Teetering on the edge
We had a scare tonight.
We have a gate at the top of our very steep basement stairs. A gate that is fastened to the walls, and only swings one way – away from the stairs.
Shortly after Little Dude began to move, we installed this and other gates – to keep him safe and to give us some peace of mind.
To keep Little Dude from getting into Supercat’s food, I’ve moved Supercat’s dishes to the other side of that gate, on the steps. There is just enough room for Supercat to get under the gate, so he can eat, use his litter and just get away from us when needed.
Normally, I feed Supercat twice a day – once in the morning before Little Dude wakes up and once in the evening, while Little Dude is still in his high chair. I do this so I can leave that gate open, since I seldom have a free hand.
We were a bit off this evening, due to the day Little Dude has had (not an especially great one). I came home just as Little Dude had finished dinner, so I had to sneak in the feeding of Supercat while Uncle R and the Hubby were holding him and had him otherwise occupied.
Or so I thought.
Uncle R didn’t realize I left the gate open while I feed Supercat, and was in the living room. The Hubby had walked into the kitchen to talk to me about something, as he thought Uncle R had Little Dude occupied.
Little Dude headed to the kitchen to join his mommy and daddy, while both of us were looking the other way.
Then, as I turned back to the sink, I caught movement just out of the corner of my eye. At first, it didn’t register, but then I flipped around. And screamed.
Little Dude was perched at the top of the stairs, leaning forward. Just a bit more and… I can’t even think about it.
I got to Little Dude and pulled him away, as the Hubby quickly swung the gate shut.
Uncle R just looked at me in total confusion from the living room.
Crisis averted and Little Dude safely back by his toys in the living room, and I leaned over the sink to finish cleaning out Supercat’s dishes. And cried.
It was nobody’s fault, yet everyone’s fault. I don’t dare think of the what ifs…
Cheryl, over at Red Pens & Diapers, had a scare today, too. And it just goes to show you that it can all happen too quickly. And we both consider ourselves to be pretty observant moms.
I could definitely do without this kind of excitement. Maybe it’s time to teach Little Dude how to go down steps safely? It might take months for him to get a hang of it, but there’s hope. I have a worried-mom mantra. It goes like this. Bubble Wrap. Bubble Wrap. Bubble Wrap. Bubble Wrap.
You are too hard on yourself. The crisis was averted and all is well and a lesson is learned. The bubble wrap comment made me laugh.
But really, you need to teach Little Dude to go up and down stairs safely. Liam knew how to go down the stairs at 9 months. It is possible to trust them on the stairs, I promise.
Yikes! Scary! But, no matter how vigilant we are, things can happen. Violet threw herself down the stairs in a tantrum, once. Luckily the stairs were carpeted and there was a gate at the bottom that stopped her from hitting the hardwood. I cried more that she did, though. That is the way parenting works.
These moments can happen, no matter how diligent you are. *sigh* … I know, because I’ve been there…
I seem to recall someone who took a riding toy down the stairs and wanted to do it again…
What a scare!! They move fast and trouble happens even faster. Glad he was okay.
Alex has taken to climbing down the stairs in a reverse of how he’s climbed up – we climbed with him like that the first several times, then he seemed to understand.