Hold Onto Your Babies

Something really scary happened the other day that I just can’t shake.

I came around the corner to find my baby hanging from his swing.

Hanging!

He was screaming and crying, but I didn’t think anything of it, I put him in the swing for his nap and buckled him in as usual. Then, I went and got the broom, got his brother into the high chair for his lunch and got his lunch ready. Then, went back and swept the floor, walked by the baby, he was fine, wasn’t happy I was making him take a nap, but he was fine. So, I swept the floor. When I finished before leaving the room, I checked on him one last time, still fine.

So, I left the room, and tended to the toddler.

That’s when he started crying, I thought it was just him being upset about not wanting to sleep…he does that a lot before putting himself to sleep. It normally only takes 5-7 minutes. So, when it kept going on and on, I figured I better check.

And that is when I saw my 8-month-old hanging upside down from his swing. Red in the face screaming and crying with tears running down his face.

Obviously, I ran and scooped him up and held him tight for I don’t know how long. And I cried.

I cried because I should have known something wasn’t right. I should have checked sooner. What if the blood rushed to his head and he passed out? Or worse, what if his straps actually broke under his 29lbs and he fell on his head and broke his neck or something.

The one thing I have learned as a mother is there is no time like the present. Since this horrific incident I have changed everything, I do on a regular basis. For starters, we no longer have that swing instead we have a swing that has a 3 point harness just like his carseat. I never realized how dangerous the older one was until that moment when I saw my baby just hanging there. I never had to worry about it with my first son because he never got to actually use it, he was too big by the time we brought it out of the shed, aka the age he was supposed to be okay to use it. But this situation could have easily gone so differently. And every day I see or read stories online or on the news about stories that did go differently, so if you don’t take anything from this, please take one thing, hold onto your babies. And hold them tight.

Our babies hold the most important piece of our hearts and its our jobs as their mamas to be there to keep them safe. So, I’ll forever hold my babies tight. And I thank God every day for the two blessings he has given me in my sons.