Toddler Falling a lot

My 34 month old granddaughter falls a lot. Loses her balance a lot. She is very bright with no speech or hearing problems, although she failed her birth audio. but when she went back for a 2nd test,passed. My daughter took her to an ent specialist a few months ago and she failed her test in one ear, but they were puzzled by this and wanted to put her to sleep for testing. She does have flat feet and her left one turns out very slightly. This situation is of great concern to me.
Thanking you in advance.
Nancy


Dear Nancy,
I note your concern. I doubt that ear problems are connected to the falling, even though the inner ear is responsible for balance. If she does have the hearing test while asleep, find out if the hearing loss (if any) is of a conductive type. It most likely is and that would not be connected with her falling.
Flat feet at 34 months can be considered normal. Toddlers have very lax ligaments and the arch of the foot contains a pad of fat which disappears as the toddler grows older. The turned out foot is probably OK too but with the frequent falls makes me wonder if her local doctor has assessed her legs for stregth and normality of (tendon) reflexes. If these are normal, I would be prepared to wait and see. It is normal for toddlers to fall a lot so much so that they usually have bruises on the front of their legs and often on their foreheads. Falls on flat surfaces are not a worry but your daughter should be protected from falling down stairs by a gate at the head of the stairs.

Flat feet and falls in a toddler

My daughter, who is 2,has very flat feet. She walked at 13 months and is very active but falls over a lot. What should I do?

Toddlers often have flat feet. They are due to lax ligaments (structures that hold our joints together) and the fact that the area where the arch of the foot is located contains a lot of fat, so that little or no arch can be seen in toddlers. Walking at 13 months is normal and of no concern.

It is normal for toddlers to fall a lot- they usually have bruises on the fronts of their legs and their foreheads are often bruised. falls on flat surfaces are not a worry. However, you should protest them from falling downstairs (by a gate at the top) because serious damage can be done. Likewise, the play area outside should not have steep areas or cliffs where a toddler can fall and do themselves harm.