My 17 month old just fell and hit his head HARD. He was just playing normally and randomly fell into the side of his toy box, then hit the floor. I was there in his room with him, but not quite close enough to catch him. (talk about guilt.) He immediately has a HUGE bump in the middle of his forehead. I mean HUGE. I've tried calling family members, but everyone is in church. Do I need to be very worried about this? He's never had something like this happen. The bump is red and blue and sticks out from him head very much. His nap time is right now, should I not let him sleep just yet? What symptoms should I look for? I've read plenty about head injuries, but I'm not sure what to do in the case of a huge bump. Do I need to take him to a dr.? Help!
UPDATE: He did cry really hard, but we were able to calm him down. We did the flashlight test and his eyes seem fine. He is eating and watching a short TV program right now. I think hes fine, it just looks bad. (like a blue golf-ball on his head!) I think if he were really bad off, he wouldn't be eating lunch or responding to a cartoon.
I would just take him to the Doctor, anyway.
Why guess at it.
My theory is when in doubt go to the Dr. You are doubting yourself now.
There are no compromises on safety and health at my house. If I feel my daughter is sick or injured, I take her to the Dr. It is not worth "saving money" when it comes to the health and safety of my child.
It is probably nothing to minimal but why sit and worry about it? Go check it out with a Dr.
The rule is this: If its a raised bump that's a good thing. Throw a cold compress on it. When a bump does not raise and swell and you get an indentation that is when it's dangerous and you need to see a doc for possible concussion or fracture.
Is his behavior normal? If so, then apply an icepack while you read him some stories. I would try to observe him awake for a few hours before letting him nap. If he continues to play normally, you don't notice anything with his eyes being unevenly dilated or something funky there, and he doesn't vomit or have any other physical symptoms than just the bump, then I would not worry too much.
If his behavior seems off in any way (not typical crying; but not recognizing things that he should or seeming dizzy), however, I would take him to be seen immediately.
Out is better than in! That's a motto our pediatrician told us to live by in regards to head injuries. Check his eyes with a flashlight and make sure that his pupils expand and contract normally. Go ahead and let him sleep. It will probably help him feel a bit better. Try to put ice or frozen peas (in the bag) on the bump if he'll let you. That will help with the swelling. It wouldn't be abnormal for him to have a headache either. You can give him some Tylenol or Motrin to help him feel a bit better.
Keep an eye on him for the rest of the day. If he acts sluggish or abnormal, go ahead and take him in. I hate head injuries. They are the absolute WORST! I think it's worse for us Moms than it is for the kids.
check his eye response with a flashlight. if his pupils dont react to the light take him to the emergency room.
How long ago did this happen? I would take him to the ER. Just don't want to scare you but a friend of mine took her son to the ER after he hit his head (the child acted normally afterward), he had few skull fractures.
Hope everything is ok.
a few months ago my son fell into the corner of aa wall and it looked like we stuck an egg under his skin! we did take him to the ER out of fear it would tear open, but they assured us that bumps coming out are better then the ones you cant see, glad your little one it ok! i know it can be scary
Take him to the doctr and ensure his well being. It will take care of your piece of mind and your family's. I am sure he is okay, but there is always the risk of a concussion or brain injury.
Hope he is okay, and it sounds like you have been taking great care of him!
A bump is a good thing - it's when there is a dent that it is more problematic. I would still call the doc, if for nothing else than peace of mind. I'm sure he's fine - watch for vomiting, but otherwise I bet he's okay. Kiddos recover faster than mamas do - it's a fact.
Call the doc just to be sure. :-) Good luck and hope he's okay!
Did he cry? Did he stop? If so, he's fine. Babies can fall from parents' arms, off furniture, etc...and be perfectly fine, I'm guessing even a hard bump from 12 inches off the ground has little chance of any real damage:)
Keep an eye on him for any weird behavior, but don't worry and don't keep him up from a nap.
It's a good thing he has a bump instead of a dent. Don't let him fall asleep for about 2 hours. You may not want to take him to the ER but it may be wise. Something that may not seem like that big of a deal could actually be a bad injury. You want to make sure he doesn't have a concusion (or however you spell it)
Give him some childrens tylenol for a headache but also let the ER doctor know that you gave him some so they don't try to give him some and end up causing a tylenol overdose.
Good luck and I'll be praying for you!
Ouch! My mom is a pediatric nurse and anytime a parent is worried enough to call in about a bump on the head she tells them to come in to be seen. A mom's gut feeling is a powerful thing! Most of the time as long as they are staying alert and aren't vomiting they will be fine however you can't ever be too cautious. It would be well worth it to call the Dr just to be sure. It will at the least put your mind at ease.
.
Kids sure do get their share of bumps! If he is acting normal, not slurring words, he isn't walking strange, has equal pupil size, isn't throwing up, isn't extra sleepy and can squeeze your index fingers with each of his hands, then he is probably fine. Sounds like he needs a little tylenol and some loving. Good luck!
don't worry too much boys will get hurt as long as he acts fine and can see strait i wouldn't worry. Put an ice pack or something cold on it and the swelling will go down. He'll probally have a bump for a few days and some bruising but thats all. My son likes to climb all over everything and he's only a little older than yours. HE'S ALWAYS BUMPING HIMSELF. or falling off stuff. We just cuddle him for a little while and then he's back to being a boy. He will be fine. Good luck.
You should always take head injuries seriously -- take your son to the doctor/ER to get looked at (if you haven't already). My daughter got the same kind of lump two summers ago (she was 10 years old) while at soccer camp but thankfully they had a professional on site and she was OK other than it looked like someone shoved a golf ball under her skin! And it is likely that is all that your son is suffering from -- put if the health professional hadn't been on site I would have taken my daughter to the ER. Not to frighten you, but remember what happened just last year to that actress, Natasha Richardson? Hit her head during a skiing lesson, seemed fine, then suddenly she's rushed to the hospital and died. Head injuries should always be taken seriously . . .
I know it looks scary but he sounds okay. My son and daughter have done the same thing, many times I'm afraid, and of course I always worry too, but I really think he's okay! As Tara said, if there's a dent any where in or near the bump, take him to the ER immediately...otherwise just watch him. If you call the doctor they're going to ask you if he passed out or vomitted immediately following the fall. If you can answer no to those, he's not at a high risk right now.
Napping is probably just fine. If someone is going to go into a coma, there is actually nothing you can really do to prevent it so much, so keeping him from sleep is not necessarily the right thing to do...HOWEVER, tonight when he goes to bed you might want to wake him about 4 hours after he falls asleep. If he wakes up (even if it takes a while) and can recognize you and make some sort of sense of you or say your name then he's fine and put him back to bed. This is to make sure that he hasn't slipped into a coma (which is unlikely, it's just this is what they will tell you! don't freak out! ;) His nap won't be long enough to really have to wake him up, so I would let him sleep.
I have called the doctor more than once for this type of injury, so I get that you're nervous, but I feel almost like a pro (what does that say about my parenting?? ;) with the bump on the head business! Hang in there, I'm sure he's fine!
