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Babies, from the moment they are born, become the most important part of our lives. Try as we might though, by the time they learn to crawl, there is a chance that they can get injured and we do everything we can to protect them. While some injuries are to be expected as your baby grows up, it’s important to know when your baby has a minor “boo boo” and when they have a more serious injury that needs a doctor.
Being protective of our babies is only natural, but there are times when your baby may be just fine and times when worrying is necessary. To help you be able to tell the difference, we'll look at some of the most common types of baby injuries and their causes. We’ll also talk about when you should definitely seek medical attention, even if you think there’s no injury, just to be sure that nothing is wrong with your baby or, if there is, to get it taken care of right away.
Once your baby starts to move around on their own, crawling, walking, and figuring things out, there is a chance that they could become injured.Baby proofing your home is one way to protect them, but you can’t protect them from everything, so instead, you’ll have to settle for knowing how most injuries happen and which ones are most common.
Babies are naturally curious about the world around them and the more they can move, the more they like to see and feel everything. As a baby crawls and then eventually walks, they are more likely to bump into objects around the home and fall down. This can lead to any number of bumps and bruises.
A scrape or bruise on the arm or knee is typically not serious and your baby is likely to get more of these “ouchies” the more they wander around and explore. So long as you keep an eye on them and are always there to patch them up when they fall, your baby will usually be fine afterwards.
One thing babies seem to love more than anything is shoving things in their mouths. If they find something new or interesting, one of the first things they want to do is shove it in their mouths. Not only is this a potential choking hazard, but babies can damage parts of their mouth by trying to eat or chew on sharp, pointy or hard objects. According toMeinhart, Smith and Manning, PLLC, babies can be injured by products such as defective toys or cribs.
Another way that babies can injure their mouths is from falling. Babies tend to fall a lot when they first learn to walk, but so long as they aren’t near any sharp corners or hard surfaces, they tend to land on their bottoms more often than not. It doesn’t take much for an energetic baby to go running off towards something they want, only to slip and fall onto or into something that can cause an injury to their mouth or teeth. As we mentioned, it’s impossible to be there absolutely all of the time, but watching after your baby and knowing where they are and where they are going can help to minimize the risk of a nasty accident.
When you have a baby with a broken bone it can feel like the end of the world. No one wants to see their baby in an emergency room or being treated for a broken bone, but they are more common than you might have guessed. Toddlers especially love to climb all over things and use surfaces for whatever purposes they can think of.
Because they haven’t yet learned the fear of heights or that falling into or on hard surfaces can hurt you or worse, broken bones are common. The most common place for a child to end up with a broken bone is at the playground.Playgrounds can have outdated equipment or toys and equipment that is not suitable to be played on.
Head injuries are a serious consideration for your baby. As they are still growing, the baby's heads have an actual soft spot at the back of their heads. The best way to avoid these types of injuries is to keep an eye on where they go and what sorts of activities they are doing. Keep your baby off of toys and other obstacles that could cause them to fall, trip, or otherwise bump their head. Even a minor bump can turn into a head injury when they are small so you definitely want to make sure they aren’t going around bumping their head on things.
We know how hard it is to let your baby go and do the things they want to do without worrying about them, but it is incredibly useful to know when they have a minor “boo boo” and when they need medical attention.
If your baby doesn’t react or seems fine when they bump into something or fall down, then chances are they don’t need medical attention
Even if you don’t see or feel anything wrong with your baby, there are certain scenarios where you should always visit a doctor, just in case
As you can see there is a general rule of thumb for when to take your baby to the doctor. If they injure any part of their head or face, this could lead to serious problems, even if they seem fine in the moment. Broken bones, bruises that won’t heal, bleeding, and anything that isn’t easily treated by over the counter medications should be checked on by a doctor
If you follow these rules and try to stay on top of what your baby is doing during the day, you’ll be able to prevent most injuries or at least get them treated right away.