My Toddler Falls Over So Much: Is That Normal?

If you feel like you spend your day catching a small person mid-topple, you are not imagining it. Research that tracked toddlers during free play found new walkers took thousands of steps and fell roughly seventeen times an hour. Falling is not a fault in the system. It is how the system learns.

Why falling is part of learning

Walking asks a small body to balance a relatively large head over two narrow feet while moving. Toddlers solve this by practising constantly and getting it wrong often. Fall rates in new walkers are comparable to the stumbles of expert crawlers, and they drop steadily as children take more steps and walk further. Better walkers walk more and fall less, and the falls along the way are part of what makes them better walkers.

Falls are also more frequent at speed, when distracted, on grass, sand, slopes or slippery floors, when tired, or when carrying something. That is normal for toddlers of every ability level.

What helps

• Safe space to practise. Clear a run of floor, move the sharp-cornered furniture and let them work.
• Barefoot inside on safe surfaces, and light, flexible, well-fitting shoes outside. Hand-me-down shoes that are too big cause plenty of trips.
• Varied terrain, supervised. Grass, gentle slopes, sand, cushions and low steps build balance far better than flat carpet alone.
• Less time in prams and seats on days when walking is possible.
• Resist hovering. Children who are allowed to wobble learn to recover; constant steadying delays that.

When frequent falling is worth a closer look

• Your child has been walking confidently for many months and still falls very often on flat, even ground.
• Falls are one-sided, or your child consistently trips over one foot.
• Your child does not put their hands out to protect themselves when falling.
• Falling is clearly more frequent than it is for children of the same age at daycare or playgroup.
• There is toe walking, in-toeing, a limp, pain, or visible fatigue with activity.
• You have concerns about vision, hearing or attention to surroundings.
• Falling is limiting play, causing injuries, or knocking your child's confidence.

A physiotherapy assessment in this situation looks at strength, joint flexibility including hypermobility, balance reactions, walking pattern, footwear and coordination, and checks whether anything else should be investigated.

When should I seek prompt medical advice?

Seek prompt medical assessment if your child loses walking ability they previously had, becomes suddenly unsteady, develops weakness, refuses to bear weight, has severe pain or a hot swollen joint, or has a limp with fever. Seek urgent care after a head injury with loss of consciousness, repeated vomiting, unusual drowsiness or seizure-like activity.

A reassuring takeaway

For most toddlers, falling over a lot is a sign of a child doing exactly the right thing: practising hard. If the falls are not reducing over months, are one-sided, or are holding your child back from play, that is when it is worth having someone watch them move.

Sources and further reading

Adolph KE et al. --- How do you learn to walk? Thousands of steps and dozens of falls per day (Psychological Science)

Han D & Adolph KE --- The impact of errors in infant development (Developmental Science)

Raising Children Network --- Baby development and milestones

Suggested closing call to action

Still unsure about something you have noticed? A GP, child health nurse or paediatric physiotherapist can help you decide whether your child would benefit from an individual assessment. Contact PHYSITEK to ask about a paediatric physiotherapy visit.