I read believeNgrace's response in the BM/food thread, where she said she felt like a bad mom. No, no, no, sweetie! You're doing great! Come on, moms, share your "oops" stories, and let's make believeNgrace feel better! :-D

I thought I would share this to give you a giggle.......believe me, I have more to share if you need them!

When my first baby was about 3 weeks old, I took her and the dog to the park for a walk. I was standing at the top of the hill, baby in the car seat snapped into the stroller. I had just unbuckled the baby when I got distracted by the dog....the stroller brake was off, and the stroller rolled down the embankment (about 12 feet), hit the sidewalk, rolled on its side, baby fell OUT of the car seat onto the cement. I really thought I had killed her. I was hysterical- they called an ambulance and rushed us off. She was 100% fine, but I really thought I was going to have a heart attack. I relived it in my mind for weeks.

Now, what are a few extra solids compared to THAT?

God gives us new grace every morning, and He makes our kids tough- :) You're doing a great job!

Oh, my! I have a few... My DD was just a few weeks old when I went to look at an apartment. I had dropped my don off at my mom's and made my way, parked near where I thought it was and stepped out to see if I saw the potential landlady. I did and walke dover to her, up the walkway to the apartment, looked around for 10-15 minutes, mentioned how much I thought my mom would like the old fashioned lights and then it hit me, I had left my daughter in the car. I quickly excused myself and went running as fast as I could to the car (parked on a fairly busy street, unlocked- I thought for sure she wouldn't be there by the time I got back!!) Went back up, totally embarassed! Excused myself and said something about calling me if she didn't call child services first, embarassed laugh; she said she understood. I thought for sure I blew it, but got the apartment anyway... I think that is one of my worst.

It was just me & my 2yr old coming out of a store parking lot. I let him hold my keys as I put him in his carseat. The keys had the auto lock button on it. As I closed the back seat door & went for the front seat door, HE PUSHED THE LOCK BUTTON!!! So , yeah, I locked my baby in the car!
(DH worked nearby & was able to come rescue us in 10 min & the weather was nice..so it was all okay) But I was soo freaked out & felt so dumb. :-)

Our 2nd Goober was HORRIBLE to get to sleep. I had finally got her to sleep one night on top of me while lying on the couch (after hours of trying everything to comfort her). Afraid to move and wake her, I laid there and...fell asleep. Delirious from endless sleepless nights I forgot she was there and turned on my side. PLOP there went Baby face first. She was okay, even with Mommy crying buckets but...she was also awake. ;) ~Kerri

Well, let's see, my baby has some teeth problems which were possibly caused by a drug that I took while she was in utero.

She fell off a tall stool the other day.

I didn't isolate the solids well enough when I started feeding here so I didn't know right away why she was breaking out in rashes.

I wish that I had helped her to learn how to sleep in her own bed earlier for at least part of the night.

That's what comes to mind for now.

And ditto LL, BelieveNGrace, you're a great mommy! :D

Ok.. I know it was probably not funny at all at the time but LL.. I was rofl at your mishap. So now I'll share mine and you can laugh at me..

Brooke was about 3 months old. We were just opening our antique shop for the day.. as we came in the front door I heard the phone. I rushed down the hall holding Brooke who was peacfully asleep in her carrier. I placed the carrier, Brooke inside on a chair and quickly turned to answer the phone. I do not know what I was thinking putting her on a chair.. obviously I didnt have enough coffee that morning or something! All I got out was "Antiques and.. ( we answered the phone with the name of our shop "Antiques and Collectibles") but then in horror I watched Brooke in her carrier tumble off the chair upside down onto the floor. I dropped the phone and screamed for dh. Thankfully the handle of the carrier was in the upward position so it acted as a roll bar and saved Brooke from hitting her face on the floor, and thankfully she was still buckled in from just getting out of the car. She was awoken quite suddenly and was not happy about that but she was not hurt in any way. I realized the person on the phone had heard all this comotion and was probably wondering what had happened so dh picked the phone up off the floor and had to explain my bad mommy moment to the business associate on the phone.. I was so embarrassed!

