Help! My baby bumped his head!

I cannot forget the first time my first child bumped his head hard. He was about 2 years old, running around the house, when he smacked into the corner of a wall. Within minutes, his forehead had a bump the size of a golf ball. He was hysterical too. I called our pediatrician, sure that my son needed and x-ray. My pediatrician actually just told me to relax… and observe my son before rushing to the emergency room. We have  a simple guide on how you can tell if that bump needs medical attention or just some ice, hugs and kisses.

Bumps on the head, even those the size of a golf ball, do not always warrant a trip to the ER or even a call to your doctor. As our pediatrician explained, the skull acts as a protective helmet for the brain. On top of the skull we have a richly vascularized scalp that can withstand most of the bumps and bruises of childhood. The swelling is actually a good sign, that the brain was protected from the bump.

In case your child bumps his head, do the following:

Don’t panic. A panicky grown up cannot calm down a crying, injured child.

Ice it. When you’ve managed to calm your child, hold an ice pack (a pack of frozen peas can substitute) over the bump. Keep the cold pack as long as you can, about 20 minutes. This can help with the swelling and pain.

Observe, observe, observe. If your child got himself a big bump but remains alert and conscious, all you have to give is a good dose of parental sympathy and that ice pack. However, keep an keen eye on your child’s state. The reason for this is because doctors often rely more on how the child behaves after the injury than what happened at the time of the injury. If the brain has been injured, signs may show immediately, or they may appear slowly during the next twenty-four hours.

Seek medical attention fast if the following happens:

• loss of consciousness
• vomiting
• child does not focus on you, look you in the eyes or respond to your questions or instructions
• loss of balance when walking
• prolonged crying of more than an hour
• child complains of a severe headache
• note the following eye signs: crossed-eyes or rolling eyes, or one eye pupil looking larger than the other one.

Trust your instincts, if something worries you or you have a question about your child’s head injury not covered here… by all means give your doctor a call. He or she will give you advice on what to do, just make sure you can give  him or her good notes from your observations.

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