my toddler fell down the stairs

my toddler (20 months) fell down the stairs from around half way. he was trying to drag a ball pit up with him 😅 i think his foot got caught on it and he fell back and hit the back of his head and his back at the bottom. he doesn’t have any visible signs of injury other than a few scrapes on his back but we have hard wooden stairs and floors and i’m not sure if i should go to the hospital anyway? i witnessed it and it was slow and he has calmed down within about 5 minutes of it happening. i think he would have calmed down sooner but i panicked and screamed when i saw him go. what should i do? go anyway or wait for symptoms?

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If the fall is taller than him you need to go to the hospital as that is unsafe. I fell down the stairs as an 8 year old halfway and my arm was shattered and it was only 4 steps. Visibly my arm didn’t look shattered but it indeed was. The fact he hit his back and head you don’t wanna risk an injury. This would be different if it was like off the couch or from just standing and hitting a wall but this was stairs. The height difference is what my pediatrician always told me. If the fall was taller than the toddler or baby you need to go.

I personally would take mine to hospital if this happened. I think the general guidance is that if they fall from a height double their height they should be seen in hospital. But especially if he's hit his back and head, there could be internal injuries that aren't visible.

My son fell when he was around 11 months old. Around 10 steps…scariest day of my life. Nothing happened to him, not even a scratch. It doesn’t sound like he’s hurt more than what you see. I would call your family doctor/ his pediatrician but I don’t think an ER visit is necessary if the kid looks good.

Accidents happen. But I agree I would get him checked out just be on the safe side.

It’s the possible injuries that you can’t see which are the worry. I would call 111 and possibly take him to get checked on their advise

I would take him to be safe, but be aware the hopsital may treat you some kind of way. My 20 month old fell and his wagon (folded) fell on him and he couldnt walk for 2 days without a serious limp, he wouldnt stand on his feet after it happend. The urgent care doctor didnt want to xray him, when he did he didnt take a lot of them, only 2 which werent clear due to LO moving a lot. He basically treated me like i was over reacting and he didnt think the xray risk was worth it.

My girl fell from a height recently and I took her to A+E, thankfully she was fine but they said I was right to take her as they generally say any fall over 1 metre needs a doctor/paediatric assessment

I fell down 2 stairs when I was 2 and had a major concussion. Go to the doctor! It's better to be safe than sorry

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