Oh yeah....my most memorable was when my oldest son was 4 months old ...I was getting him dressed and he had one of those hoodies with a big zipper on the upper half...I zipped his skin in all the way up accidentally! OMG! I was horrified and sobbing more than him I think and left a big mark that took awhile to heal...I felt soooooo horrible! To this day, I still won't buy them sweatshirts with zippers a the neck! LOL, oy!

With my second little boy, when he was a day old...he had such long fingernails that he was cutting himself with...I asked the nurse to help me trim them and she said they weren't allowed...so did it myself....Now, he had been in the nursery being monitored for crud in his lungs not being expelled after delivery due to a very, very fast birth....so I only had a few moments with him finally....and I cut his finger with the clippers! OMG, he screamed so bad, he threw up....I was sosooooo upset and crying....my mother in law was trying to calm us both down! **on a side note, besides feeling like a terrible mommy and making a REALLY bad first impression on my newborn son...the crying that made him throw up, cleared his lungs and he had no more breathing problems after that and was released to my *oh so great care* for the rest of the hospital stay! Oy!

When ds #1 was 17 months and I was 9 months pregnant he was quite the dickens to get dressed. In the midst of one of our struggles I made a big scratch with my wedding ring right by his eye. Oh man I felt absolutely awful. What if I had poked his eye out.

Quickly though I no longer felt bad for doing that because as I was pouring Oxy Clean from a big box into a smaller container the little tyke barreled into my 9 month pregnant legs and I spilled oxy clean right into his eye. Yikes. Off we went to call poison control. That was a lovely call "Poison Control how may I help you." "Um, I poured Oxy Clean into my sons eye." He ended up fine, but I had too rinse his eye out continuously with water for 10 minutes. Which was oh so fun.

Oh and I have so many more stories but to keep it short. BY the time he was 2, I had to call poison control 4 times for ds#1 all for things ending up in his eye and once for accidentally overdosing ds #2. I am sure they have a file on me :)

Here's another one.........

When my DD was about 17 months or so, she had a bandaid on her finger- she asked for one after getting a tiny scrape. I decided it was time for it to come off, but I couldn't seem to get it. So I got the scissors out- cut the bandaid off, and cut her finger BADLY. I had never seen her bleed before! She was screaming, and I couldn't get the finger to stop bleeding....after a few minutes of panicking in the house, I ran across the street to our neighbor (who I had only met once)- he was a firefighter/EMT and dad of 3. So I banged on his door with my daughter shrieking, and he came out and helped us. SO embarrassing! I felt so bad.

First off I will say this [loveyou] ladies!! Secondly, I feel SO MUCH better about myself now! Please don't take this the wrong way but somehow all those times DS rolled off the bed and hit the floor seem so small compared to some of these! LOL I bet he rolled off the floor 20 times before his 1st birthday. He was a squirmy boy and even though my bed sits low to the floor I felt HORRIBLE each and every time. ;)

There were also a couple of times I accidentally scratched my babies with my engagement ring on too...I stopped wearing it until DS turned two. LOL

I also accidentally cut a piece of skin off my little ones' fingertips while trying to clip their nails when they were babies. Oh I remember crying over that!

I'm pretty sure I remember losing the stroller and/or shopping cart with my babies inside too (as in they started rolling away down a hill). I don't think they ever fell out though.

Oh! One time...and this is really bad imo...my mom and I were driving with the kids through town and we made a sharp turn. The next thing I knew my baby had turned upside down in his/her (I don't remember which one it was! LOL It all runs together!) carseat and was wedged between the van door and seat. I pulled over immediately and buckled them back in place. Either the seatbeat wasn't fastened until it clicked or the car seat was just sitting in the seat unbuckled altogether. I remember being so mad at myself or whoever didn't get the seat buckled in place!! I replayed that in my head for a week thinking about what could have happened if it were a car accident and not just a sharp turn.

(A little background so that you know I am not a horrible mom here: This was my mom's van and my nephew/brother would frequently take the car seats out and put them in the backseat when they needed to sit in the back so it's possible they set them back in the seat and forgot to buckle them back in. The car seat was the kind where you had to run the seat belt through the back side so it was easy to miss.)

