Do babies regularly fall out of bed?

Dear Dr. Donya,

I have a one-year-old daughter and she has fallen off my bed four times already since she has been four months old. I didn't mean for this to happen, it was an accident. I took her to the emergency room two out of the four times that it happened and they said everything was fine because there were no signs of symptoms.

I'm still worried there could be permanent damage that could cause problems when she gets older (as in mental problems). Let me mention that my bed is 2 1/2 feet off the floor. So I know that was a big fall for a little baby. Please tell me that she's going to be okay, or tell me that I should go to the hospital and get a scan done on her so I know she is okay or not.

-- Sammy

Dear Sammy,

Falling is one of the most common accidents. The acute and serious problem is "bleeding" in the brain which your daughter would show signs of in 24 hours. A possible long term side effect from falling can be trauma or a small scar and that can cause epilepsy or seizure.

In your case, I would recommend letting her lay down on the floor, making a nice bed with pillows around the edge, so she cannot fall again.

-- Dr. Donya