What if baby falls from cradle?

When a baby falls from a cradle, the parent's first feeling of panic and guilt is very normal — it happens to almost every family at least once. What matters is managing that moment correctly.

First, rather than immediately picking up the baby, observe for a few seconds: Is the baby conscious? Is he/she crying? Can they move their arms/legs normally? Once the baby cries immediately and calms down, returning to normal behavior suggests there's generally no serious problem.

You should immediately call 112 or the emergency room in the following situations:

• Baby is younger than 3 months (they should see a pediatrician regardless of fall height)
• Loss of consciousness, fainting, confusion
• Vomiting (especially more than once within the first 2 hours)
• Seizures/involuntary muscle spasms
• Different pupil sizes
• Abnormal posture or movement restriction in arms or legs
• Noticeable swelling or depression in the soft spot on the head (fontanelle)
• Prolonged, unrelenting crying, restlessness, or excessive sleepiness

If the baby appears well, there may be minor swelling or bruising right after the fall — in the first 24 hours you can apply cold compress (ice between a thin cloth) to the swelling, bruising will fade with color changes in the following days. Still, I recommend observing your baby closely for the first 24 hours after the fall and consulting a pediatrician that day as a precaution.

For prevention: when the baby starts to pull up, the cradle mattress should be at its lowest level and when the baby is left alone, the cradle sides should always be raised.