Help... My Son Just Fell and Has a Big Bruise on His Head. What Can I Do?

My daughter fell a few weeks ago and had a lump the size of a quarter on her forehead after hitting concrete face first. I tried to ice it (w/frozen peas in a towel) but she didn't want to sit for that, so I gave her my love for a couple minutes and distracted her with a toy. She didn't seem phased by it after that. I did keep an eye on her for strange behavior and such, like you are doing. It's okay for him to sleep--it's normal for kids to fall more often when they are tired...just keep an eye on him. As for pain, just try to be gentle when touching his head and pulling shirts on/off. It will heal in a few days.

After he fell he SHOULD NOT sleep right away!!! Watch for signs of disorientation or not being able to see well - signs of a concussion. Keep a cold compress on it if he is in pain. The bruise and/or bump should come OUT and not go in. If it goes in (concaved), he should see a doctor ASAP - or at least call your doctor's office and see what they have to say. Otherwise... welcome to the world of bumps and bruises. My son seems to have at least one bruise on his face at least once a week. He is a very active child (13 months old) and still learning his own strength and likes to get into everything. I know that it's scary... Just keep and eye on him and I am sure that he will be just fine!

Hi S.,

My daughter who is 4 years old had an accident back in July (on a Saturday morning) - long story short - she tripped and hit her head on the corner of my bed. I called her pediatrician and he mentioned, as long as she didn't loose consciousness and was NOT throwing up, she would be fine. She cried when it first happened, but there were no signs of any major discomfort. Her pediatrician did recommend we take her in on Monday morning for an evaluation. Upon arriving he sent us directly to hospital for X-ray's. Shortly after, a CAT scan... All along my baby girl was acting normal.no discomfort.

Based on the results of the CAT-scan - by Wednesday morning she under went emergency surgery to elevate her fractured cranium which was close to puncturing her brain. We had NO clue how serious it was since my husband and I were not in the room when she tripped.

Had we not taken her in to see her doctor... she would have been an epileptic child for the rest of her life or even worse scenarios. This was the worse time in my life.

S., you need to take your son in to see his doctor immediately. Trust me, if I could do things again - I would have taken her in the same day the accident happened.

There might more going on in his little head then your eyes can see.

Good luck. I wish your baby boy a speedy recovery.

I agree with Marnie,
Arnica Montana is a must. Use both the tablets and gel/cream. This stuff works wonders and is all natural. My husband tore all the muscle from his ankle to his knee and was just black, Arnica took the bruising away in two days.
Best,
S.

Hi S.:
If your considering taking your son to the Dr each and every time he falls and aquires a bruise,you may as well camp out in the Drs. parking lot. The only time you really need to be concerned, is if he incurs a very hard fall,or his inbrasion, appears as an indention(inward) rather than a bump.(outward)like one of the other mothers mentioned here.The indent, is a sign of a possible concusion.If he appears very sleepy or vomits,thats also a good sign to take him to the Dr right away.Toddlers, wether it be a boy or girl, are going to take many spills. They are getting quicker on their feet, and are full of energy!It's only natural that we want to protect them from such injuries,but we can't be running behind them 24/7 or clad them in (bubble wrap)soooo,we just try to slow them down in the house,and try to allow for time outdoors for them to run wild! Good ole ice pack for the bruised head.It will be gone in a matter of days.I wish you and your active son the best.

Put a bag of frozen corn or peas wrapped in a dishtowel on the bruise for short periods of time. That should help reduce the swelling and limit the brusing.

Take him to the Doctor... you need to check him just in case and rule out any injury.

"Appearances" can be misleading.

Arnica Gel (you can find it at GNC or natural food stores), helps with bruises and pain. It's natural. It's used a lot in Europe by Moms. We use it too, for adults or children. It's safe.

Head injuries need to be checked. As a precaution.

All the best,
Susan

Hi S., Glad to hear he is OK. Just for future never let him go to sleep right after hitting his head, always apply ice, even if you dn't see a bump right away. Vienager is good for reducing brusing. J. L.

A must have for any household is Arnica.
It is a homeopathic (completely safe) remedy that is fabulous for bruising & muscle soreness.
It comes in pellete/tablets which are very easy to dissolve as well as topical ointments / gel. I prefer to use both when appropriate. Kids love the "sugar tabs", so compliance is a piece of cake & they feel taken care of when they receive the remedy, so generally stop crying right away too. You can find it in any natural foods store, but should also be able to find it in any pharmacy with the natural remedies or kids section.

Hi S.,

Happy birthday to your little boy!

Sorry to hear your son fell but that's life with a one year old. I'm glad he's fine. A small dab of Arnica cream gently rubbed on the affected area should help with the bruising. You can apply it as soon as he's asleep.

Be well,
S.

It really does depend on the fall and the force of the fall.
And as mentioned before make sure it is not sunken in.
Also once again keep them up after the fall, falling asleep is also a sign of something wrong, besides the vomiting or anything else strange. But I know sometimes they fall before nap time and you cannot tell. I usually make sure sure to put some ice on it and rub it just a little. We found with my daughter that if used one of those lavender eye covers out of the freezer she wears it on her head because she thinks it is like wearing a cute hat. If it is nap time try to keep them up a little longer and when they do sleep wake them up every half hour or so to make sure they are not unconcious.

Homeopathic Arnica is awesome for any kind of shock, bumps, bruises. We have both the oral tablets and the gel in the car as well as home.

As for sleeping, if you can wake him every couple hours, great; if you can't, take him to the Dr. ASAP as he could have gotten a concussion.

Got a couple things to add. (After I sent my remark about Arnica, I saw the other replies, and thought it'd be good to clarify something and mention something else.)\

Re: sleeping: If you try waking him every couple hours and he wakes, great; if you can't wake him, then take him to the Dr. ASAP as he may have gotten a concussion.

Cranial Sacral Therapy is a highly-effective yet very gentle treatment that can be extremely helpful in recovery from tweaks due to falls, blows, etc. as well as dealing with the emotional shock and stress of the experience. CST is also great--at any time in life, but the sooner the better!--for recovering from the stress and compression of the birth process. This compression has some benefits that are lost in Caeserean births, so CST can be a great idea then too.

Originally developed by osteopaths, those now trained to practice it may be massage therapists, holistic psychotherapists and energy healers. There are different schools of thought on it, the least directive/invasive of which is BioDynamic CranioSacral.

There's not much you can do, boys are prone to bruises, cuts, and broken bones. My son is four and has busted his forehead open and has had 4 black eyes. They are daring and there's nothing you can really do but try to guard them the best you can. To help ease the pain and swelling you can put a cold washcloth on it since most kids won't allow you to put ice on it. If he has a headache give him a little ibuprofen.