Head Injury

What is a head injury?

A head injury can happen when a child falls and hits his head or when he is struck on the head. Head injuries caused by falls are especially common when children are learning to walk. After a head injury, your child may have a cut, scrape, bruise, or swelling over the injured area. Most head injuries are minor.

This page explains how your child may act and feel after a minor head injury. It also tells you when you should call your child's regular doctor or go to the Emergency Department.

How your child may look and feel after a minor head injury

After a minor head injury, children may have some of the following symptoms:

• headache
• dizziness
• loss of appetite
• nausea or vomiting (throwing up)
• trouble concentrating
• tiredness and less energy

If these symptoms last for more than 3 days, take your child to his regular doctor.

Taking care of your child at home

Wound care

If your child has a scrape, wash it off with soap and water. Press on the scrape with sterile gauze or a clean cloth for 10 minutes to stop any bleeding.

If there is swelling over the injured area, wrap some ice in a cloth and hold it over the swelling for 20 minutes.

If your child has a deep cut, take him to see a doctor as soon as possible (the same day).

Pain medicines

For headaches, you can give your child acetaminophen (Tylenol or Tempra) or ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil). Follow the directions on the package or your doctor’s instructions.

If the headache does not go away with pain medicine, take your child to see a doctor.

Waking your child up after a head injury

Your child may not show any signs of a serious head injury when the doctor sees him. But sometimes problems can develop later. If your child had a head injury during the evening or at night, then wake your child once or twice during the night to make sure that problems are not developing. You do not need to wake your child often.

Rest

Encourage your child to lie down and rest until all symptoms have cleared. Make sure your child’s room is quiet.

You should limit your child’s physical activities until he is feeling back to normal. Your doctor might recommend that your child not participate in active sports for a longer time, depending on the doctor’s assessment of your child’s injury and his symptoms.

School

Most children can go back to school the day after a minor head injury. But if your child has headaches, lack of energy, or difficulty concentrating, he should go back to school more gradually.

When to contact a health care professional

Take your child to the nearest Emergency Department, or call 911 if necessary, if your child has any of the following signs and symptoms.

In children and teenagers:

• headache that does not go away or gets worse
• repeated vomiting (throwing up)
• confusion or agitation
• trouble seeing, speaking, or walking
• crossed eyes or squinting
• weakness of an arm or leg
• neck stiffness or pain
• drowsiness (sleepiness)
• seizures (convulsions)

In babies:

• poor feeding
• repeated vomiting (throwing up)
• irritability, crying more than usual
• lethargy, sleeping more than usual
• weakness of an arm or leg
• seizures or staring spells
• bulging fontanelle (soft spot on top of head)

Key points
Most head injuries are minor. Give your child acetaminophen or ibuprofen if he has a headache. Watch your child after a head injury. If you see signs that your child is getting worse, take him to the nearest Emergency Department or call 911.

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