The child hit his head asleep. What should I do if my child falls and hits his head? Recommendations for parents from a pediatric neurologist. Forehead injury

Anna Mironova

Reading time: 4 minutes

A A

The skull of a child is more fragile and vulnerable than that of an adult. Accordingly, the risk of serious injury increases significantly. Especially, in the 1st year of a baby's life, when the bones have not yet had time to grow together, and can easily be displaced by a blow. Toddlers fall out of strollers and cribs, roll off the changing table and just flop out of the blue. It’s good if everything ends up with a bump or abrasion, but what should mom do if the baby hit her head hard?

We process the bruise after hitting the child's head - the rules of first aid for a bump, wounds on the head.

If your baby hit his head, the most important thing is not to panic yourself and not scare the baby with your panic.

We soberly and calmly assess the condition of the crumbs: carefully shift the child to the bed and examine the head - are there visible injuries (hematomas or redness, abrasions on the forehead and head, bump, bleeding, swelling, dissection of soft tissues).
If the baby fell while you were flipping pancakes in the kitchen, ask the baby in detail- where he fell, how he fell and where he hit. Unless, of course, the baby is already able to speak.
When dropped from a significant height onto a hard surface(tile, concrete, etc.), do not waste time - immediately call an ambulance.
When falling on the carpet during the game, most likely, the worst thing that awaits the baby is a bump, but attentiveness does not hurt.
Reassure the child and do something to distract- Hysteria increases bleeding (if any) and increases intracranial pressure.

Apply ice wrapped in a towel to the injury site. Keep it for no more than 15 minutes, ice is needed to relieve swelling and to avoid the spread of hematoma. In the absence of ice, you can use the bag with any frozen food.
Treat a wound or abrasion with hydrogen peroxide to avoid infection. With further bleeding (if it is not stopped), call an ambulance.
Watch your little one carefully. If there are signs of a concussion, call an ambulance immediately. Before the doctor arrives, do not give painkillers to the crumbs, so as not to "blur the picture" for the diagnosis.

The child fell and hit his head, but there are no injuries - we monitor the general condition of the baby

It happens that after a fall and head injury in a baby, the mother cannot find visible injuries. How to be?

Within the next few days be extra careful with your little one. The hours immediately after the fall are the most important for symptoms.
Note - Is the baby's head spinning?, whether he was abruptly pulled into a dream, whether he is sick, whether he is able to answer questions, etc.
Don't let the baby sleep so as not to miss the appearance of certain symptoms.
If the baby calmed down after 10-20 minutes, and visible symptoms did not appear during the day, most likely, everything worked out with a slight bruise of the soft tissues. But if there is even the slightest doubt and suspicion, consult a doctor. Better to be safe once again.
Children of the 1st year of life cannot tell what and where it hurts. As a rule, they only cry loudly, are nervous, refuse to eat, sleep restlessly after an injury, nausea or vomiting appears. If this symptomatology is prolonged and even intensifies, a concussion can be assumed.

What are the symptoms after a child's head injury should be urgently shown to the doctor - be careful!

Urgently call an ambulance for the following symptoms:

The kid loses consciousness.
There is heavy bleeding.
The baby is sick or vomiting.
The child has headaches.
The baby was suddenly drawn to sleep.
The child is restless, does not stop crying.
The pupils of the baby are enlarged or have a different size.
The child is not able to answer even simple questions.
The movements of the baby are sharp and erratic.
There were convulsions.
Confused consciousness.
Limbs do not move.
There is bleeding from the ears, nose (sometimes with the appearance of a colorless liquid from there).
There were blue-black incomprehensible spots or a bruise behind the ear.
There was blood in the whites of the eyes.

What to do before the arrival of the doctor?

Lay the baby on its side so that it does not choke on vomit.
Fix the child in a safe position.
Check his pulse, evenness (presence) of breathing and pupil size.
Keep your baby awake and in such a horizontal position that both head and body are at the same level.
Give artificial respiration if the baby is not breathing. Tilt back his head, check that the tongue does not overlap the larynx, and, holding the baby's nose, blow air "from mouth to mouth." You are doing everything correctly if the chest visually rises.
In case of convulsions, urgently turn the baby on its side, in this state he needs complete rest. Do not give medicine, wait for the doctor.

