Immediately after a fall, most children cry excessively for next few minutes because of the sudden fall, even if they are not having so much pain. So firstly, they should all be consoled and cuddled and reassured that every thing is OK. At times small children vomit due to excess cry, which is OK and should not be confused with vomit due to a head injury.
If there is any external injury and a bleeding is seen, then a compress the bleeding area withany clean cloth for FULL 10 minutes by Watch and DO NOT repeatedly remove the pressure to look for any bleeding, before 10 minutes are over.
If there is no external Injury and you can pin-point the site of Injury, apply a cold pack(Cold Gel pack or Cold hand towel) over that area for 10-15 minutes and give a dose of Paracetamol for pain relief.
If the Height of Fall is more than 4 feet, then the child must be evaluated by a doctor or Neurosurgeon.
For next 24 hrs after any head injury, following points should be looked for..
- Any Abnormal movements
- Not moving any part
- Repeated vomiting
- Not sleeping or very irritable
- Sleeping excessively… to check this, child has to be checked in middle of sleep after 2-3 hrs of sleep.
- Any bleeding or discharge from nose or ear Headaches
- Abnormal speech
- Any Abnormal Behaviour.
If any of these signs are seen in next 24 hrs of a Head Injury, they may suggest an Internal Injury and parents should report to the doctor.
Dr Shacchee Baweja & Dr Vipul Baweja 