How many of your toddlers have fallen downstairs?

[matana]

That's it really, curious to know after someone remarked to me "it's more common than you think" the other day.

I'm asking because my 20 mo DS fell downstairs on Tuesday - right from the top to the bottom - and i felt like an terrible, terrible mother. He's just got to the age where he likes to climb/ come downstairs on his own (when i say "on his own" i mean with hand holding help). I opened stairgate and was momentarily distracted when i turned to pick up a glass from the cabinet at the top of the stairs. When i turned back to take DS's hand, he was looking at me and not where he was going so as he reached out for the bannister he missed an toppled forward.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion, but I knew pretty much as soon as he got to the bottom that he was absolutely fine (just shocked), although cue lots of tears and guilt from me. Within 5 mins he was running around giggling and being silly, much to my immense relief. I still called the GP who was fairly relaxed about it as long as he didn't seem particularly subdued.

So anyway, am i a terrible mother or is it more common than people admit to?

Both of mine have and I live in a ground floor flat. They fell down gps stairs

Twice - and we don't even have stairs in our house! He just sort of slid down though, thankfully, and both flights were carpeted. Scary when it happens though.

Mine ds did
He also jumps off the kitchen units, from the back of the sofa and from the window sill to his bed
He's 3yo
You have all this to come

Glad he's ok

Yep, my two have. And I did as a 4 yr old too.

My nephew (then 2) fell down the stairs and broke his collarbone. When BIL & SIL went to explain this to his sister she say 'i know, i pushed him'

my ds has fell down the stairs twice. First time was Christmas and he'd insisted my (very drunk) stepmum had to read his bedtime story but then got back up, she followed him down the stairs but tripped and knocked him down them. Luckily, he was coming down on his bum so he just did a really fast bum slide down. He was scared but fine.
Then he fell down them the other day. He's 3.7 now so goes up to play in his room whenever he feels like it. I don't know what he was doing but he rolled from top to bottom. He just grazed his back but was otherwise fine. He's more careful on the stairs again now.

My ds was 3yo, got tangled in his vest taking it off at bedtime (think starlets with best over face+arms above his head) tried to come out of his room into ours, missed and fell down the stairs. He made an almighty slapping sound when he hit the wood floor at the bottom. He had some nice bruises and carpet burn, I had a heart attack. He got up, brushed himself down and said 'next time I do that can you film it for 'you've been framed'?' we the laughed a lot.

I think it's completely normal tbh, don't beat yourself up about it!

My mum just revealed yesterday that I fell done a flight of stairs wearing her high heels when I was 17 months. I was playing dress up and she did the similar. Went to take me along hall, got distracted for a second and I made a bee-line for the stairs.

Think it is very common, almost as much as realising they can roll when they fall off the bed.

*down

Starkers with vest!! Jesus I should preview!

Ds1 did at my parents. I was right beside him and all I did was shriek his name and flap my hands. Great in a crisis, me

Ds2 had spectacular fall at similar age. Was pushing a life sized old English sheepdog down with his older brother and sister. I was on phone in hall downstairs.

Followed the sheepdog down to the turn, then barrelled over it down the last flight.

Involved a&e because massive bruises on either side of his forehead. Looked like horns.

Lovely staff at a&e managed to make me feel like I wasn't necessarily the worst mother ever. Suggested that if the he grew a tail to go with the devils horns, we should take him to another a&e or a priest, but basically just to keep an eye on him.

I never liked that stuffed dog - was present from mil and lurks malevolently in corner of dd's room.

All 3 of mine. We have very very steep stairs on a curve, so inner section of the steps is very narrow (I've fallen down them myself on a couple of occasions). With DD1 we were a lot more careful about the stairgate so she was probably a bit older when she fell down for the first time, but with DD2 and DS it was much harder to police the stairgate as older ones wanted to go up and down to get things from bedroom etc so it would get left open and they would slip through. All mine started to be able to climb stairs from very soon after they started to crawl (8 months ish), so would start mountaineering the minute they saw an unattended flight of stairs and we had a lot of tumbles along the way.

It is awful when you have a full top to bottom fall, but as you say he is totally fine. It might be worth teaching him to go downstairs on his own - not holding your hand. I taught all mine to go down in a backwards crawl from a v early age as it was much safer. I spent a bit of time going downstairs like that myself to show them and would constantly place them like that and tell them to do it until it became second nature, I then felt much more confident on their stair safety as I knew they were unlikely to fall even if they did manage to evade the stairgate.

My 3 yr old DS still goes down our staircase on his bottom as it is safer on our steep stairs.

DD1 fell all the way down at 13mths and broke her wrist. Bad mummy forgot to shut the gate. She's now 6 and I still feel tummy churningly guilty about it.

I had a check up phone call from my health visitor the next day who got routinely notified by the hospital. She said its very common.

Ds fell top to bottom at just turned 2. We'd just moved and bannister was some DIY disaster job that was impossible to fit a stairgate to.

He just laid at bottom of stairs kicking and screaming whilst I panicked. Took me a few minutes to realise he was throwing a wobbler as I was blocking his route upstairs! We never did fit gates in this house and it never happened again.

Ds fell top to bottom at just turned 2. We'd just moved and bannister was some DIY disaster job that was impossible to fit a stairgate to.

He just laid at bottom of stairs kicking and screaming whilst I panicked. Took me a few minutes to realise he was throwing a wobbler as I was blocking his route upstairs! We never did fit gates in this house and it never happened again.

Yes, my 2 year old has fallen downstairs twice in the last couple of months. Absolute heart-stopping moment both times, seeing him coming down head over heels. Both times he was totally fine, didn't even cry.

I feel reassured and i'm pleased that your toddlers also lived to tell the tale! I just keep seeing myself open mouthed and helpless at the top of the stairs. I then dropped the glass where i stood (which shattered) and almost slipped down the stairs after him in my haste to get to him. When i picked him up i noticed blood on my jeans and top. It was mine. From the piece of glass wedged in my top lip (wtf?). I too am great in a crisis. Think Frank Spencer.

DD1 did. I was on the loo, she came in to show me what she was wearing.

I said, "lovely go look in my mirror dear"

Crash! I'd forgot to set the stair gate.

I did feel rotten for sending her off, she was a bit shaken.

DS did this from halfway up at about the same age. He was a little houdini and wasn't happy unless he was climbing or escaping. You'd turn around and when you looked back he'd be triumphantly stood on the dining table/back of the sofa/halfway up the stairs! He lived to tell the tale though!

I also fell down the stairs whilst holding him when he was a tiny baby. I kind of threw my head and body backwards so I didn't land on him. Really, really hurt myself but he was fine.

Yep when he was about 16 months. I was doing a bit of stair safety with him and he being a typically independent little bean did not want to hold my hand and jerked it away, except his whole body went forward and he toppled head first down the stairs. Knocking him out and shaving a good ten years off my life expectancy when I saw him unconscious and not moving with starey eyes.

Dd2 fell down our stairs twice. First time at about 15 months, second time at about 22 months. Both times dd1 had left the gate open and dd2 was following her downstairs. She was fine after a cuddle and a bf.

My niece fell down the stairs around the same age and xbil phoned an ambulance. She had a few bruises but nothing that most people would bother with going to a and e, let alone calling 999.

Yup, mine has.

In fact I'm the only person in my house who hasn't fallen down our stairs. Now I probably will later today!

2yo DS has a fallen down a few steps but never (yet) from top to bottom. He does like to slide down the stairs though, giggling at every bump