Even if everything is fine and serious you didn’t need an examination - don’t relax. Observe the baby for 7-10 days. Take him to the doctor immediately if in doubt. And remember that it is better to once again make sure that the baby is healthy than to treat the consequences of a bruise that you “overlooked” later.

Good day to all! I propose to do without long prefaces today. A head injury in a baby is a very serious situation.

If a child hit his head, what should I pay attention to so that trouble does not happen? Now I will tell you everything.

Ksenia Remizova, a neurologist and mother of two children, helped me write this article. She shared her own story:

“When my youngest son was 10 months old, he managed to fall out of his chair. The child was in the kitchen with dad. The husband turned away for a moment to put a dirty plate in the sink - and the son at this time got up and rolled over the back. He fell headlong onto the hard floor. The baby was crying, I was in a panic. We called an ambulance.

By the time we got to the emergency room, my son calmed down. He slept a little, then woke up, looked at the new place with interest, smiled ... We hoped that everything worked out. What was our horror when a fracture of the parietal bone was found in a child!

Then there was treatment in the children's neurosurgical department, observation by a neurologist in a polyclinic ... Now my son is almost 3 years old. He doesn't have any side effects."

My child also has a history of trauma, at the age of 2, 10, he jumped on the bed, and ran with a swing on my ... knee. I myself was very hurt, and the child did not even cry. I limped all day, and was surprised that my son didn’t even have a bump, and he was cheerful and cheerful.

Unfortunately, the next morning, the consequences began - he lost his orientation in space, he could not be pushed, he could not focus when looking at me, plus there was vomiting. It was terrible for me, I was very scared, and we had to go to the hospital. They diagnosed me with a concussion, it's good that everything recovered pretty quickly.

From these stories, I want to draw your attention to two points:

Head injuries can be insidious.

The kids are recovering well. They can endure even severe head injuries without consequences.

Let's see how dangerous a head injury is.

A blow to the head: options for the development of events

Option 1, happy - everything worked out

Let's say the kid, running, hit the wall. I got a little headache and everything went away. The only memory of the injury is a bump on his forehead.

Option two, concussion

From the impact, the brain cells stopped working normally for a while. The headache does not go away, vomiting may occur. The head is spinning, vomiting is possible.

Option three, brain injury

The blow was so strong that a part of the brain was damaged. The head hurts, the child vomits, the head is spinning. Speech or coordination may be impaired.

Option four, the most dangerous - hemorrhage in the cranial cavity

This situation is urgent. Blood is an additional volume inside a cramped cranium. If it doesn't stop, it can compress the brain. This can lead to death from cardiac or respiratory arrest. Immediately ambulance!

Head injury - how to react?

So, the child hit his head hard. What to do in such a situation? The UN formula will help you. Look here:

stop the blood
Restrict Activity
Observe

Let's understand it thoroughly.

ABOUTbecome blood

To do this, apply any frozen food from the freezer to the injury site. Best of all - something loose. Such an “ice pack” will easily take the shape of a head. Just wrap it in a towel.

Wash the wound with hydrogen peroxide. Put on a bandage.

Take note of this:

A wound wider than 0.7 cm and longer than 2 cm requires suturing. You to the doctor!

ABOUTborder activity

During the day after the injury, all active games are contraindicated for the baby. It is also better not to watch TV, and not to read books on your own.

Let him lie in bed and listen to audiobooks. You can draw, play board games... You know better what to do with your child.

The day after the injury, do not send the "victim" to school or kindergarten. Let him stay at home, under the supervision of relatives.

So we got to the most important point:

Hobserve

From what height did the baby fall? When?
What did he hit?
Did he lose consciousness?
Was there vomiting, how many times?
What did you complain about?
How did you behave after the injury?

Keep an eye on your child for 24 hours after the injury. If he's asleep, wake him up every three hours, day and night, to make sure he's okay. To do this, ask some elementary question, and let the baby answer you. Did he answer correctly? Is it normal speech? Let him sleep on.

Keep in mind, it happens that the consequences of a bruise can begin on the second and third days. Therefore, the first three days require your attention to the condition of the child.

Red flags for head injuries

Finally, I will list the symptoms of a severe injury, “red flags”, as doctors say.

If you see THIS, call 911 immediately!

