My daughter just got her first major boo boo. Smashed her little baby face into the pavement. Goose egg and scrape on her forhead. She jerked away from me when we were walking. She is 15 months after all. She thinks she can do everything on her own. Of course, I feel guilty for allowing her to hurt herself. :( Please tell me I am not a bad mommy!

Esther - posted on 05/24/2009

Wow - you lasted a hell of a lot longer than I did! My son already has his first scar! In the middle of his forehead. He took his first few steps at my parents house and lost his balance and hit his head on the edge of their glass table. We were all right there but still weren't fast enough to catch him. And then there were the bumps and bruises from tripping, falling off the couch, etc. So if you're a bad mommy, I should probably be arrested by now.

Geralyn - posted on 05/23/2009

They won't remember the bumps and cuts... they will remember that their mommies were there to scoop them up, give them kisses, clean and bandage their wounds.... You are a great mom!

Penny - posted on 05/23/2009

You are not a bad mommy. I had the same feelings though the first major boo boo my son got. He busted his face on the coffee table and bit his lip it bled so bad . I am pretty sure that I cried more than he did. Since that we have had many a scrapes and owies. I have finally learned that he is going to hurt himself and it is not my fault. Just kiss it and make it better.

Dawn - posted on 05/23/2009

Quoting Michelle:

Not a bad Mommy at all, you are teaching her many things by allowing her to be more independant. Such as self-confidence, cause and effect, and most of all independance. Sometimes it is hard to watch but as long as she is not in danger it is okay to let her explore. She is 15 mos now and her independance is just going build from here. One of your major jobs as a parent is to let her be all she can be and that means letting her figure things out, not to mention that some of the things she will be exploring are fun to watch. Just keep her safe and remember bumps will happen even if you are standing right there with your eyes on her at all times.

couldn't agree more. When she does get here boo boos, staying calm and supportive/ comforting will keep her calm and less afraid to try something new. If she sees that it's ok (even with getting the boo boo) to test her limits, she will continue to explore and gain confidence.

Amanda - posted on 05/21/2009

My little boy has had his teeth bust his lips three times! How crazy. Once he was jumping in the bathtub, then he was running down the driveway and then he was running in the living room and fell on the hard wood floors. Yeah he runs a lot. lol

Anyways, it's gonna happen it's inevitable.

Jen - posted on 05/20/2009

My little girl's first big boo-boo was also from smashing her face in the pavement. We were outside on the driveway and she did a little flip on the uneven part of the driveway and ended up with a little scratch on her head. I took her inside and cleaned the scrape up and it didn't even phase my daughter. She was about 15 months at the time too. Don't feel bad there will be plenty more boo-boos. It's cute when they can point to and say boo-boo. I think it's cute every time my daughter does it.

Ashleigh - posted on 05/20/2009

Most definately you are doing just fine. When my little girl was about 18 months old she had decided to keep running off towards the end of the porch where there was no stairs and I kept stopping her and telling her no and removing her from the situation. Well of course she went and did it again and fell right off and hit her head on the brick that the apartment we were living in had lining the walkway. Of course it bled like crazy and I cried and she was rushed to the hospital! What a mess. But I think all toddlers go through that. They need to figure out their own independence and figure out that mom is always right!

Michelle - posted on 05/20/2009

Not a bad Mommy at all, you are teaching her many things by allowing her to be more independant. Such as self-confidence, cause and effect, and most of all independance. Sometimes it is hard to watch but as long as she is not in danger it is okay to let her explore. She is 15 mos now and her independance is just going build from here. One of your major jobs as a parent is to let her be all she can be and that means letting her figure things out, not to mention that some of the things she will be exploring are fun to watch. Just keep her safe and remember bumps will happen even if you are standing right there with your eyes on her at all times.

Jennifer - posted on 05/20/2009

Accidents are going to happen and unfortunately this won't be her last boo boo. You are not at all a bad mommy. You certainly didn't want her to get hurt. My son has countless scrapes and bruises and it's all a part of growing up. That's why we are here to kiss them and make them feel better.

Jessica - posted on 05/20/2009

Not at all. Bad moms don't care. Babies constantly are trying to hurt themselves. Mine's only 18mos and has had too many boo boos to count. Her latest are skinned knees. Now, she's proud of them. If someone asks where her ouchies are, she points to them and laughs. Although we'd like to never see them hurt, its all apart of the learning process.

Martha - posted on 05/20/2009

This is just the first of many. You can't protect her from everything forever. Just remember that it always looks worse than it is, and if you don't freak out, she won't freak out!

Simone - posted on 05/20/2009

same thing happened to my daughter and I thought the same thing I was a bad mom trust me you are not there going to get hurt more then you want my daughter wound up with a big scrap all the way down her face and I cried then I went to my mothers and she reasurred me that it happens they want to explore the world then I was O.K. with it and I understand now we are not bad moms there just busy baby's

Jessica - posted on 05/20/2009

Def. not a bad mommy. I was playing with my son once and he was boucing on a big stuffed animal and wanted me to hold his hands and bounce on the floor next to him. so i did and then he feel forward and i pulled up on his arms but his face went forward and he smacked his nose off my knee! i gave him his first bloody nose at 11 months. i think i felt worse than him! they bounce back quick though. Many more bumps and bruiseses to come!