Every parent has one, a scare. I didn’t think mine would come so soon. This past weekend we took a trip to Philly for Peter’s birthday (and for part of Easter). Well, on the way back we heard some fussing from the backseat. I assumed Alexa was just getting tired and thought nothing of it. Mere moments later…there was CHOKING sounds coming from my weeee little baby. I instinctively grabbed her hair to see if her clip was still there…it WASN’T! My baby was choking on her barrette. A barrette I left in her hair.
I yelled for Peter to PULL OVER NOW. He said he couldn’t there was traffic…I SAID NOW! He wanted to wait to pull into a lot. I SAID NOW! He didn’t realize what had happened because in the blink of an eye I realized what had went wrong, but I hadn’t vocalized it yet. He pulled over while I was feeling in her mouth.
When we were on the side of the highway, I jumped out and threw myself into the backseat. There was a little blood on her lip, puke on her chin, and a soaking wet hair clip on her chest. I don’t know if I cut her with my nail when I grabbed at her mouth, or if it was the metal back of the clip. My poor baby was screaming her head off. I nursed her there on the side of the road, in the “hood”. I didn’t care.
I know I’m not supposed to leave them in her hair when I’m not watching her. I know! I feel so stupid stupid stupid! Most of the time, specially when I’m driving alone with Alexa, I take her clips out until we reach our destination. I just didn’t think of it this time. It only takes one time though. One time and she could have choked to death. One time in which she ended up ok…but I will NEVER forget again.
It’s not that I think “it will never happen to me”, it’s just that I assumed I would be diligent in watching her every move. I guess it wasn’t a fair assumption on my part. Needless to say I’ll be doing some baby-proofing today.
Not Mommy 
So glad to hear that she’s okay! I can’t imagine how scary that was for you!
By: Jaime on April 5, 2010
at 11:36 am
Soo scary. I’m still getting chills thinking about what-if!
By: Amber on April 6, 2010
at 10:06 am
That is so scary! I’m so sorry to hear it, but glad she’s ok. Every once in awhile I give F a cracker in the backseat, and then panic about whether or not she might choke. I guess I should be more careful about that…
By: Carla on April 5, 2010
at 11:42 am
I feel the same way when I give Alexa a biscuit (or even too many puffs) while she’s sitting in the highchair. I try to only give her snacks in the kitchen, and sometimes I do it while I’m working downstairs. I try to stay close so I can see, but now I’m too paranoid to even go into the next room :-(
By: Amber on April 6, 2010
at 10:07 am
How terrifying, glad she was okay. I guess there is an up side to having a bald, bald child.
.-= Baby Mama´s last blog ..The tooth fairy stepped in for the easter bunny… =-.
By: Baby Mama on April 5, 2010
at 11:59 am
Ha, that’s a good way to look at it. Maybe I should shave her head like Peter suggested :P
By: Amber on April 6, 2010
at 9:46 am
That is SO SCARY! I would have never thought about taking out barrettes, the things we don’t think about when we have babes of the opposite gender.
Our similar scare was when Kieran was about 8 or 9 months old. We were watching our friend’s little 2.5 yr old girl, and we were driving somewhere. Before we left the house, though, the friend had been playing in the lawn. She’d picked up a leaf and sweetly “shared” it with Kieran (unbeknownst to me). Kieran stuck it in his mouth. I heard strange noises, but they didn’t sound scary. About 25 seconds later, they did – I turned around and he was already turning violent colors. I screamed at Tom to pull over and frantically climbed over the seat. I swept his mouth and got the leaf out and have never been so happy to hear him scream.
Funny – we nursed in the ‘hood too.
So scary.
.-= Dionna @ Code Name: Mama´s last blog ..Guilty as Charged =-.
By: Dionna @ Code Name: Mama on April 5, 2010
at 12:01 pm
Those few seconds between realizing what was happening and being pulled over so I could jump out were the worst yet. Such terrifying noises. I’m still having after shocks from it. Next time I’m going over the seat (well, hopefully there’s not a next time!).
By: Amber on April 6, 2010
at 9:48 am
So scary! I get so paranoid when we’re in the car about that kind of thing happening, like, how fast could I get back into the back seat??
I had never considered all those barrettes and hair things people use! Boy mom over here.
.-= the Grumbles´s last blog ..happy easter, friends =-.