But they both survived and they are healthy, happy kids and are none the wiser of their mama's mishaps. LOL :mrgreen:

Wow! I did, when my son was under a year, let the three of mine play outside in the garden, the front of the house, dont ask why I didnt let them out the back where it was enclosed. I have no idea what planet I was on back then bc we lived on a road that led to an industrial estate and often had big lorries going up and down. My girls, who were maybe 3 came up to the window and said 'Josh got out!' I said 'what, I cant hear you!!'. I go outside, they were only out there for less than 5 minutes, and notice there was no Josh. hmmm, notice the gate was open and the girls say 'Josh got out!'. I say 'WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE GOT OUT!!' I run out the front garden in the direction they pointed and find him toddling down the road. He had crossed two roads before a kid we knew stopped him. I used to say 'Look at that child, on their own. Where's the mother!!' sigh.

I lost Julie in the Chemist, a really busy chemist in the town center. Im in the queue checking my basket making sure I got everything, got 1, 2, ... two kids, somethings not right. I checked everything atleast twice before I realize its Julie thats missing. She had been found by a clerk, crying. I hate hate hate making them feel like that. abandoned. That frightens me more than what happened to my son. I think because of the franticness of trying to find your child in a busy shopping center, with all the faces, your panicing or trying not to. The horror of what could have happened to them. She was fine tho, apart from a mild phobia of being left alone. She had the chance to stay home today while I drop the others off at school. Bussing it, her not feeling well, etc. She decided to go to school instead, lol. She would have only been alone a half an hour, tops. But she doesnt like to be left alone, bless her.

Now. a really bad one. When things were very stressful when they were toddlers. Sophie whined so much all the time that I lost it with her. Just a spanking but I really let rip on her nappy. That nappy didnt know what hit it! (a nappy is a diaper, for the americans here). I did that atleast one more time with her before I got sorted. I cant believe how hard I hit her. This is why spanking is Not for dh and I. Anyway. there's mine. Ill go back and read everyone elses now.

gen

Aaah yes, I have a 'bleeder' story. When Eldest was maybe 4-6 months old ?? I was clipping his nails...and clipped the tip of his finger. Bled like a stuck pig! Oy.

Same child, 14-18 month range ??? Rode his trike out of the house, off the porch, down about 5 steps, landing on the sidewalk...on his face. I missed the whole thing. We were moving. I was in the back of the house. Friend saw the WHOLE thing. Poor fella, he still remembers it vividly. The friend, not ds :p

We've left Nugget in the truck before. Normally they all barrel out of the vehicle, for some reason, he hadn't made it out. We all file into the store. We're getting pictures made. Crowd in that area is atrocious. I talk half the crew, hub takes the other half and we kinda split up within the area, just giving some space as we were all about to go nuts. I check to see who I have and double check he has head count on the others. Um, one short. Look around quickly. Wait..I don't remember him even being in 'line' since we walked in the door. "Oh no" hub exclaims. And out he rushes to fetch the child. He was on hub's side of the vehicle, so, I can kinda get out of that one on a technicality, right? haha Oh and he was like 3-4 yr at the time. And quite content, just sitting there in his seat, patiently waiting for someone to come retrieve him. heehee

I chucked a popcorn tin at Yogurt when he was about 2-3. He was in the big part of a cart. Grabbed a tin of popcorn..you know, at Christmas time..went to toss it down in the cart...had plenty of room. But, he flinched, I slipped..bam..right on the head. He was 'gun shy' for a while after that. LOL

And we've had those zipper incidents too. Eldest had his belly caught in the sleeper zipper. At least one or two of the other boys did too.

Oh I have a carseat story similiar to yours Becca. I cant blame it on anyone but myself though. We went grocery shopping.. drove about 30 minutes away to the store and did our shopping then got back in the car and we were just about to pull out of the parking lot when someone rear ended us.. it was a very small bump but when I turned to make sure the kids were ok I noticed Brookes car seat was not buckled in... I could not beleive it! It was probably not bucled the entire drive there.. I thought it was possible it came loose when we got bumped but thats doubtful... that could have turned out a lot worse.. I thought about that for a long time.. PTL it was only a small bump!

And Ashlee, I did the exact same thing with my Sophie, she was one day old and she was in the same kind of carrier you described. I put her ON TOP OF A HIGH CHAIR! diiiiiiuuuuuh. She DID fall over, face first. But there was a towel behind her head that somehow managed to get in a position to protect her face from hitting the floor. I scooped her up. She looked at me, was silent for a moment then, 'WAAAAAHHHHH' for I dont know how long. Breastfeeding and being close eventually soothed her. She was fine.

