The child who falls and hits the head usually only has a bruise that usually goes by in 2 weeks, so it is not necessary to go to the emergency room or consult the pediatrician.
But there are situations where you should take the child to medical attention urgently.
When to go to the hospital
You should take the child to the doctor or emergency room when:
- She got hurt and has some open wound, bleeding
- If she cries a lot;
- If she can not move an arm or a leg, and a fracture is suspected;
- If she does not move.
In these cases it is important to go to the doctor to stop the bleeding, and if it is necessary to carry stitches on the head or to perform tests to identify if there is no injury.
It is important to take the child's documents, explain exactly what happened to them, and tell the doctors if they have any allergies.
First aid for when child hits head
When the child falls and hits the head, one should:
- Try to calm the child, keeping calm;
- Observe your child for swelling, redness, bruising, or deformity;
- Apply a covered ice stone with a cloth or cold compresses in case of redness or bruising for about 20 minutes, repeating about 1 hour later;
- Apply an ointment, such as Hirudoid, to hematoma, in the following days.
Usually, with the application of ice and ointment, the bruise disappears about 2 weeks after the fall.
See more tips in the following video:
First Aid for Cranial Trauma in Children
First aid for head trauma includes calling an ambulance immediately, calling 192 or taking the child as quickly as possible to the emergency room if:
- He lost consciousness;
- He vomited more than once soon after the fall or if he started vomiting hours later;
- Do not move your arms or legs;
- He has an injury that bleeds;
- Manca;
- She cries a lot and does not stop crying even with her mother's affection;
- It was very calm and without reaction;
- You have a headache or a sore throat;
- Complain to be seeing evil;
- He is breathing hard.
These symptoms may indicate that the child has had a head injury and therefore it is important to receive appropriate treatment to avoid sequelae as soon as possible.
