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Nothing can quite prepare you for motherhood. With all the loss of sleep, endless diapers and seemingly endless laundry comes a love and protection instinct so fierce that you will literally never be the same person again. The very thought of your precious infant being hurt is too painful to consider, and you would literally walk over hot coals to ensure they never feel pain. Despite your very best efforts, at some point that tiny little baby is going to fall. The horror you will feel as you realize what happened is sickening, even when there is nothing more than a minor bruise to show for their escapades. Following the advice and lessons learned by those of us who have heard that terrible thump, might help to ensure that whatever falls do come your child's way are minor and quickly forgotten.

Stairs

My son fell down the stairs when he was 10 months old. I turned my back for a split second and to this day, I do not know he could have possibly got from where he was to the top of the stairs so quickly. He was a good crawler, but I swear this must have been an Olympic effort. He fell half way down the stairs, rolled around the corner in the staircase and landed, thank goodness, in a pile of soft toys that had been opened that morning it was Christmas day. He screamed but there was not a mark on him, and it was soon over.

Always use stair gates, top and bottom of your staircases. Don't wait for your child to be crawling as they will start suddenly and this is not a good way to celebrate their first efforts at mobility. As soon as they are rolling on the floor, you need stair gates. Make sure everyone in the house understands how important it is to use them, and never leave them open even for a second while you nip downstairs to get something.

Changing Tables

A friend of mine held her infant with one hand, and turned to reach for the wipes. The baby rolled and before she knew it, the baby had fallen. Sadly, the child hit her head, and she is still not fully recovered. I am not a fan of changing tables at any age, but as soon as your child can roll, stop using tables and lay the mat on the floor for changing and dressing. There is simply no other way to be sure that they cannot fall, and even safety straps cannot stop a wriggling baby.

Bath time

The usual common sense rules apply here. Once you graduate to washing your child in a full size bathtub, use non-slip bathmats that cover the entire length of the bath, and never leave a child alone, even for a second.

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