My Child Hit Their Head: Bumps, Falls and What to Watch For

What's common

• Bumps are part of learning to walk, climb and run. Most head bumps are minor, and a child who cries right away, calms within a few minutes and goes back to playing is usually fine.
• A goose egg on the forehead can swell fast and look alarming. The scalp has lots of blood vessels, so swelling and bleeding are common and usually not serious.

Right after a bump

1. Stay calm and comfort your child. Look them over for cuts, swelling and anything that seems off.
2. Hold a cold pack or a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a cloth on the bump for up to 20 minutes.
3. Watch closely for the next few hours, and keep an eye out for 24 hours.
4. Offer quiet play. A nap is fine if your child was alert and acting normally first; check on them while they sleep and make sure they wake and respond as usual.

What to watch for

• Repeated vomiting, worsening headache, or unusual sleepiness or fussiness.
• Confusion, trouble walking, balance problems, slurred speech or not recognizing you.
• Clear fluid or blood from the nose or ears, or pupils of different sizes.
• In babies under 1, a soft, swollen area on the side or back of the head, a bulging soft spot, or not feeding normally.
• Any fall from higher than about 3 feet (1 m) for a baby, or 5 feet (1.5 m) for an older child, deserves a same-day check.

Concussion in older kids

• A concussion is a brain injury, even without passing out. Signs can show up hours later: headache, dizziness, light sensitivity, being foggy, moody or not themselves.
• Recovery usually means a short break from hard play and screens, then a gradual return guided by the pediatrician.

Preventing the big falls

• Changing tables, beds and couches: keep a hand on a baby at all times, or change them on the floor.
• Skip baby walkers. The AAP advises against them because of stair falls.
• Hardware-mounted gates at the top of stairs; window guards or stops (see the babyproofing guide).
• Buckle children into high chairs, strollers and shopping carts; don't put a car seat on top of a cart.
• No top bunk before about age 6.
• Helmets for trikes, balance bikes, scooters and skates, from the very first ride.
• Soft surfaces under play equipment, such as wood chips or rubber mulch, not grass or dirt.

When to check in

• Call the pediatrician the same day for any bump in a baby under 1 other than a very minor one, or if anything on the watch list shows up.
• Mention repeated falls or clumsiness at the next checkup.
• If your child passes out, has a seizure, or is very hard to wake, call 911.