Table of contents:
- Why do babies and toddlers hit their heads so often?
- Minor or severe signs of a baby's head impact
- How to deal with a baby's head hit at home
- cold water compress
- Clean the wound
- Rest while checking your little one's breath
- Give paracetamol
- How to prevent baby's head from banging
Babies do not have perfect control and coordination, so there are often minor accidents, such as falling, bumping into something, or bumping the baby's head. This incident must have worried parents. To make it easier for parents to handle it, here are some things you need to know about bumping a baby's head.
Why do babies and toddlers hit their heads so often?
Quoting from Mott Children's Hospital, most babies' heads bump when they are training the baby's motor development, such as learning to roll, crawl, or walk.
Several factors cause the baby's head to hit more often, namely:
- Babies can't control their head movements yet.
- The baby's neck muscles are not fully formed.
- Babies and toddlers have shorter legs than the body, which affects gravity
Most cases of head bumps experienced by babies and toddlers are not serious. The sores you experience usually only form on the scalp or face.
However, because the heads of babies and toddlers are still soft and in the development stage, even the slightest impact can result in a wound that looks serious.
When you hit the baby's head, you may experience bumps, bruises, or abrasions. These sores usually go away within a week.
Meanwhile, if the impact is very hard and serious, your little one may have internal injuries.
Internal injuries include a fractured or broken skull, broken blood vessels, or damage to the brain. In some cases, internal injuries, also known as trauma to the head (concussion) can be fatal.
According to Elizabeth C. Powell, spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), traumatic injuries such as concussions are rare in children.
“The skull is very careful about the inside. Even if it is cracked, the skull will repair itself. Unless there is bleeding in the brain, "explained Powell, quoting from Riley Children's.
Even so, parents need to be aware of the effects after a child's head hits.
Minor or severe signs of a baby's head impact
Watch babies and toddlers after hitting their heads. Normal symptoms after a head hit include:
- Cry
- There are lumps, bruises, abrasions or open sores
- Drowsiness (due to tired crying or in pain)
In addition to mild symptoms, the condition of the baby's head that is hit can also enter into a severe and dangerous level.
Here are some signs:
- Loss of consciousness
- Gag
- Difficult to wake up during sleep
- Babies have difficulty breathing
- Ringing in ears
- Bleeding or clear discharge from the nose, ears, or mouth
- Impaired sight, hearing and speech
- Limp, loss of energy, or immobilization (paralysis)
- Lost balance
- The pupils are enlarged
- Fussy and difficult to calm down (due to neck or head pain)
- Seizures or steps
- There was an open wound badly enough to require stitches
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that you take your child to the doctor if the impact of the head causes bright red marks until they lose consciousness.
If your little one shows these signs, you should immediately take it to the emergency department and contact the pediatrician.
How to deal with a baby's head hit at home
If the impact is not too severe, immediately treat the wound or the part of the head that is injured. Quoting from Kids Health, the following is a guide to dealing with a baby's head hit that can be done at home:
cold water compress
If there are scars after your little one was hit, such as bruises or bruises, you can compress the area with cold water.
The trick, provide ice cubes and wrap it with a soft cloth. Compress the wound or hit for about 20 minutes. You can compress the wound every 3-4 hours.
Clean the wound
If there is an open wound, clean the baby's skin with warm water and soap. Once clean and dry, apply a special baby ointment to prevent infection.
Then cover the wound with a bandage or soft cloth. You will need to change the bandage regularly while checking if the wound is getting worse.
Rest while checking your little one's breath
After cleaning the wound and compressing with cold water, let the baby rest. But check your baby's breath while sleeping, is it still responsive and keep breathing as usual.
If the baby cannot be awakened, seek emergency help immediately.
Give paracetamol
To reduce pain, you can give paracetamol specifically for babies and children with a reasonable dose. However, you should consult your pediatrician to determine what drugs are safe for consumption.
Trust your instincts as a parent. If the child's attitude seems strange after being hit, has difficulty eating, and is always fussy, check with a pediatrician.
How to prevent baby's head from banging
It is difficult to keep babies and toddlers from accidents at home, such as bumps. However, parents can help prevent this by making the home area safe for children.
For example, wearing a mattress or playmat in the baby's play area, so that when his head hits the floor when crawling, not directly on the floor.
You can also put on the elbow protector for a sharp corner of the table. This makes the baby's head safer from impact when walking.
For toddlers or babies aged 2-3 years, you can wear a helmet and elbow protectors when he is playing a bicycle.
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