Violation of consciousness. You can't wake up the baby. Or he is sluggish and has difficulty answering questions.
Change in speech. Slow speech, stuttering. The little child stopped talking.
Marked drowsiness.
Behavior change. The child is “something not like that” for no apparent reason.
Headache for more than an hour after the injury.
Vomiting more than once.
Dizziness for more than an hour after the injury.
Violation of coordination: the child is “like a drunk”, he is “carried away”.
Cramps - twitching of the arms, legs. Or the baby suddenly loses consciousness, and he is “shaking”.
Weakness in an arm or leg. An adult child limps, cannot walk on tiptoe, complains of awkwardness in an arm or leg. The baby cannot lean on the handle when crawling, cannot lift one leg when lying on its back.
Different pupils.
Symmetrical bruising under the eyes or behind the ears.
A colorless or bloody fluid flows from the nose or ear.

Brr! I wish you not to find any of these signs in children.

Dr. Komarovsky once said: "I have not seen a single child who would live to be a year old and not fall off the couch." Head injuries in children were, are and will be. But it is important to correctly assess the situation and consult a doctor in time.

Now you know what to do , if the child hit his head. In order not to lose important information, post the article on social networks. You will always have it at hand - and your friends can come in handy too!

I wish you and your children health, joy - and no injuries!

I hug

your Anastasia Smolinets.

According to statistics, in the first two years of life, children hit their heads much more often than in other periods, so almost all parents face the problem of injuries and bruises. Naturally, they begin to worry about the health of the baby, and their fears are not always groundless. If a child hits his head, what to look for?

First of all, if the baby hit his head, pay attention to the severity of the injuries and his well-being not only at the time of the fall, but also over the next few days, because the consequences of the injury may not appear immediately and be quite serious in severity.

The child fell and hit his head: how dangerous is it?

Immediately I want to say: "Down with panic!". Hitting his head does not mean “damaged something”, “heavily injured” or “there will be consequences”. Yes, sometimes head bruises due to falls can be very dangerous. But it should be remembered: the child's body tends to quickly rehabilitate itself even after serious injuries, and in most cases, protective mechanisms work. And it is not for nothing that the bones of children are called “soft”, it is because of their softness that the risk of fractures is reduced, while the degree of depreciation is high due to the large amount of cerebrospinal fluid.

And the so-called “spring” also plays the role of a shock absorber, and if the baby hits his head, it will help soften the force of the blow, protect it from pressure drops, and protect the brain.

Babies always fall head down, because it is heavier in weight than the body, and besides, they do not differ in stable coordination of movements.

Typical cases of head injuries in infants include the following:

the baby is left unattended on the changing table, from which it falls to the floor;

the baby, sitting in a highchair and not fixed with straps, is pushed off with his feet and falls on his back, while the blow falls on the occipital region;

the baby falls out of the crib, hitting his forehead on the floor;

a baby on a walk, trying to get up in a stroller and not finding support, falls on the asphalt.

Most likely, there is nothing to worry about, since the fall occurred from an insignificant height. But in order to be safe, it does not hurt to pay close attention to the well-being of the child in the next few days.

The child hit his head - what to do?

In such a situation, adults should be ready to help the victim, because this is already half the successful treatment of a bruise or injury. The first thing to do is to inspect the impact site and assess the nature of the damage, and then act according to the circumstances.

So:

There are no visible injuries, but the baby continues to cry. The stressful situation and fear did their job, so the task of the parents is to calm the child (pick up, do not raise your voice, especially not punish). Apply a towel soaked in cold water to the impact site to reduce pain and prevent swelling.

If a hematoma or a bump has formed on the head from a blow, ice or any product cooled in the refrigerator should be immediately applied to it, that is, a cold compress should be made for about 15-20 minutes, then let the child rest.

Advice! We must not forget that bruises are especially dangerous for young children! If a hematoma has formed on the forehead of an infant, it is better to immediately consult a doctor and not wait for other alarms, he will examine the baby and give a conclusion about the severity of the damage.

It is dangerous when a child cuts his forehead and the wound bleeds. First you need to stop the blood: apply a bandage, scarf, towel and hold until the liquid stops oozing. Then the wound is treated with an antiseptic and tightened with a bandage.

Advice! Take courage and carefully examine the wound. If it is superficial and looks more like a scratch, then it just needs to be processed. If it is wide (wider than 7 mm) or long (longer than 2 cm), with jagged edges (“torn”), and it is difficult to stop the bleeding, you need to urgently see a doctor, because stitches are required.

