurt him - what else can I do?

thanks meanmum - thats what I told ds, I was dropped on a hard floor (does it expain things??!) and no harm done - it could have been anyone of us that did it....

Oh - how distressing for you all. Perhaps your SD could hold your DS for a while when next sitting on the sofa, to build her confidence back up.
To show her that you still trust her, perhaps you could suggest it next time she's sitting down, rather than waiting for her to ask?

Don't worry about the HV. As my HV once said to me when I was fretting about a particularly nasty bump on DS's chin and cheek, "Don't worry dear - a bruise is nothing; you'd have to have the baby strung up by its toes from the lampshade before most professionals would bat an eyelid."

How about a very small gift from your son to your step-daughter as a thank you for being such a wonderful sister and looking after him. Tell her it is his way of saying he wasn't hurt and he hopes she looks after him lots more in the future.

Good idea about the gift - as for trying to show her I trusted her, about five mins after the accident I asked em to hold him (didn't really want to but was an accident) and she said no, she loved him too much to hurt him again... bless - after me being so scared when I got pg that she would feel pushed out - just goes to show...!

Gini your step daughter sounds lovely (and I'm sure your son is too!)

Must be a worry, but I thought I'd join in with all those who say he will be fine. I remember reading that when children have accidents, the louder they scream the more likely they are to be OK.

Did you tell your sd that you were dropped on your head as a baby?

Oh yes read the "worst mother thread".

My ds1 tripped in a paediatricians office and whacked his head on the corner of his desk. It came out in the hugest, bump and bruise I have ever seen - right before out eyes- it was massive. The peadiatrician barely batted an eyelid. After about 2 minutes of screaming he got up, examined the lump and muttered something about only needing to worry if it doesn't bruise!

Just today I saw my lovely brother and we talked about the TWO times he dropped me on my head when I was little.
He's 10 years older than me and I remember following him around like a shadow as a little girl and so had lots of accidents whilst with him. Another one was whilst riding on the back of his push bike I got my foot tangled up in the back wheel/spokes and there was ALOT of blood. I love his to bits depite all his attempts to finish me off!!!! Your SD sounds utterly devoted to her little brother and she'll soon find it hard to resist a quick cuddle from him.