what ben said ^ but also, for checkpoints I usually find you can avoid multi-damage falls by planting one checkpoint per area, usually around mid way (crystal rooms are spawned midway). actually doing though is a different story because you're always like "oh man, but i need an extra heart, or etc." definitely a feel thing, but that's sort of the feel i've arrived at.
You can lose more than one heart for falling!? Wow, did not know/notice this. It also sounds like you're punishing the player twice, which does not make sense to me. I already have to cover that distance again. I like planting crystals and thorns, and one of my favorite aspects of play was the risk/reward balance of knowing the farther I go only planting resources, the more I'll have to redo if I screw up.