It Happened to Me! Babyproofing and Parenting Mishaps

Crystal Leland mother of one: "What kid doesn't love to be swung off his feet between Mom and Dad? We were doing the "1-2-3 Whee!" thing with our 3-year-old son when he suddenly started crying and couldn't move his arm very well. Our swinging somehow pulled his elbow joint and it had to be reset at the hospital."

Tip: Hastings says this is commonly known as nursemaids elbow. "The ligament is displaced and gets trapped in the joint when a child is being swung or spun around by the arms (playing airplane)."

Carla Munoz, mother of three: "I can't believe this actually happened but ... my husband was lightly tossing our 9-month-old son just a few inches above his head while the baby laughed and giggled. Well, somehow he missed. He fumbled the baby and my son fell in a giant belly flop, smacking his chin and nose on the floor."

Tip: "Tossing the baby is so fun, but can be so dangerous," says Hastings. "The same goes for jumping on the bed." Another danger of bed gymnastics is when kids bump into each other and heads, teeth, knees, and elbows make contact, often resulting in bruises, bloody lips, and plenty of tears, but occasionally causing serious injury.