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.
Shopping Trolleys
Most good supermarkets provide trolleys with age-appropriate child seats on the trolleys, so take advantage of this and use them properly. As a slightly paranoid first time mother, I carried anti-bacterial wipes with me to clean the seats before using them sometimes they can be a bit mucky looking! Where straps are provided, use them, and if the straps are broken look for a different trolley. Your child is getting stronger and more mobile all the time, so don't underestimate their ability to fling themselves from the trolley seat while you are selecting a bag of apples.
Bedtime
As soon as your child can sit up by himself, it is no longer safe to use Moses baskets or bedside cribs. Invest in a cot wisely, as it should last you a few years. Many cots have adjustable mattress heights, and I would suggest never using the top level, but starting with the middle level and as soon as your infant begins trying to pull himself to his feet, lowering the mattress to the bottom level. This can be as early as 8 months of age. Sleeping bags do a wonderful job of preventing your older toddler from trying to climb out of their cot, but as soon as they do start to try, you should consider switching to a junior bed with side rails, or taking the walls off your cot bed. The injuries caused from falling from the cot rails will be far more severe than rolling out of bed in the middle of the night.
Windows and Doors
My good friend has scars on her body from an incident that occurred when she was just 4 years old. In the middle of the night, she climbed out of her bedroom window and fell to the garden beneath. She was remarkably lucky not to be seriously injured. Windows in a young child's room should always be kept closed and locked, or opened only if there is a safety catch which prevents it from opening more than a couple of centimeters. Similarly, get into the habit of keeping doors locked when you are home. This stops the child from opening the door, but also stops someone from coming in the back door and leaving it open without your knowledge, creating a chance for your little one to fall out of the back step. If you like to keep the back door open during summer, don't rely on fly screens as it is not hard to fall through them. Instead, get your safety gate from upstairs, and adjust it to fit the back door don't forget to fit it back properly when you move upstairs!
Bouncy Chairs
Another of my friends sat her young son next to her on the kitchen worktop while she prepared a meal. He bounced happily in his chair for a while, and as she turned to open a cupboard, he bounced so hard that the chair fell from the cabinet and onto the hard floor beneath. Fortunately nothing more than lots of kisses and cuddles were needed, but it could have been a great deal worse. Do not put bouncy chairs onto anything except the floor, no matter how placidly your little one is sleeping, they could be awake and bouncing within seconds.
Pushchairs and Highchairs
When purchasing these items, look for a five-point safety harness, which is very hard for your child to wriggle out from. Always keep the straps fastened when your child is in either, and don't be tempted to undo the straps so they can sleep more comfortably. The straps don't need to be very tight, but should be snug. The straps on highchairs should be checked regularly, and if eating out and the restaurant offer you a chair with no straps, or broken straps, do not be embarrassed to reject it and ask for an alternative.
It is incredibly hard to watch a child every minute of the day. Prevention is always the key, so try to think ahead and stop potential fall situations before they occur. The day my son was born, the nurse scolded me for leaving him on the bed and turning to reach something. I clearly remember thinking she was crazy. The child was 5 hours old and could not lift his own head, how was he going to roll to the edge of the bed and fling himself off! It did serve to make me more aware though, of the importance of being a few steps ahead. You just never know when your little one will break all records and be the youngest baby ever to crawl or go for a walk! You can't catch them every time, but you can do all you can to minimize the risks so that when they fall, all it will take is a kiss from Mummy and a Winnie the Pooh band aid to make it all better.