If the child hit his head hard, and symptoms of a serious injury appeared (nausea, vomiting, dizziness, fainting, etc.), if the baby's condition suddenly or gradually worsened, then you should immediately seek medical help.

On the day of the fall and hitting the head, the activity of the child should be kept to a minimum. And immediately after an unpleasant incident, you can’t put him to bed, because the baby’s condition may worsen, which will be difficult to notice.

The first day after the injury: we observe the reaction

It is important to diagnose violations due to trauma in a timely manner in order to prevent negative consequences, so you will have to monitor the behavior and condition of the baby not only on the day of the fall, but also for the next few days. During this period of time, outdoor games, repeated head injuries, and physical activity are contraindicated for children. It is also not advisable to send a child to study or lead to a kindergarten, he must be at home, under the supervision of adults.

What should you focus on?

Is consciousness and coordination of movements disturbed?

Advice! Wake up a sleeping baby and put him on his feet. If he keeps his balance, then everything is in order with coordination. Then ask a simple question, listen to the answer.

Has speech changed (it should be alerted by its slowdown, stuttering, lack of crying in the baby).

Are there any behavioral abnormalities (decreased activity, loss of appetite, drowsiness).

By well-being: are there headaches, dizziness, frequent vomiting (a single urge may not always be a sign of a concussion), pupils of different sizes, cyanosis under the eyes, discharge from the ears or nose, pale skin, convulsions, weakness of the limbs (babies usually do not lean on one arm or pull the leg to the stomach).

If at least one of these symptoms is noticed, then one should not waste time, because delay can be fatal for the child, it should be shown to the doctor.

The child hit his forehead: what you need to know?

The frontal bone is strong enough to withstand even strong blows. But here it is necessary to exclude a severe traumatic brain injury, in comparison with which a bump on the forehead of a child can be the least problem.

They are of two types:

open when the bones are crushed and there is a serious wound. Require immediate surgical intervention;

closed when the skin and bones remain intact.

Closed injuries are not easy to identify and include:

brain contusion, characterized by loss of consciousness, nasal discharge, darkening of the skin around the eyes against the background of general pallor of the integument, impaired coordination and speech;

soft tissue contusion is the most harmless condition, resulting in a bruise or bump, as well as a long cry after a fall. However, it can also be dangerous if the child hit his forehead hard and after a while a depression formed in the place of the bump or the bump itself became of an impressive size, complaints of nausea appeared or vomiting opened, the skin turned pale, the lips turned blue, the pupils dilated, breathing became heavy. All this is a reason to urgently go to the emergency room;

concussion, more often after strong blows, leads to a short-term loss of consciousness, dizziness, profuse vomiting, clouding of mind. Sometimes there are no obvious signs of a concussion, then they pay attention to the nature of sleep: if it has become anxious, the baby makes sudden head movements, most likely it is present.

The presence of a concussion in children under one year old is rare, but the condition as a whole must be assessed. Usually, after a fall, babies scream loudly, move restlessly, and often fall asleep after crying. Upon awakening, they begin to act up and refuse food, after a while they burp once or repeatedly, twitch their limbs at night. The longer this happens, the higher the likelihood that the baby still got a concussion.

There may be another reaction to the injury: the baby falls asleep soundly after the bruise, wakes up vigorous, which creates an erroneous impression of recovery and the absence of damage. The danger is that at any moment the situation can change dramatically in the direction of worsening health.

Having noticed the symptoms, parents should take care of calling a doctor, not self-medicating and not giving the baby painkillers and other drugs, so as not to make it difficult for a specialist to make a diagnosis.

The child hit the back of the head: what are the consequences?

A blow to the back of the head is no less dangerous than a forehead, and the same alarming symptoms appear, not to mention the various negative consequences in case of untimely treatment.

So, the complications after hitting the back of the head include:

violation of spatial perception (disorientation) and speech;

distraction;

memory impairment;

sleep disorder;

numbness of the limbs;

frequent headaches (migraine).

This can be avoided if you seek medical help in a timely manner.

It is important to remember that a hard blow to the back of the head often leads to a concussion, so these injuries should be treated even more carefully than other injuries associated with blows to the head.

It will not be superfluous to take preventive measures to avoid traumatic situations, then you will not have to wonder what to do if the child hits his head.