By: the Grumbles on April 5, 2010
at 12:46 pm
I’m so worried I won’t be able to react fast enough most times. I have weird anxiety attacks when I think Alexa is getting sick…I’ll imagine the worst case scenarios and just assume I’ll never make it to the hospital in time :-( Guess my PPD issues are a little unresolved.
By: Amber on April 6, 2010
at 9:50 am
poor sweet alexa! and poor traumatized mommy! i’m SO sorry you had to go through such an awful scare – thrilled to hear that baby is 100% fine, and this is a good lesson to all your readers. i never thought twice about leaving clips in poppy’s hair (honestly she doesn’t mess with them much) but now i will for sure take them out when i’m driving anywhere with her alone. just curious – do you guys have a mirror in the backseat so you can see alexa in the rear view? i’m going to be picking one up this week for my car – ever since p has been in her big girl carseat it’s a lot harder to see her…
SO glad alexa is ok. don’t be too hard on yourself – things like this are bound to happen sometime (NOT trying to say it isn’t scary as hell!)
hugs to you both! xoxoxo.
By: emily bilbrey on April 5, 2010
at 1:50 pm
Alexa used to leave her clips alone, and then about 2 months ago she started pulling them out. Almost all of the ones we have are small enough to choke on. Need to start buying her some big big bows or head bands. I’m totally paranoid about putting a clip in now even if I’m sitting in front of her :-(
We do have a mirror in the back seat, but as luck would have it..she was feeling feisty that morning and kicked it down. Since her seat is in the middle, there’s no headrest to hold it on properly. Cannot wait to turn her around! She’s almost 20lbs, and already a year old….so we’re basically counting the days. Then I’ll be able to see her better!
I’m not really beating myself up so bad…I’m just filled with the dread of “what if’s”. Soooo scary!
By: Amber on April 6, 2010
at 9:56 am
OMG… poor little Alexa…that would have been SO scary!! Thank goodness she is OK! It scares the crap out of you when things like that happen.. hey!!!
I’ve baby proofed the house.. pretty much! Max always seems to find things that you didn’t know were there!! Luckily for me he will spit the offending item out onto my hand on demand… well most of the time, then I have to go fishing in his mouth! We can only try our best to protect them! I think I will go and do a check around my house right now :)
.-= Lx´s last blog ..Manic Monday =-.
By: Lx on April 5, 2010
at 4:30 pm
Motherhood is freakin’ scary for sure! You’re so lucky Max spits things out. I’ve had to swipe Alexa’s mouth a few times with food, she’s a gagger.
Still need to really baby proof. This weekend is the time indeed!!!! Being super diligent about picking up small items and paper trash though (she likes to eat napkins best).
By: Amber on April 6, 2010
at 9:58 am
SO glad to hear she’s ok – and glad to have found you again .net girl!
By: Theta Mom on April 5, 2010
at 5:44 pm
OMG I thought for sure you saw my updates about moving over to .net! I tried to put a forward in from my old blog to my new one, but it only works half the time :-( At least my feed transfered over since I use FeedBurner!
By: Amber on April 6, 2010
at 9:59 am
Oh how scary!! I felt scared just reading it! Glad she is okay!! You know I haven’t even thought about having to watch for barrettes with girls because I have a boy, but wow ya I could see how that could be a problem. Whew!!
By: Sarah Mommy Elephant on April 5, 2010
at 7:02 pm
It’s hard to remember to take off something that seems so innocuous as a little baby barrette. I surely won’t forget again, but you just don’t think about it most the time. I’m not sure what the boy equivalent would be.
Looks like most of my bloggy friends have boys though, from all my comments here I just now realized that!
By: Amber on April 6, 2010
at 10:01 am
Gahh!! That’s so scary! I’m so glad she’s okay. I’ll definitely remember that now that I have a girl.
.-= Allison´s last blog ..thoughts that circulate in my head =-.
By: Allison on April 6, 2010
at 10:02 am
OOOOH right, you’re used to all the boy stuff :-) Babies are scary!
By: Amber on April 6, 2010
at 10:19 am
I had the same scare right before the Mancub’s 1st birthday. At the time he was just beginning to chew on solid foods like canteloupe on his own so I usually cut them into small chunks and let him at it. But one day on the way home from shopping with a friend I didn’t cut one of the chunks small enough. So we had to stop in the middle of a traffic light and I had to do the whole infant heimlich on him. Scariest moment of my life to date. We cried and I soothed him in the middle of traffic. I didn’t care about the honking, I was just glad that he was ok and I definitely learned to not feed him food in the car and to be mindful of those chunks.
