My 7.5-month-old often falls off the couch or bed. Is this dangerous or normal behavior?
My 7.5-month-old son has fallen quite a few times off the bed and couch in just the past month. He lands on the carpet, and fell down while asleep only once.
The people I live with are concerned about him having any head trauma. I can say my son is 28 inches in height and is taller than both, the bed and the couch. His reaction most of the times is a disappointed face that he has fallen and the other times he cries.
Personally, I believe in him being able to explore and discover trial and error, but the folks I stay with want me to hover over him every second of the day and make sure he doesn't bump or whack or hit his head.
My question is him falling from the couch and bed normal?
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"Trial and error" isn't necessarily the same for an infant as for an older child -- they are completely unaware of the consequences of their actions and so the parents need to be there to protect them from more dangerous errors.
Head trauma from falls can be one of those. It isn't necessary to worry about every single bump, but head bumps do need to be taken seriously. (See this answer to a similar question for a good overview of symptoms to watch out for so you can know what falls to really worry about.) Taking precautions to minimize falls is a good idea.
A baby who is learning to crawl should not be on an elevated surface (couch, bed, stairs) while awake; instead, provide a open area on the floor for him to move around in. When he's able to roll over in his sleep, he shouldn't be sleeping on that elevated surface either.
Not much to say, just to the point:
The folks you stay with are absolutely right.
Let him explore the world, but never let him alone!
(especially when his environment is not 100% safe in many aspects)
Keep him away from dangerous things (Electricity, Heat (Oven/Cooker), Water, Windows, Stairs)
And always (try to) catch him when he falls (height doesn't matter).
They have no fear and will try the craziest things.
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