Therefore, it is important:

do not leave children (especially infants) unattended, always be there and secure in places of increased danger (for example, so that the child does not fall from the slide, swing or stairs);

allow children to play only in safe places;

teach children the rules of the road;

share information about observing safety rules when cycling, wear a protective helmet, and if during the ride the child hit his head on the asphalt, but there are no visible changes in behavior, it is better to play it safe and show it to the doctor;

put the baby in a car seat if you plan to move with him in the car.

Be attentive to your children!

Head injury in a child, "concussion" - Dr. Komarovsky - Emergency Care

It is difficult to find such a child who would never fall and fill himself with a bump during his childhood. As soon as the little one learns to stand, bumps, bruises and scratches appear on his body. The world around him is so interesting that he begins to actively study it. The consequences of such studies are often head injuries.

Most of the "flights" ends for the little fidget without much damage to health. The bumps that the child has stuffed, as well as abrasions and small wounds, pass quickly without causing much trouble. Everything would be fine, but there are injuries that threaten not only the health of the crumbs, but also life. What to do in this case?

If you hit your head, you should consult with a traumatologist on duty

What are the dangers of hitting the head in young children?

Fidget kids - they constantly jump and run, and therefore fall. As a result of these “flights”, bumps, bruises, abrasions, etc. appear on the head. Some parents do not pay attention, believing that this is normal and nothing needs to be done. This is their main mistake. If the child hits his head, but does not complain about anything, you should still consult a doctor. Signs of injury may not appear immediately, but after some time.

Depending on the complexity and nature of the injury, a head injury can cause:

epilepsy;
intracranial hematoma, turning into a tumor;
encephalitis;
traumatic meningitis.

When a child falls upside down, he hits his forehead or fontanelle, as a result of which a bump appears. Small vessels are injured upon impact, and the tissue around them is filled with blood. This results in swelling and hematoma. Due to the strong bones of the skull, such injuries do not pose a threat to the life of the crumbs.

It happens that a newborn or an older baby falls on his back. Such a fall could result in injury to the back of the head. Such bruises often cause serious complications that endanger the life of the crumbs.

Neck injury causes:

loss of consciousness;
concussions;
deformation of the cranium with subsequent compression of the brain;
injury to the tissues of the main organ of the central nervous system;
tremble in the legs.

Falling, children can damage not only the head, but also the body (dislocate the leg or hit the neck). It is not excluded the possibility of injury to the spinal cord, which is fraught with problems with the musculoskeletal system.

Types and symptoms of head injuries

Head injuries are divided into:

open;
closed.

Open TBI is a head injury in which the integrity of the dura mater is broken, that is, the bones of the skull are crushed. The only treatment for these injuries is surgery.

With a closed injury, the skin and bones remain intact. This type of damage includes:

brain injury - characterized by loss of consciousness, nosebleeds, impaired speech and coordination, darkening of the skin in the eye area;
bruising of soft tissues - as a result, a bump, a bruise occurs, prolonged crying is noted;
concussion - can cause fever, severe vomiting, loss of consciousness for a short time, dizziness, clouding of consciousness.

If we consider head injuries in terms of severity, then the most harmless ones are bumps and bruises. They do not require medical attention and go away on their own. Next comes the concussion. It occurs in 90% of all head strikes. In 3rd place in terms of severity - trauma to the brain and its compression, which can lead to rupture of blood vessels. The most dangerous injury is an open craniocerebral injury, which heals very long and hard.

After a fall, you need to carefully monitor the behavior of the child.

What symptoms indicate that a blow to the head in a child has not gone unnoticed and you should immediately consult a doctor? First of all, you need to pay attention to such signs:

tearfulness, not characteristic before;
loud crying;
lethargy, drowsiness;
eye pupils have different sizes;
loss of consciousness immediately after impact;
nausea and vomiting;
headache;
weakness in the limbs;
sensory disturbances.

If the child is not yet a year old, then the alarming symptoms are:

bleeding from the ears or nose;
pale skin;
protrusion of the fontanel (more in the article:);
bruises under the eyes (we recommend reading:);
frequent regurgitation, uncharacteristic for the baby;
poor appetite or its complete absence;
problems with vestibulation;
speech and hearing impairment;
restless sleep with constant twitching of limbs.

