Parent Q&A: Toddler Trust Fall
Hi Rebekka,
I’m so sorry to email you like this but Sammi started doing this thing recently and it kinda freaks me out/I’m not sure how to get her to stop! She looks at me and usually smiles and starts tilting her head back until she’s falling backwards and expects me to catch her as if she’s performing a trust fall or something?? So far I’ve always caught her but I’m worried she’ll try it when I’m not close by/paying full attention.
Is this a common thing for 13-14 month olds? So scary.
Thank you!!
Best,
Terrified of Trust Falls
Hey mama!
Looks like Sammi is really exploring her body and relationships! This is a new one for me, but young movers will try on a lot of different behaviors in service of testing the limits of their new mobility as well as their caregivers' reactions to what they do. My recommendation is to check your response to this behavior - no big reaction (she may have learned that doing this action gets a big exciting reaction from you and keeps checking to see if you'll do it). So keep calm and neutral. You can narrate calmly - "You're looking at me to see if I'll catch you. This isn't super safe, so I'm going to help your body come down slowly." And cause/effect is a great learning method - if she tries this and falls, she'll learn that it's ouchie and not fun to do!
Breathe - you're doing great, mama!
Rebekka
Rebekka Helford is a licensed marriage and family therapist in private practice in Los Angeles, California. With over a decade of experience working with parents and young children, Rebekka specializes in short-term intensive parenting consultation, using a variety of tools including home, office, and school visits to help families navigate developmental hiccups and get back on track. Virtual visits now available!
Click here to schedule an appointment or contact Rebekka with a question – who knows, she might even answer it in her next post!