My daughter 16 months is a very active child always running and climbing and hits her head consistently how bad does it have to be to cause a concussion when should I worry and when should I not.
Via the Mayo Clinic website:
symptoms in children
Head trauma is very common in young children. But concussions can be difficult to recognize in infants and toddlers because they can't readily communicate how they feel. Nonverbal clues of a concussion may include:
Listlessness, tiring easily
Irritability, crankiness
Change in eating or sleeping patterns
Lack of interest in favorite toys
Loss of balance, unsteady walking
My daughter is like this. Basically, any time I hear a thunk and she cries, I check her eyes for concussion. Blows to the back of the head are especially dangerous. And any time a child is inconsolable for any significant period of time, it is probably time to call the doctor.
My son is a wild child. At 15 months, he runs around purposely head butting. Toddlers can take a pretty good wallop head on. Back of the head we have to worry more. I was just at the Pediatrician for a follow up visit. When my son decided to cross the room at full run, tuck his head down like a bull, and barrel into the door... there was no hesitation, no thought. He just rammed it full on. Doctor just looked at me and with a lopsided grin says "do that much?" I am like " ALL THE TIME" she said, basically what everyone posted. As long as the crying stops in a few minutes, he is not grabbing at his head, acting wobbly, vomitting, blood spots in the whites of the eyes, pupil dilation, or tiredness. She says not to worry. I wondered about using my daughters, after surgery foam helmet for him, cause now he does it any time he is mad. I am getting increasingly worried but not fully there yet. He just did a Lou Gainer off the easy chair today... bout gave me a heart attack.
We lovingly refer to my son's head as, "the wrecking ball." The kid knocks it on everything. You should worry when a fall or bump changes his demeanor. He is fussy for prolonged periods of time. He is oddly tired. It is common for a child to be tired after a minor injury, but I'm talking about HAS to sleep right then tired. Their pupils look funny, or their eyes are glassy. They are wobbly, and have no balance. They begin to vomit. Suddenly doesn't want to play, eat, or drink. They seem "off." If they hit their head and are their normal selves and have no symptoms, you're usually good to go! Remember, bumps are good. Sunken in spots after a knock, are bad.
Baby's and Toddlers are top heavy, their heads outweigh the rest of their body. So falls and bumps are normal. I have worried so much about this same topic in the past. This is the main reason I always keep the bathroom doors shut with door knob protectors on them. Kids can drown in the water, they tip over and can't get their heads out due to the weight of the head and lack of strength of their neck and back muscles.
After Natasha Richardson died from the fall where she bumped her head I was frantic. She was physically gone just a few hours later, there wasn't really anything that could have been done. If she had been checked by a doc right away who knows, maybe she'd still be alive.
I called the pediatrician and visited with the nurse. Then when we had our next well child appointment I got a list of good things to watch for.
Also, I googled this topic and here are some good links to read about this:
The google page:
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8...
Dr. Sears tells what to look for:
http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/childhood-illnesses/head...
Kids health organization:
http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/emergencies/he...
Baby center details:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_falls_11249.bc
I agree with A.C.'s advice and will add that for this reason my guy wore a toddler helmet to protect him. I got one with a cute design and whenever he would be running around, inside the house or not, he wore it from around the same age as your daughter until he was about 2.5.
My son was constantly hitting his head on something...at his 3yr check up, i asked the doctor if I should be worried about any long term damage and he said if anything major happened, the signs would show right away..so i started not too worry so much. I know it's hard but kids will be kids..
My kids always have bruises on their legs and head. I have no clue where they even come from!