It is not uncommon for young children to fall asleep immediately after hitting their heads and crying for a short time.

The body of infants can react to damage in a different way. Immediately after a head injury, the baby can fall asleep soundly, after which he wakes up full of strength and energy. Parents in this case should not relax much, believing that the fall passed without consequences. Such a reaction of the baby's body can hide the true danger of the injuries received.

Consequences for the child

The consequences of a blow to the head are very different. They depend on which part of the head hit the baby and what is the severity of the injury.

If a child falls down a hill or hits his forehead on the floor or asphalt, then at best he will get off with a bump. A much more serious situation is when a traumatic brain injury becomes a consequence of a baby’s fall, which can be either open or closed:

open TBI threatens the child with clouding of consciousness, damage to the bones of the skull and a bleeding wound on the head;
the consequences of a closed TBI are brain bruises or concussion (for more details, see the article:).

If the baby hits the back of the head or fontanel, the outcome can be extremely negative. It can be expressed:

impaired perception;
distraction, inattention;
disturbing sleep;
memory problems;
headache (we recommend reading:).

Hitting a baby with the back of the head or fontanel can have very serious negative consequences.

Do not ignore the fact of trauma to the child's head, because even a slight blow can lead to serious consequences:

disruption of the brain;
improper regulation of tone, as a result of which blood pressure may increase;
violation of blood circulation;
atrophy of the brain as a result of compression;
increased intracranial pressure;
cyst formation.

Timely therapy will help to avoid negative consequences. The main thing is not to miss the moment.

How to provide first aid after a fall?

Due to the fact that no child is immune from falls and bumps, every parent should know how to behave if the baby is badly injured. Timely first aid will help minimize the risk of developing serious complications.

To begin with, adults should carefully, but very carefully, inspect the site of the bruise and try to visually determine the severity of the injury. If the child has stuffed a bump or a hematoma has formed at the site of impact, then ice or something cold (for example, a bottle of cold water or a wet handkerchief) must be applied to it without delay. To reduce swelling, a cold compress should be kept for at least 5 minutes.

It is recommended to apply a towel moistened with cold water to the site of the formed hematoma.

The child should be placed on the bed so that the head and spine are at the same level. If suddenly the baby has a fever and vomiting begins, he should be turned on his side. This position will ensure the unhindered departure of vomit. The victim will be able to breathe normally.

If, as a result of a fall, an abrasion has formed on the child’s forehead and blood flows, it is necessary to treat the wound. The procedure will require a solution of hydrogen peroxide. It will prevent infection of the wound by pathogens. When it is not possible to stop the bleeding, an ambulance should be called immediately.

The child may have a headache or dizziness (see also:). He can become too irritable and capricious at the slightest provocation and even without it. The duration of his sleep at the same time increases, and the period of wakefulness, on the contrary, decreases. All of these symptoms may indicate that the victim has a serious head injury or concussion. If nausea, vomiting and loss of consciousness join all this, then parents urgently need to call a doctor.

Quite often it happens that the baby fell and hit his forehead, and there are no visible injuries at the site of the bruise. In this case, parents should observe the baby for several days and note the slightest deviations from the norm in his behavior.

What to do next?

After giving first aid, the child must be reassured. Regardless of the force of impact, the baby needs complete rest. To do this, he should be put to bed and, for example, read a book. It would also not be superfluous to talk to him about what happened and explain that nothing terrible happened, and as soon as he rests a bit, he will be able to play further.

Adults should do everything to keep the baby awake. He cannot be allowed to sleep. Why? Because after injuries, many begin to fall asleep, but in this case, parents may miss the main symptoms that indicate the severity of the damage.

At night, doctors strongly recommend waking the child. This is necessary to check the coordination of the victim. If within a few days after what happened the baby is in good health and absolutely nothing worries him, parents can breathe a sigh of relief and no longer worry about this. The main thing that they must provide is long inactive walks with the child in the fresh air.

Diagnosis and treatment of head injuries

To find out if the baby received a TBI on impact, a number of tests and studies are carried out:

Ultrasound of the brain for children up to 1.5 years;
CT or MRI;
electroencephalogram;
lumbar puncture.

Ultrasound examination of the neck and head of the baby

If the diagnosis is confirmed, the child is prescribed treatment. It includes:

a course of medications - anticonvulsants, antispasmodics and sedatives;
physiotherapy;
individual mode - absolute rest, which involves the exclusion of active games and any other physical activity, reducing TV and PC viewing.