Oh..does my children 'running away' count?

When we lived out in the country, one cold wintry day, my boys were outside playing. Hub was out working the property. Not sure what he was doing now, just know that he was out doing 'something' and I was indoors with the younger two (or maybe one and was pg with the other ? no, I think dd was a baby..anywho..) I was in doing my thing. He was out doing his. The elder two were roaming about outdoors, as was typical. Not a worry. They knew their boundaries and stuck to them rather well. Plus, hub was out there. I would check on them from time to time and if I saw hub but not the kids, I would ask if he knew of there whereabouts. Confirmed. Ok, all is well.

Well, one of these times it was NOT confirmed. It had been a bit longer since I last checked on them. Knowing the last I did see they were right near dad. So I figured they'd stick in that area a while. Well, like I said, saw hub, not the kids and he didn't see them either. He calls. No answer. Calls again. Nothing. Ok, now THAT isn't right. They are never so far out that they cannot hear/do not respond after a couple of calls. Even when up into the woods a ways, they come running.

Now we begin to worry a bit. Did I mention it's winter? Not all big blustery and snowy..but...we do have a pond on our land and there is a creek across the road that has been iced over. But was now thawing. Yeah, you putting this together now? So I close the littles up in the house and jet out to head one direction while hub goes another to look and call for them some more. I can just picture my little adventurers at the creek, walking across ice that gives way then plunging into the icy waters.

Then the mail lady comes to deliver and has heard us calling. "Are you looking for two little boys?" Yes! Oh they're up the hill...
Hub hops in the truck to go fetch them. They were apparently QUITE a ways up that hill. It's probably a quarter mile from our house to the corner, then another half mile or so to get to the top of that hill...they were to the top of it, that much I know. They said they were on their way to their friend's house. He lives a good 3-4 miles away..and that's probably a low estimate, that's probably more like 'as the crow flies'. The 'middle of nowhere' kind of country, in the less than ideal wintry temps, 2 boys, ages about 6 and 4, trotting up the road, unsupervised.

Geesh!

(and no, I didn't forever lock them in the house after that, they continued to be able to roam freely outdoors...within our previously set boundaries...we've not had any more of those out of bounds incidents..yet :P )

I have a few of my own to share...but they are pretty similar to what's already been said.

When Maddy was probably 2 months old we went to Walmart and during our trip I needed to nurse her, so I took her out of her carseat which was snapped into the stroller, went to the fitting rooms and nursed her. Well, I put her back in the car seat and we continued shopping, she ended up falling asleep, and we left. It wasn't until we got back home and went to take her out did I notice that I hadn't buckled her in! She didn't fall out or anything, but boy did I fell AWFUL about it! It took a lot of courage to tell Bill why I was so upset!

We were very used to changing Maddy and then leaving her on the bed to go wash our hands. When she was 4 months old, I went to go wash my hands and I heard *thud* and then screaming! I feel SO terrible!! I was so angry at myself for it! She didn't even have a mark on her, but boy....that was tough to handle! She had never rolled over before then...so it was quite the surprise...makes me shutter to even think of it!

I've accidently poked her with sharp things, rolled over on her while I was sleeping, pushed her away from me in my sleep, the list goes on...haha

There are other specific moments that I can't seem to think of...I know that one time Bill had Maddy with him (he wasn't used to having her without me there) and he went to the bank...left her in the car...she was sleeping at the time so he didn't hear her to think that she was there....but he was pretty upset over that.

I know that few times that we haven't brought Maddy with us I've had mini panic attacks when I've looked into the back seat of the car and she wasn't there...

It's always good to know that we're not alone in our shortcomings! :mrgreen:

Oh I know that feeling Chels!! Actually go somewhere without the child then you're freaking every time you turn around because they're 'missing' :sigh:

here's the funniest (or scariest) one I can think of off the top of my head.
When we first moved in our house, we had a stairway off the front. (for those of you haven't seen our house before, the front of our house is about 12 foot higher than the back, so our front porch steps were quite high. We had 14 steps to the top)
Anyway, Gabe wanted to walk our dog, a dobberman, so I let him take her out. Not thinking, he took her out the front. She got excited over something and took off down the steps. Little bitty four year old Gabe was tumbling behind her down the steps. He was ok, just shaken up, but after about 5 minutes of hyperventilating-like crying, he laughed about it, as boys will be boys, wanted to do it again.

