Home Care:

• All children with a head injury should be watched closely for 24 hours.
• You may allow your child to sleep, however:
  • After two hours, wake your child and check their ability to talk and walk (if old enough).
  • Awaken your child twice during the night.
• Apply ice to any swelling for twenty minutes (and repeat 2 more times over the next 24 hours).
• Do not give a sedative type medication (ie: antihistamine).
• Giving Tylenol or Ibuprofen is appropriate.

What to Watch For:

• Vomiting - It is not unusual to vomit 1-2 times after a head injury. Vomiting more than 2 times could be a sign of a more serious problem.
• Changes in behavior or activity, such as:
  • Lethargy
  • Excessive Irritability
  • Acting Confused
• Severe headaches - Many children will have a mild headache. A severe headache that wakes a child or stops him/her from playing is a concern.
• Clumsiness - Signs of clumsiness are:
  • Falling or staggering
  • Bumping into objects
  • Difficulty seeing
  • Dizziness
  • In an infant, not moving both arms or legs at the same time
    

CALL 911 if your child is unconscious.

CALL YOUR PEDIATRICIAN IMMEDIATELY if:

• The skin is split open and needs stitches.
• Your child has a seizure.
• Your child was unconscious for a brief period after the injury.
• Your child cannot remember the accident.
• Your child has a severe headache.
• Your child has vomited 3 or more times.
• Your child is unusually sleepy and difficult to awake.
• Speech is slurred.
• Vision is blurred or double.
• Walking or crawling is unsteady.
• Your child has neck pain.
• Bloody or watery fluid is draining from the ears or nose.
• Your child's eyes are crossed.
• There are other symptoms that concern you.
  

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