baby falling on wood floors?

baby falling on wood floors?
We have a townhome with wood flooring. Our 7 month old son is crawling and climbing/pulling up on everything Hes constantly falling or bumping into the side of walls and hitting his head and since hes standing now, hes falling from that position. He cries for a second and stops. I have a few questions on this: Hes in my sight all day, but do I follow him around and prevent falling? Is there anything I can buy that would be helpful...its not a big place, and we already have baby stuff everywhere, so not much room left. Ive tried the playpen but he hates being immobile and in such a small area. I have a large rug by the couch but of course he like to venture out of that area lol. Any advice? Im so scared hes bumping his head too much


Answers:

Elizabeth B:  Heavens, your son sounds a lot like mine. I do not think that you have anything to worry about. He needs to fall and get back up that's how he learns. Of course, I would look out for sharp objects (table corners, etc) and make sure he could not hurt himself on those, but you don't need to follow him around to catch him if he falls.

Good luck!
2008-04-30 09:49:27
bridget:  no don't smoother him by following him everywhere ... kids will be ok and i bet many more bumps and bruises to come... thats what comes with having kids!!!
2008-04-30 09:50:00
JustAskin:  once they are mobile they are bound to bump their heads alot. just sit behind him when he walks along the couch and that way you'll be able to catch him if he doesn't land on his bum. he needs to fall in order to learn how to catch himself though and get his balance, just don't let him fall too much in one day. if you live in the states buy a walker and he can cruise all around and not worry about head bumps. i bought one for my son and brought it across because they are banned in canada.
2008-04-30 09:50:15
Alyssa Marie's mom:  He'll be ok, babies can take more bumps and bruises than you think....my daugther constantly fell, and we have tile floor....its alot harder than wood.....we have a rug in the living room and den, and a baby gate so she can't go in the kitchen, but that's it
2008-04-30 09:50:19
MR375:  As long as he isn't running and slamming his head into walls or falling on sharp object that could hurt him severely...he should be fine. That's all just part of babies learning to walk.
2008-04-30 09:50:30
Chosen Answer
llexy:  I have the perfect remedi...lol...go out and get a kids mat..I don't know what they are called...but they are interlocked and very colorful...they are about 1/4 inch thick and made of a rubbery substance...you can also put the knee stockings on him so when he falls on his knees it won't hurt so much...Sorry about the description above I hope you know what i'm talking about..;)
2008-04-30 09:50:39
Daniels mommy:  you cant stopp him from falling all the time, just makesure there are no sharp edges and corners near him and that he cannot fall on sharp objects. and always be there to kiss a boo boo or just to pick him back up and let him run again.
2008-04-30 09:51:15
Nicky:  My daughter was like that. I would freak out everytime she fell and hit her head on the wood floor. But she ended up being just fine. If your really worried though, they now have this .. Well it's a very soft helmet thing. (Can't remember the proper name) It's kinda like memory foam, and it just goes on the childs head. My friend used it, and just loved it! Took all the stress away.
2008-04-30 09:51:29
marguerite c:  i dont wanna freak you out but... you might wanna see the doctor. he might have an ear infection that causes the equilibrium to be off which could cause balance problems. or he might have some eye troubles, depth perception. but if all that checks out... babys are almost indistructable. they are still very soft so i would worry but not too much about him falling. have you tried one of the walkers?
2008-04-30 09:51:42
jade_izzy:  I have wood floor as well and my daughter is 2 1/2 and still falls. It was hard to see her fall all the time when she first started walking. But I think some times you have to let them fall. Its a learning process Theres really nothing you can do to prevent him from falling but you can buy rugs.
2008-04-30 09:51:50
preemie mom:  yes you need to babyproof your house. invest in a gate, and block the stairs... other than that he's meant to fall, but you need to prevent hard falls where he can really injure himself.
2008-04-30 09:52:28
hpmorris08:  I've bought foam pieces at sam's club for my 10 mth old to play on.
2008-04-30 09:54:19
Stephanie R:  Falling down is part of babies learning to walk. So long as he does not seem injured from the fall, he is fine. You could try getting an exersaucer but most children are only content with them for a few minutes before the need to go takes over! Just keep a close watch on him, if he falls and develops a bruise or a not where he bumps himself put ice on it right away. Most of the time it is nothing to worry about. If however, he falls and becomes inconsolable or his mood changes, he has any bleeding, or you just feel that something is wrong, you should seek out the advice of his pediatrician.
2008-04-30 09:55:18