Bad mummy moment :(

[superfrizbee]

We went out today to a nice stately home and grounds where they also have a nice kids playground. DD (nearly 2) had a great time - despite the incident I'm about to mention - but I still feel bad

She went down the slide first time just fine (DH at the top and me at the bottom). I didn't even need to "catch" her as there was quite a long base at the bottom and that stopped her momentum naturally. So. The next time she went down the slide my DH was elsewhere and I just popped her on there to go down by herself. I didn't think however that it had been spitting with rain! it was so light, not even enough to need her coat on, but it was enough to make the slide damp and more slippery. anyway. she flew off the bottom, propelled forwards and landed on her face in the playground bark She's got all little thin scratches down one side of her face that have come up red and a little blood blister kind of thing under one thumb nail. I felt so horrible! She of course cried and I cuddled her for a minute and then she was fine. She carried on playing and went down the slide (a different slide, she wouldnt go on the same one!) again quite happily. But I can still see all the mummy glares I got and when I told my own mum on the phone I also got a disapproving moan.

Can anyone relate? I think I just need someone to tell me I'm not the world's most horrible mother, because we're going for dinner soon with my nice but overbearing, wrap-the-grand-kids-up-in-cotton-wool inlaws and I know I'm going to get it in the neck all over again!

 

[natasha82]

Awww hugs hun we've all been there. Jeez we can't monitor or foresee every single potential danger or hazard out there. We can only do our best, which is what you were doing. These things happen, and happen to the ones who think they are the best parents in the whole wide world lol - even the ones who were giving you disapproving stares. Your LO will be fine and you did all the right things by the sounds of it hun, so don't beat yourself up. Accidents happen. Just the other day my LO was playing outside in the garden on his little plastic motorbike ride on toy. He wanted to bring it into the house and started to come into the kitchen with it. So I go oh no darling it's an outside toy, take it back outside sweetheart. As quick as anything, before I could even get to him, he climbed on it and went down the back door step and went head first into the ground. I ran to him thinking omg, omg he would have smashed his poor little face on the concrete. He was crying, but when I picked him up to cuddle him and look at him I couldn't find a mark on him. God knows how he avoided scraping his face? He was fine after a cuddle but I felt guilty. I just presumed he was going to walk with his motorbike back outside, not ride it. Later on I did notice he had grazed his arm/elbow though. Bless him, but he wasn't bothered by it at all.

 

[whatwillbex]

Hiya, hands up I have done this! my mum and were at soft play with dd on this inflatable slide. My mum was at the bottom of this slide and didnt catch dd in time and she face planted down the slide. Luckily it was an inflatable one but my mum and I felt bad. To make matters worse the lady who ran the group walked past as it happened and suggested we used the slides appropriate for smaller children. Epic mother and granny fail lol
dd was fine and carried on. These things happen dont worry

 

[A_Z]

I see toddlers go flying off the end of the slide at our playground all the time, but everyone usually just laughs sympathetically. It's definitely happened to us a fair bit.

 

[Bevziibubble]

These things happen and I bet you felt a lot worse than your LO! She will have forgotten about it by now!
I am shocked you got looks off the other mums at the park. Accidents happen! Surely their lo's have accidents too and I'm sure you had accidents under your mum's care too. Don't beat yourself up, it happens to every kid at some point I'm sure!

 

[MrsPear]

It seriously must be the commonest playground incident! Happens to people aaaalllllll the time and though experience your LO will no doubt learn to balance a bit better so she can control her landing more. If anyone thought it was bad of you then they are very perfect compared to the mums at my local park! Jeez if you can go half an hour without seeing an overexcited kid come tumbling off one of the climbing frames you've been lucky haha x

 

[Noodlebear]

Oh god don't beat yourself up about it! You obviously approached with caution, I'm sure a lot of people wouldn't have thought much about a little rain. It wasn't your fault at all. I've almost dropped Lucas (not from a great height I might add before someone calls social services ), he's fallen off my mum's sofa, the other day we were in the garden and I stood up as he came running towards me and I knocked him over with my fat arse. These things happen lol!

 

[joeyjo]

I used to take my son to the park in the rain. In his all in one waterproof he flew off the end of slides! He's a bit of a daredevil anyway!

 

[Kay_Baby]

Everyone does these sort of things. I'm the mummy that dropped DS1 face first into the ground this weekend, only a couple of inches. We had been mucking around and I had been grabbing him to stop him falling as prt of the game but this time he had his waterproof on and my hands slip. A quick cuddle and a glass of chocolate milk later he was perfectly fine.

 

[BabyBlondex]

The amount of times DD has an accident at a playground is more often than not! shes VERY independant and adventurous and usually comes away with a cut of some sort, its not us being bad parents, its about us giving them the space to grow and learn and make mistakes and hurt themselves, thats whats growing up is all about, dont worry about them other mothers, they probably have their kids on reigns at a park!.. (not that theres anything wrong with them i use them on short walks) x

 

[ruby09]

Don't worry, it happens to all of them. When I'm at the park alone with ds, I put him on the slide from the top and just hope he doesn't fall off the bottom when he gets down! He hasn't yet (I'm sure it's only a matter of time), but he fell off the stairs of the jungle gym a few weeks ago while trying to climb up. He flipped over the railing and landed flat on his back into the wood chips from like 2 feet off the ground. I was scared and mortified, but in the end I picked him up, brushed him off, and after a quick hug he was right back to it. Toddlers are good at falling down... it's just what they do.