Since then, we've removed that porch and had a full wrap around deck built and the only way to get on the deck is at the back door which is only 3 steps, LOL. No front access what-so-ever

It wasn't until we got back home and went to take her out did I notice that I hadn't buckled her in! She didn't fall out or anything, but boy did I fell AWFUL about it! It took a lot of courage to tell Bill why I was so upset!


BEEN THERE DONE THAT. About had a heart attack each time it happened. Usually it goes something like - DH or I will load the kid into the carseat, but ask the other one to buckle, and somewhere in the rush of getting everything into the car, it is forgotten. LOL So now we have rules about that sort of thing - the person who PUTS THE KID IN THE CAR MUST BUCKLE THEM. and double check them before shutting the door. lol

So other bad moments - I squished katherine's pinky between nathaniel's carseat and base. I saw her hand there, told DH to move it, but he didn't, but she did move it so I thought it was out of the way (can't see much on the other side of the carseat) so I just dropped the carseat on it. It was REALLY SQUISHED - but not broken, just bruised. She cried, DH cried, he thought i wrecked her finger and started screaming at me about how they would have to amputate it or something LOL.

Another bad moment - forgot the dishwasher was left open with KNIVES in it. Come back to see katherine grabbing a (extremely sharp) knife. I couldn't get over there fast enough.

Once DH was running katherine back and forth in the house and katherine threw her head back (she was having fun) but her head smacked into a corner of a cabinet. She started screaming. Her head actually had a dent in it (not the skull, just a huge dent in the skin.) DH came unglued, literally. I had to manage to keep myself together while i checked her for damage. I had to kick DH out of the room because he was so hysterical he was making her more hysterical than she actually was.

so yeah we've had our share of bad parent moments!! I am glad for this thread though - makes me feel better LOL.

Another bad moment - forgot the dishwasher was left open with KNIVES in it. Come back to see katherine grabbing a (extremely sharp) knife. I couldn't get over there fast enough.


OH my, this just happened to me no more than an half an hour ago.

One of my friends and I jokingly refer to these moments as how I disqualified myself for "Mother of the Year"

It is nice to hear I am not the only one.

This is making me laugh so hard but at the same time so glad I am not the only imperfect mom out there.

Once when ds1 was a baby (he was maybe 2-3 mos old) I put him in his crib for a minute so I could go to the bathroom. The only problem with this was that I had folded some of his outfits in there that I had just washed, too, "just for a minute", but then I forgot about them. When I got out of the bathroom he had managed to get one of his shirts over his face and couldn't get it off. I ran over and picked him up - he was so upset- we both cried for a while over that one. I never put anything in his crib ever again.

With ds #2 (again around 2-3 mos), for some reason I thought it was a good idea to put him down in an armchair (he was asleep) so I could finish my dinner with 2 hands. Of course (still asleep) he manages to wiggle-slide off the armchair - I looked up to see him falling out of the chair in what felt like slow-motion. I am so greatful that he fell feet first (Thanks Jesus!). He woke up as his little bottom hit the floor, lightly bonked his tiny head and fussed a little bit but was ok as soon as I nursed him.

I am amazed I don't have gray hair yet! I am sure my oldest, the daredevil, will find a way to give me some, though.

I don't have a baby-in-carseat story for my boys, but my mom tells me I fell out of the car, carseat and all, on my head, one day. She said she opened the car door and boom I just fell out, so the seat was not even fastened. I am ok now, but she still feels bad about it.

This is an awesome post. For a new mommy reading these posts, sure does make you feel better knowing you're not *alone*.

In addition to overstuffing my child, I also have a bleeder story. Grace is just learning to sit up assisted. So me, thinking it's cute, try and grab a snapshot of her "sitting up pretty like a big girl"....well just as I'm taking her picture.....PLUNK she falls head first over and hits her face smack dab on the floor and blood start gushing out of her nose. I was sure I had broken her nose and she was going to need reconstructive surgery.

