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?

Errm, all three . When youngest did it, oldest looked at me sagely and said, 'I remember when I did that when I was her age, mummy...'

I fell down stairs at 41 weeks' pregnant (no ill effects except for bruising -- oh, and DC1 arrived rather promptly afterwards).

DH, otoh, fell downstairs holding a handful of tea mugs, and hospitalized himself for stitches.

My DD has. She was about 14 months. She tumbled right from the top to the bottom. I was stood right behind her and just froze after trying to grab at her to stop her going. Luckily she was absolutely fine, just obviously upset. I felt terrible for days afterwards, I'm reassured to know that's it's not just my terrible parenting!

I have three DC's - all have fallen down the stairs, both DS2 and DD fell down the stairs after tripping over the stairgate, so we got rid of it.

They all fall down the stairs. I think it's the law that they have to, actually!

DS fell down the stairs when he was about 16 months. Stairgate left open when DH went up, my back turned for 30 seconds, and DS tried to follow Daddy. Thankfully he only slithered down a few, but then got wedged between the stairgate and the bottom step and was so shocked that he was screaming his little head off while I was desperately trying to unwedge him.

A few months on and his favoured way of getting down the stairs now is to hold both of my hands and jump down each step (yes, I have told him that this is not a good method).

When DS was about 9 months old. It was before he could walk but he was crawling and cruising, we were at GPs and I just assumed he wouldn't be able to climb stairs, we don't have stairs in our flat. I was letting him crawl around the house on his own when I heard a loud bump, he was fine just a little shocked.

Mine- DS was 10 mo and ripped the stairgate off the wall and plummeted down my parent's stairs. Fortunately he was a bum shuffler so he went most of the way on his bum, only flipping onto his front for the last three.

Also fell down 3 stairs onto a wooden floor at my friend's house- lots of blood from a split lip but no real damage.

DD2 did while being chased by DD1. Lost her front tooth, had a gap there for 3 years until second tooth grew in.

first two did, third one didn't...they were a lot younger though (11 months and 12 months)...did it once but never again...they were more careful after that!

Yes, my then 2 year old fell down. Slowmo bump bump bump then silence. Just carpet burns and bruises. I do wonder how some kids manage to break bones falling down, considering how bendy they are. Do they break them on landing on wood floors, on the turn of a corner stair, or slamming into a wall at the bottom?

I'm waiting for my current 3 year old to fall, it's a matter of time :/

I am thinking of putting a big beanbag at the bottom actually.

Mine stairs are not regulation width recently found out, which might explain why I have fell down them myself 3 times in 3 years.

Rented housing. Pah.

My 3 year old fell down a whole flight of tiled stairs, shudder. Was fine.

We had stairs (carpeted) at our house, never an issue, very reliable with them etc. At GP's place, eldest was right behind him and he just slipped forward, going head over heels, bashing into the wall, flipping the 90 degree bend and bouncing down to the bottom (tiled) floor. I couldn't see much as I was just near the top of the stairs, much hysteria by "fallee", but only a black eye to show for it.

My eldest kept saying "I tried to catch him, but he fell too far forward from me", I think he was more traumatised than the "fallee".

DS fell from top to bottom at least twice, if not three times before he was 2. DH was supervising at least twice (and the grandparents as well one time).

DH's comeback is that we've only had to go to A&E when I've been in charge.

When I was still married we lived in a house that had the devil's stairs. They were narrow and designed to slip on, I swear. I must have fallen down them a dozen times (only a few steps but still) and the kids slipped on them all the time, two of them started it as toddlers. Bloody horrible things.

Mine fell down at 18 months old.

My sister fell down the stairs whilst carrying my neice who was having a tantrum. My neice broke her leg!

Our stairs are tiled (rented house) so have very hard edges, and I live in fear of them - for her and all of us.
So far DD (3.5) hasn't fallen, but we've kept stair-gates at the top of the stairs. We're leaving the house in a few months, and I can't wait to get carpeted stairs.

So far no DS accidents on the stairs but I once managed to break the top stairgate with my head when I tripped over my trousers (!) and went flying. Ended up with an egg on my head, a totally smashed gate clasp and a duff knee.

DS has since then showed considerable respect for the stairs. We still put the gate across at night for when he wobbles to the loo!

DS1 has (he was maybe 12 months old, or slightly older at this point, cannot remember now). He managed to climb all the way up to the top of the stairs, DH heard him, come out the room at top of the stairs, and held out his hand to reach him but it was too late - DS1 tumbled all the way down from the top stair right to the bottom. DS1 was fine, we checked him over and he cried straight away so we knew he would be okay. It really was the shock of it all, DH was in tears because it was like watching it in slow motion, he was powerless to catch him in time.

So, yes, I'd say this probably happens more than people realise but it's not something that is openly talked about.

DiddyDragon did a high-speed stair plummet when she was just 2yo. I was pregnant with DiddyCakes at the time & didn't manage to catch her, which in retrospect was a good thing as I dread to think what would have happened if I'd fallen after her.

We went to A&E as she hit a wooden floor at the bottom, but she was fine. Only 1 bruise (which may easily have been there beforehand) and a teeny tiny carpet burn from catching the edge of one of the steps on the way down.

I was really calm when it happened, but sobbed all over one of my staff when I went into work the following day. Not my most professional moment ever.

All three of mine. Ds1 did it twice

All 3 of mine did it more than once when they were toddlers. My youngest (5) fell down a flight of concrete steps when we went for a walk at christmas. He was walking backwards to keep the sun out of his eyes he bruised his ear and cheek but was fine.

Ds1 fell down the full flight of stairs not long before ds2 was born. He just seems to misjudge the top step and fell head over heels before landing in a thud at the bottom. He didn't have a single bruise!

I fell downstairs not long after ds2 was born while carrying him. I slipped down the bottom 5 and ended up with a bruised bottom, carpet burn on my elbow and a cut on my head.

Ds did, headfirst from the top. Thankfully the stairs were carpetted.

Yes both mine have on a couple of occasions, no more than shock sustained (luckily). I also remember falling down the stairs a few times as a child, think it's quite common.

DS 2.4 has done it a few times, down the carpeted stairs onto the wooden floor at the bottom. Most recently he rode his scooter down the stairs. Luckily he was wearing his helmet!

Yep. The oldest days after she first started crawling, I totally underestimated her crawl radius. Bump. Youngest right from to bottom when I hadn't even realised she'd left the living room. The tumble wasn't too bad, it was more the hideous thump agaisnt the mule post at the bottom of the stairs. Horrid. I called the doctor's who asked if the stairs where carpeted (yes), they were fairly unconcerned except for giving some hints about watching out for signs of concussion e.g vomiting, drowsiness. (Both of which are hard to distiguish from normal in a one year old!).