Had a fall while babywearing, considering a stroller

[maba]

I've been wearing my 10 mo baby since he was about 6 weeks and on regular basis since he was 4 months. I started with a ring sling and have moved to a gauze wrap for long walks. I've been wearing him for my morning walks for the last 2 months and this morning for the first time, I had a bad fall on the road and sustained a really bad cut on my knee. I can't thank my lucky stars enough because nothing happened to Baby as he was on my back (Double Hammock Carry) and thankfully the arm that came in contact with the ground happened to be covered today (usually not the case). I'm so scar(r)ed now that I'm considering using a stroller regularly!! But both Baby and I enjoy wearing/being worn. Are my fears unfounded? Can accidents happen in strollers too? What safety measures can I take in the future to prevent this from happening again? Have any of you had a similar incident and what did you do about it?

Edited by maba - 7/24/11 at 8:18am

[MsFortune]

I have a stroller and I use a sling.  Different things for different situations.

Do you know why you fell?  Uneven ground?  Rough terrain?  If so, maybe for those situations you use a stroller.  For other situations use the sling.  

So yes, accidents happen in strollers, too.  Just different kinds of accidents.  

[crunchy_mommy]

I was just about to say the same thing -- why did you fall?

I feel like BW'ing is safe, I've been wearing DS for 2.5 years and have never had any falls or even close calls. I also think strollers are safe, although we rarely use them, but I have a bit of a paranoia about them. I feel like they could tip or roll down a hill or you could turn your back & kid could disappear -- like I said, all paranoia but when I have DS on my back I don't have that fear. So I guess you need to do whatever you are most comfortable with... again, depends why you fell though...

[maba]

I have no idea how/why I fell, I may have tripped on something or just lost balance or just twisted my foot. This has never happened to me before while baby wearing. But vie fallen many times before, I guess i just have bad balance. I also was preoccupied with something when I was walking this morning that I may not have watched my step.

[kittywitty]

Originally Posted by maba 

I have no idea how/why I fell, I may have tripped on something or just lost balance or just twisted my foot. This has never happened to me before while baby wearing. But vie fallen many times before, I guess i just have bad balance. I also was preoccupied with something when I was walking this morning that I may not have watched my step.

If this becomes common, I would suggest talking to your medical practitioner about the cause of your falls and balance. I will say that strollers are not necessarily safer, though. I have fallen many times (tripped on our horrible sidewalks) while pushing a stroller and had it careen off. If my kids were not there to grab the stroller, the stroller could have hit a tree or gone in the road. So keep that in mind.

[crunchy_mommy]

Hmm have you mentioned the frequent falling to your doctor? I don't mean to be alarmist or anything, but most people I know don't fall frequently, and usually can figure out what the cause was when they do fall. I think I'd want to get it checked out by a neurologist or something. Maybe I'm way off-base though. How often is 'often'?

Anyway, yeah if you fall frequently, I do think a stroller might be safer, though it could send the stroller flying down a hill if you fell while pushing it...

ETA: Sorry KittyWitty, we cross-posted!

[Okapi]

If you are worried about the stroller rolling off if you fall (definitely a concern if it happens regularly!) I have a stroller that came with a safety strap that goes around my wrist in case of falls. You could look for one like that (it is a jogging stroller).

About the falling, I have a friend who started having seizures after she had her baby, it is possible for conditions like that to start after giving birth. There is another condition that is more blood pressure related that is similar (for a while they were unsure which it was, but I think they have settled on seizures right now - she's been dealing w/ it for several years). She will do the same thing - one minute she's fine and the next she's on the floor with no idea how she got there. Some times it is rare, only once or twice a month, and other times she will got through a week or two where she will do it several times a day. Very scary. You should definitely bring it up with your doctor, if you have no idea why it's happening.

[starling&diesel]

Accidents happen, no matter the circumstances. 

If you and your child enjoy babywearing, carry on as usual.  I doubt that falling is going to become an ongoing problem.

If you want to use a stroller, go for it! 

[stik]

I once completely tipped my stroller over on a crack in the pavement while crossing a busy street with my dd.  I also once got my bootlaces caught on the boot hooks on my other hiking boot and fell over while carrying her.  So in my experience, you can have accidents either way.  Look out for cracked pavement and tuck your laces into your shoes.  

But if you fall a lot for no apparent reason, you should definitely get that checked out and it wouldn't hurt to use a stroller until you have that under control.  

[CherryBombMama]

ive fallen once before in target (in front of EVERYBODY, no less) cuz i thought i looked sooo cute in my new outfit and was strutting around being all over confident. if it wasnt for my hand grabbing hold of my ds head, he would have smacked his head on the hard floor, and his head and the floor actually really squished my hand, so we were falling fast. 

that scared me, but i used a stroller with my first ds, and he has fallen out of that thing so many times. ive also let it roll off and fall over a bunch of times AND had my fingers pinched from it. so i feel safer wearing my ds2

[~Alexis~]

Possible medical issues aside, of course...

I feel that BWing saved my son's life.  I was crossing a busy intersection and a car came way to close after running the light.  It literally was like 6 inches inf ront of me; I could have reached out and touched it.  If ds had been in a stroller he would have been hit and killed.

However, OP, I third or fourth or whatever the suggestion to talk to your PCP about your regular falls.  Best wishes!

[maba]

Thank you all for your suggestions and concern. This is the first fall I've had in a year. I had 2 falls when I was pregnant, once I slipped over some gravel and another time I lost my balance. When I say often, it's once (or utmost twice) a year, which seems like a lot considering people I walk with never have had a fall.

As for the sling/stroller, I think I'm going to continue BWing but exercise more caution. Thanks once again for the advice and sharing your experience with me.

[crunchy_mommy]

Oh OK I'm glad it's not super often!! When you said that, I thought you meant you were falling daily or at least weekly. Glad to hear it's a much more rare occurrence!

[TiffanyToo]

Yes me! I tripped over broken sidewalk.

Baby was fine, I on the other hand felt horrible for days.

Accidents happen.

If you are in an area where sidewalks are not well maintained or you are using hiking style trails, you might think about buying some with trekking poles or walking sticks. 

Back carries are safer because your center of balance is not undermined and usually baby won't be as impacted as baby might in a front carry.

[goodygumdrops]

I tripped over a curb when my young babe was in the moby wrap.  I literally wiped out and he didn't even wake up.  His head was all tucked in....OMG, it scared the crap out of me.  I actually damaged my ankle, chipped a piece of bone.  Not pretty!

I'm sure you'll be fine...just try and be more aware.