I don't know who was crying more...she or I.....

I've also clipped her finger instead of her nail causing her to bleed and me cry profusely.

believeNgrace, I totally did something similar, only when dd was learning to stand. Wanted the really cute "my daughter can stand now!" pic.....lean back with camera in hand and boom! Down to the ground, and of course she fell like a tree! No bleeding, but I still felt soooo bad!

Loved this thread, we all have been there done that in some way or another.

When son #2 was less than a year I propped him up on a perfect tree stump for a pic, just adorable EXCEPT the tree was infested with fire ants, oy, oh my. As I grabbed him from stump him screaming, grabbed son #1 to go and stripping the bitten son naked, as I run to t. house and plop him in tub. No too many bites except for a few on his hands thank goodness.

This same son, must have a liking to fire ants. We are in disney he plops with horses in background where we were staying, aww so sweet perfect pic, get out camera, he sat on anthill. oy

Most recent, with my daughter when she was 1.5 walking we accidently left her at Wendy's as we leisurely went to the car all finished. Ummm honey you have Mandy right??!! NO you have Mandy!! At that we fly into restaurant and retrieve our non alarmed child who is standing right where we ate just looking around baffled, he he. Funny I swore I would go to the grave with that one, man did I feel like a horrible mom with too many kids than.

Top three:
1)When Em was a new born the three of us went to a public beach and dh and I set Em in a pop up tent and asked a ladie we didn't know to keep an eye on her while we took a quick dip together. I had my eye on the tent the whole time but, when I think back on that it makes my stomach TURN about what could have happened. . .I'll NEVER do that again.
2)Left a good friends house one day and headed home having forgotten to buckel Em in the car seat. She fell asleep and I had to stop quick at one point. She flew from the car seat and into the dash board. I immediately pulled over. She shook it off and was fine. YIKES!
3)Em is a VERY picky eater. The night before I was scheduled to go in for a picky eaters class (cause I was at my wits end about how to get her to eat more than a pb&j), I forced her to take a bite of the cassarole I'd made and it made her vomit a little. The next night he talked about NOT forcing and I felt like a total CRUMB.

God's grace- YAH, FOR SURE. Cause it's amazing our first hasn't been kidnapped or killed AND he gave us a second one[whatthink]? If that doesn't make you feel better as a mom, I don't know what will=) -ren

Oh my goodness guys... I'm feeling anxious just reading these, and Andrea and Ashley I feel so embarrassed for you guys. Not that I haven't had my own share of Mommy mishaps.

The worst thing I can remember, is when Timmy was close to three. I've always had trouble getting him to sleep, and one particular night he was up for hours, and it was getting really late. Then out of nowhere he hits me in the head with his bottle and said "more milk". It really hurt and by that time I was so frustrated and tired I actually grabbed his milk bottle and threw it across the room and hollered, "you don't hit mommy!" (I seriously never throw things guy ;) ) So anyway, I felt bad so I took a deep breath and said, I'm sorry I shouldn't have thrown that I was just upset, I'll get your milk (in hindsight I shouldn't have gotten it for him, but I felt so bad!) As soon as I gave it to him he threw it across the room and yelled (you guessed it) "You don't hit mommy!" That just cracked me up. Ah the things we teach our kids...

One time, when Wes was a baby and still in the pumpkin seat, I was busy getting ready to leave. I put him in the seat and attached it to the car seat thing. I got all the way where I was going (about 15 minutes away) and went to get him and I had not even buckled him in the pumpkin seat! Of course all the things that could have happened ran through my head! Praise God for his protection!

My big one happened this week! I was putting Josh's 3-6 clothes in boxes and getting out his 6-9's I had him on the bed, he was a little sick and not playing but just laying there sucking his thumb for the most part. The phone rang (telemarketer grrrr) I noticed that Josh was a little close to the bed (about 2 feet) but didn't think he would roll since he was so tired and calm. as I am hanging up the phone I see my little baby rolling off the foot of the bed. What made it worse is that we have his changing table/dresser at the foot of the bed maybe a foot away (ya we have tight quarters) and he hit his head on the way down off the dresser. He screamed and I felt SO bad (still do). The kicker is that he got the flu the next day...I thought I had REALLY done some damage with him vomiting so much. PTL for the flu though!