Important Reminder for Parents

A friend of mine had her first big scare as a parent. Her baby fell, or rolled (she's not sure which) off the changing table. Thank God everything is fine with the her baby. Not even a scratch, a bump or a bruise to report. But it could have been much worse. She laid her baby on the changing pad and realized she was out of diapers. Not thinking, she ran to grab a diaper in the other room. When she came back her baby was sitting on the floor.

I have to admit, I've left my daughter on the changing table to grab a binky, a diaper, a toy...you name it. While I haven't done it since she's started rolling over (and turned into a wiggle worm), I am guilty of leaving her there for more than a split second.

I'm sharing this story as a reminder to everyone that even a split second is too long. This is especially true once your baby starts getting a little more mobile. While the strap on the changing pad may help to keep my daughter in place, I'm not even taking that chance.  The warning on the strap was enough to put the fear into me: "to avoid death or serious injury..."

What's the hardest lesson you've learned as the parent of an infant?