A concussion in a one-year-old baby or in a child of 2 years and older should be treated in a hospital, so that doctors have the opportunity to monitor the condition of a small patient around the clock. In the department, the baby is guaranteed to receive the physical and psycho-emotional peace he needs. Treatment lasts 7-10 days.

Preventive measures

There is no such pill that could protect the baby from all injuries. But there are a few simple rules that will minimize falls:

a monthly baby, being on a changing table, bed or in a stroller, should never be left alone;
changing the diaper, the mother must hold the baby;
it is better to cover the floor around the sofa with pillows so that the child playing from above does not hurt himself in case of a fall;
when putting the baby in the stroller, do not forget about fastening;
the wheels of the stroller in case of a stop must be put on the brakes;
at home, put on the child socks with rubber inserts that prevent slipping;
mask each sharp corner in the apartment with special devices;
hold the baby tightly by the hand, going down the stairs with him;
When buying roller skates or a bicycle for a child, do not forget to buy a helmet and knee pads.

The energy of kids contributes not only to the knowledge of the world, but also to getting various kinds of injuries. In crumbs with uncoordinated movements, for the most part, the head suffers. In preparation for the arrival of a new family member, it is worth assessing the home environment in terms of the presence of traumatic objects (for example, furniture with sharp corners) and try to remove them.

But even this will not completely protect the young researcher, because he can fall even on a flat floor, learning to walk. In the event that a child hits his head, you should quickly, without panicking, assess the severity of the injury. It depends on the strength and place of the blow whether it will be just a bump or whether it is worth rushing to the hospital.

Indeed, often a forehead blow is accompanied only by a bruise of soft tissues - a lump appears on the head of a child. It is formed in the same way as any bruise, but it will be convex due to the large number of small vessels that burst and fill nearby tissues with blood.

Serious injuries with such a blow are unlikely, since a strong frontal bone reliably protects the head. But you should play it safe and call a pediatrician if a newborn hits his forehead. The younger the victim, the more serious the consequences of a hematoma on the forehead.

However, a strong blow can provoke a traumatic brain injury. The open injury is obvious: there is a wound on the head and obvious damage to the bones. It is treated surgically in combination with the appointment of drugs.

In a closed injury, the skin and bones are intact externally, but there are internal injuries, the signs of which should be known.

Closed craniocerebral injuries vary in severity:

When a brain injury usually occurs loss of consciousness, breathing is disturbed. There may be ear or nose bleeding, dark circles around the eyes, speech problems, facial expression disorders due to damage to the facial nerve. For the treatment of a mild bruise, a course of drugs is prescribed, and only a surgeon can eliminate the consequences of a strong one.
A concussion from a blow is often diagnosed by doctors and is usually treated with medication without further complications. With a concussion, a child may be unconscious for several minutes, and then experience nausea, vomiting, and a headache. If the doctor prescribed medication and prescribed home bed rest, but the patient has consistently restless sleep or other disturbing signs, it would be useful to call a pediatrician at home.
A skull fracture may be suspected by bloody discharge from the ears and nostrils. It is urgent to go to the hospital to do an x-ray. Treatment in this case involves surgery followed by medication.

A blow to the back of the head is no less dangerous

A blow to the back of the head can lead to visual impairment. The occipital lobe of the brain is responsible for the functioning of the organs of vision. Moreover, the consequences may not affect immediately, but after some time. Therefore, even in the absence of complaints from the victim, it would be wiser to quickly show a specialist who knows what to do if the child hits the back of the head.

A rare, but extremely unpleasant complication occurs if the child hits the back of the head on the left side. Sometimes victims develop disturbances in the perception of the surrounding space on the left, they begin to forget everything, sleep poorly, and suffer from headaches. Similar phenomena can be observed with damage to the occiput on the right.

A strong blow to the back of the head can cause a head injury in the same way as a blow to the forehead.