So happy Alexa is ok. Hugs and love.
.-= Restless Mama´s last blog ..Freedom in a Two Week Notice =-.
By: Restless Mama on April 6, 2010
at 1:08 pm
Yeah, there’s no way I’ll ever feed her in the car. Well…at least not for at least the next year.
I can’t wait to turn her car seat around so I can see her more easily. She has a tendency to kick her mirror off or to the side so I can’t see back there when I’m driving.
By: Amber on April 6, 2010
at 8:56 pm
So scary, but trust me, we’ve all be there. Just that one momentary lapse. I’m just glad you were there to rescue her! Poor, sweet baby girl.
.-= Formerly Gracie´s last blog ..Happy Fourth Birthday, Slugger =-.
By: Formerly Gracie on April 6, 2010
at 8:00 pm
I know, logically, that it happens to everyone. As soon as I told some people in my “real” life, they all shared their scary stories with me. I just hate feeling anxious again. I hope it passes soon, I’m tired of reliving it in my head.
By: Amber on April 6, 2010
at 8:59 pm
Scary…I’m with Gracie, happens to all of us. Still scary though:O
By: Nap Warden on April 7, 2010
at 9:53 am
I just never thought my big scare would come from something to stupidly easy to avoid. Ah well…live and learn :-)
By: Amber on April 8, 2010
at 10:39 am
Wow. I’m so glad your little girl is ok. I know how it feels to almost have a heart attack from something scary like that happening to your kid. Even now, if I catch myself thinking about what my now 4 year old did when he was 2 to scare the s%#@ out of me, I get all anxious all over again. It’s tough loving these little bundles so much!
By: Katie on April 7, 2010
at 10:41 am
I never thought I’d be that anxious mom, but I totally am. Now, I let her fall and do her own thing, but I’m freakin’ scared all the time :-)
By: Amber on April 8, 2010
at 8:59 pm
Oh my goodness. Thank God she’s okay. That is simply terrifying. Don’t feel guilty, you are human.
So glad everything worked out alright :)
.-= The Penny-Pinching Mama´s last blog .."Happily Ever After" (Lost Thoughts) =-.
By: The Penny-Pinching Mama on April 7, 2010
at 3:20 pm
Thank you. I don’t really feel guilty. I just keep replaying it. As the days pass (and it’s been 4.5) the dread eases.
By: Amber on April 8, 2010
at 9:00 pm
That just made me sick to my stomach…. so so glad everything is ok.
.-= mrs.notouching´s last blog ..Easter FAIL =-.
By: mrs.notouching on April 7, 2010
at 10:08 pm
I’m so glad too. I still feel a bit of a sinking feeling in my stomach when I think about it.
By: Amber on April 8, 2010
at 9:01 pm
I’m glad everything is ok. It’s always the way – there are a million things that you are sooo careful with and then something happens that gives you a real shock. Once Riley was walking I started to let her go outside on her own, not realising until months (MONTHS!) later that there was a gap between the fence and the garage and she could have wandered off on to the road at any time :o(
.-= Zoey @ Good Goog´s last blog ..One More Book =-.
By: Zoey @ Good Goog on April 8, 2010
at 5:24 am
I actually used to read the blog of a woman who’s daughter wandered off that way. Nothing bad happened, a nice neighbor actually walked her home…but OMG how scary!!!!
By: Amber on April 8, 2010
at 9:02 pm
That sounds very scary Amber. I can say lots but you’re still going to carry that lovely mothers guilt so all I will say is; try not to beat yourself up too much.
I’ve almost killed my son so many times, I’m not going to share them as I may get reported ;-)
By: Treacy on April 8, 2010
at 12:14 pm
The way you phrased that…you’re too much :-) Thanks for the smile! I would still like to hear your stories, though maybe not in a public forum :P
By: Amber on April 8, 2010
at 9:06 pm
[…] you guys all tell I’m still afraid to put a goddamn clip in her hair?? Fabulous Bed […]
By: Manic Monday - The Unlikely Mama on April 12, 2010
at 4:21 pm
[…] STUPID STUPID STUPID ↩ […]
By: Mind Your Business on May 20, 2010
at 8:21 pm