My 6 Month Old Baby Hit Her Head What Should I Do

Caput Injuries and Children: When to Take Your Child to the Doctor

The different signs and symptoms of a mild injury, serious injury and concussion.

A caput injury is a common babyhood experience that can happen at any age – whether it'due south the newly mobile baby rolling off the bed, the elementary school kid falling off the jungle gym, or the teenage athlete colliding with an opposing team member.

If your kid was healthy before the head injury, doesn't lose consciousness, doesn't have cuts on the head or face, and acts normally afterward, it is probably just a bump on the caput. In this state of affairs, the most important thing you tin do is advisedly observe your child, and should you have concerns, don't hesitate to follow your instincts and phone call your doctor.

Mild Injuries

Information technology's normal for kids to cry subsequently they've hit their heads -- it hurts and it's scary. But crying shouldn't last longer than 10 minutes.

If your child is alarm and responds to you, the head injury is likely mild. To soothe them, you tin can employ a common cold compress for 20 minutes to help the swelling go down. You tin can requite children acetaminophen for hurting, but check with your child's doctor earlier giving any other medication. You don't want to mask pain or symptoms that suggest a serious head injury. You can permit your child get to sleep if it's naptime or bedtime, but check on them every ii to iii hours to make sure everything is OK.

Baby Bumps on the Head

It'due south exciting watching your child learn to walk merely similar whatsoever skill it requires practise. In that location will exist falls and near misses, and occasionally there may also be some bumps on the head. Fortunately, about baby head bumps are balmy.

If your child does fall and crash-land their caput, but is alert and responds to yous, scout them carefully for the next 36 to 48 hours to see if whatever symptoms develop that could betoken a head injury.

Changes to sentry for include inconsolable crying or fussiness, vomiting more than than one time, balancing difficulties when sitting or walking, and being unresponsive.

If your child is exhibiting whatever of these symptoms, or has any significant swelling over the site of the injury, you should take them to the md right abroad.

Serious Injuries

Caput injuries tin cause changes in retentiveness, judgment, balance, reaction fourth dimension, speech communication and sleep. They can also cause headaches and more sensitivity to calorie-free and sound.

If your child loses consciousness or exhibits any symptoms commonly associated with a concussion following a collision, IMMEDIATELY remove the child from play and call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends taking your child to the doctor right abroad if they have any of the post-obit:

• Unusual paleness that lasts for more than an hr.
• Tingling on one side of the torso.
• Numbness or weakness of arms or legs.
• Losing balance, stumbling or trouble walking.
• Seizures.
• Repeated dizziness or dizziness that doesn't go away.
• Nauseous or vomits more than than two or iii times.
• Persistent ringing in the ears or loss of hearing.
• Slurred speech.
• Blurry vision, double vision or pupils of unequal size.
• Difficulty recognizing familiar faces.
• A constant headache, especially if it gets worse.
• Extreme sleepiness or difficulty waking up.
• Very irritable, confused or other abnormal behavior.

These symptoms are signs of a more serious head injury, and they may happen hours later and, rarely, even days later. That's why watching your child closely for the showtime 24 to 48 hours afterward a head injury is important.

Certain accidents are also more probable to cause a serious caput injury including a car blow, falling down a flights of stairs, falling off a bicycle without a helmet, falling from 3 or more feet off the ground, and higher level competitive contact sports.

CT Scans

According to AAP, CT scans are useful for injuries such as bleeding in the encephalon or skull fractures, but non helpful for the diagnosis of a concussion. For the bulk of babyhood head injuries, CT scans of children are not necessary.&

CT scans use radiations, and because children's brains are still developing and their encephalon tissue is more than sensitive, unnecessary exposure to 10-rays may increase their lifetime risk of cancer, co-ordinate to AAP.

A physician should simply order a CT browse if they feel it's necessary to rule out a brain drain or serious skull fracture.

The doctor should examine your child and inquire about specific symptoms, which is a much better indicator of how serious the head injury is and what treatment is all-time.

Concussions

Sometimes a caput injury can lead to a concussion – a mild traumatic brain injury caused by an impact. Symptoms include dizziness, nausea, fatigue and forgetfulness, which can last anywhere from 15 minutes to a few weeks after the touch.

Recovery time tin can vary greatly from 1 person to the adjacent. So it'southward possible – although rare – to yet experience symptoms of a head injury long after the accident occurred. Children's and teenagers' developing brains, in detail, tin can take at to the lowest degree seven to ten days to return to normal after a head injury.

If your child gets a concussion, it'southward extremely important for them not to get back to being overly active too soon. The best early treatment for concussion is rest from both physical and mental activity for a few days and then a gradual render to activities.

Getting Back in the Game

All concussions are serious, and all athletes with suspected concussions should not return to play until they meet a doctor.

Your child should never go straight back into a game afterward they has experienced a head injury and they likewise shouldn't render to sports until they are back to their baseline normal wellness before the injury.

Usually, a child should have at least ane week with no symptoms earlier going dorsum to sports, and the render to sports should exist gradual, according to AAP. This process is best guided by your child's physician.

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Source: https://www.sutterhealth.org/health/childrens-health/head-injuries-and-children-when-to-take-your-child-to-the-doctor

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