What to do when a mother falls

Pity and calm the baby after the fall, and then examine it from all sides, starting with the head, for scratches, bruises, bleeding wounds on the forehead and on the back of the head.
Calm down yourself and assess whether the fall was really serious. If the baby slid off the sofa onto the carpet and bumped, then he cries more from fright and gets off with a bruise. But if he fell out of a high stroller and hit his head on the asphalt, mom should worry.
A grown child is able to talk about what happened. You should ask him if his head hurts or not, if there is clouding in the eyes. Pupils should not be constricted or dilated.
Measure the pulse and compare the data with the age norm (in newborns it reaches 130-140 beats per minute, then it becomes less frequent as they grow older). Deviations from the norm should alert.
Eliminate noisy entertainment and visual stress, but do not let sleep. During sleep, it will be more difficult to diagnose a concussion, if one is present.
It must be borne in mind that if, after hitting, the child does not cry for several minutes, then most likely he lost consciousness.
Treat damaged skin. Small abrasions are disinfected with hydrogen peroxide, after which wound healing ointments are applied. And if the child has stuffed a lump, then cooling compresses are applied to it for 3 minutes to avoid swelling. In case of severe bleeding that could not be stopped in a quarter of an hour, as well as the appearance of the above symptoms, it is worth calling a doctor.
Schedule a visit to the clinic soon. It is necessary to show a child who hit his head to a pediatrician to assess the general condition, to an ophthalmologist to rule out visual disturbances after a blow, and to a neurosurgeon to get a referral for a brain examination.

Warning signs to avoid staying at home

If a child falls and hits his head, the most frightening consequence is brain damage. Moreover, its symptoms may not appear instantly, but after a few hours.

Calling an ambulance should be immediate if the following symptoms appear:

loss of consciousness;
deviation of the pulse rate from the age norm;
bleeding from the ears or nose;
vomiting, diarrhea with traces of blood;
blue or pale skin;
darkened skin under the eyes and behind the ears;
deterioration in coordination of movements, twitching, numbness of the limbs;
change in pupil size, strabismus;
lethargy, drowsiness, change in the mode and nature of sleep, tearfulness;
lack of appetite;
the child has a bump that is too swollen or has a hollow instead of a bump.

While waiting for the arrival of the doctor, you should put the baby to bed, while distracting him and not allowing him to fall asleep. When vomiting, it is better to turn it on its side so that no liquid enters the respiratory tract. Pain medications taken before the doctor arrives can interfere with the assessment of the baby's condition.

If the child fell on his back and hit, then there is a possibility of spinal injury, you need to handle him very carefully to avoid additional displacement of the vertebrae.

What to Expect Upon Admission to the Hospital

The doctor will examine the victim, ask him or his parents to tell about the blow, clarify whether he hit the back of the head or forehead, assess the damage and inform about further actions.

Probably, the baby will be sent for computed tomography of the brain to exclude hemorrhages and fractures.
Patients up to one and a half years old are examined through a fontanel that has not yet been closed.

How to protect your child's head from blows

With a baby, you should always be on the lookout. This applies even to a newborn, who, it would seem, cannot even turn on his side yet. After all, it is the absence of a mother that can encourage a baby to learn coups right on the changing table.

Such tables are convenient for parents, but, from a safety point of view, a large soft surface (a bed or a blanket spread on the floor) is preferable for changing clothes. Let the baby be always supervised or in a safe area - in the arena.

It is unwise to neglect the seat belts in a wheelchair. Although the baby is not yet able to get out of it, nothing can guarantee that the stroller will not roll over when it hits an uneven surface. Straps will keep the little passenger from falling onto the road. It is not in vain that belts are also provided on high chairs, because a fall from such a height onto the floor or tiles can result in injury.

When the baby begins to explore the space at home and often hits, you need to look at the surrounding objects from the height of his height and secure each sharp corner with silicone pads. For children learning to walk, there are special socks and tights with non-slip soles.

Toddlers often stumble and bump when going down stairs, so you need to keep the child's hand in your hand. While climbing the stairs, you must also hold your hand or secure the little one from behind, as there is a danger of falling on your back.

A lot of injuries happen on the playground. It is dangerous to play next to older children, it is better to distract and take your baby away. If you can’t leave, then the mother should be next to the child. You need to be especially vigilant near swings, carousels and other moving structures.

Children who have shown a desire to learn roller skates or a balance bike should immediately be taught that it is imperative to wear a helmet. The young athlete should also be explained how to fall correctly.

Parents should know what to do if the child still hit his head. And you need to patiently explain to your children how important it is not to bump. Babies just need to be protected, and older children should be taught household safety rules.