Dr. Zibners.com

How to know if your child's illness or injury is really an emergency

articles

Tumble, Slide, Screech, Splat

Well, you knew it was going to happen, didn’t you? Zoe was going to have to have her turn on the staircase, wasn’t she? It’s not that we are cavalier about watching them or that we haven’t maximized safety in our home. It’s just that child-proofing is more of a delay tactic than safety insurance. And so this week, as I was trying to help Eva go potty, meaning both girls were with me in the bathroom (which does not have any barriers between it and the stairs) I realized one child was missing. It was the thump-thump-thump-squeal that told me where Zoe had gone.

As I rounded the corner between the bathroom and the staircase I saw the poor kid upside down sliding backwards down our wooden staircase, heading straight for the stone flooring. The same staircase that Eva took a flying leap down last summer. Only this time, instead of forcefully bouncing down the stairs, in a scene that I never want to see again in my life, I saw Zoe just staring up wide-eyed, completely confused as to what was happening. And not at all pleased with the situation.

I started yelling, “Stop moving! Stop moving!” In her sad little toddler attempt to halt her slide down 15 steps, she was actually making things worse, banging her little head against the wood and the wall. I finally got to her as she approached step #12, grabbing first one ankle, then an arm.

She just looked at me in shock. I picked her up and started searching for blood or other obvious injuries and she began crying, “Okay, Okay.”  Clearly she was okay. No loss of consciousness, moving all limbs, nothing bleeding, nothing tender to touch with the exception of a big red mark down the middle of her back where she had slid against the wood.

Honestly I don’t think my heart can survive one more of these.

After I got both of us calmed down we had a little chat. “Now this is why Mommy always says ‘be careful’ on the stairs. And why we don’t jump or play on them. We go down on our bottoms, right?” I was hoping she would understand and start giving the staircases a little more of the respect they deserve.

I don’t think the message came across exactly right though. Because for the last two days she has continued to try and hop down the stairs like a maniacal bunny while holding my hand.

And every time I mention going to the potty, she reminds me that, “Zoe fell down stair,” and shows me the bruise on her back. Clearly any future attempts to go tinkle in the potty will result in bodily harm, goes the logic of an almost 2 year-old. Hmmm. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Dr. Lara Zibners, Jan 06, 2012

Find more articles like this one:

• Topic:

• Keywords:

Comments

Discuss this article.

No Comments yet.

Discuss this Article

Name:

Email (we won't share, promise):

Keep up with this conversation.

To ensure you are human, please enter the phrase you see in the box below: