I have mixed feelings about babyproofing. Obviously, I want Jack to be safe. But both Chris and I feel that babyproofing every inch of the house is not a good idea. How will a kid learn to interact with the real world if every sharp edge is dulled? So we try to strike a balance.
The other day Jack was in his room, pulling himself up on his dresser. He lost his balance and fell, hitting his mouth against one of the drawer pulls. I picked him up and he was a little upset, but not really more than a normal tumble. Then I saw the blood coming out his mouth. !!! I managed not to panic, and opened his mouth to try and determine where the blood was coming from. Most of it seemed to be on his gums above the two middle teeth that are coming in. I felt his teeth to see if they were loose, but they were fine.
And Jack seemed fine. He went back to playing, and later ate his dinner and chewed on his sippy cup spout. It bled for a little while, and I debated about calling the doctor, but in the end I didn’t.
Should we have removed all the drawer pulls from his room? Even after this, I don’t think so. I think that’s going down a road where every surface in the house is padded. We’re still babyproofing the obvious things, of course; making sure he can’t pull his shelf out of the bookcase, putting fences in front of the fireplace, etc. I hope this is the right way to go. I guess we’ll find out.
