My 4 yr old fell and hit his head pretty hard... how long should I let him?

Question

sleep after it happens? He's been asleep all afternoon but I don't want to interrupt his routine.

Answer 1

I always heard that you shouldn't let them sleep after a hard fall at least not right away and that you should wake them up. But then I read this...


SHOULD I WAKE MY CHILD UP DURING THE NIGHT?

While it's standard advice to awaken the child frequently after a head injury, in practice this advice is confusing. Children normally retreat into sleep after any upset. In fact, because of new insights into the management of head injuries it is no longer standard practice for an ER physician to advise waking a child up, if the ER physician has thoroughly examined the child and found no evidence of internal injury. Studies of children seen in an ER for a head injury show that if a child has a normal neurological exam and normal CAT scan there is very low risk of that child deteriorating and therefore it is not necessary to wake that child up. A more practical approach is to observe a change in your child's color and breathing patterns. If your child looks pale and shows very irregular or very shallow breathing that is very different from his usual patterns awaken him for a more complete evaluation. Your doctor will advise you whether or not to awaken your child.

Answer 2

I am the mother of 2 VERY active little boys. I have been told by many people that when the fall and hit their head with any kind of force, that you should not let them go to sleep for an hour or so. This way you can watch their actions and make sure they don't become disoriented. If they are asleep, there is no way of telling if there is anything wrong. Another piece of advice someone once told me....if they fall and get a "punk" knot on their head, it should be ok as long as the spot raises up and is hard. If they ever fall and the spot becomes soft or starts to sink into the head, take them to the ER ASAP!! Hope this helps...and remember...Boys will be Boys!!! LOL

Answer 3

I wouldn't let him sleep longer than his normal pattern...as long as he didn't black out from hitting his head..he is probably ok...is there bruising, bleeding, swelling? If you are concerned at all..take him to the ER, or call the on call service at your pediatricians office..they can assist you over the phone and tell you whether or not you need to have him seen...hope he feels better.
--when you try to wake him...make sure he wakes up normally, that you have no problems doing so...if you do, go to ER right away...

Answer 4

I don't think you should let anyone sleep after a head trauma. I would take him to the doctor right away. At his age, you can't be too careful. At least call your doctor or if you have insurance, there is usually a phone number you can call for nurse advice.

Answer 5

You shouldn't have let him fall asleep. Wake him up immediately & then take him to Urgent Care or the Emergency Room. He needs a head CT to see if he has a concussion or other brain problem.

Answer 6

where on his head? is there a lump? no sleeping after a big hit on the head, add that to your list of rules. PLEASE let us all know that he is ok - we are all concerned. If there is a golf ball sized lump, you should consider going to an urgent care center. If there is a lump and a dark bruise, you should immediately go to the emergency room. If he doesn't wake up, you should call 911.

Answer 7

You NEVER let someone go to sleep after hitting their head they could have serious head trauma and never whake up anything. fist thing you should do an d keep doing is check their eyes and make sure they don't look or feel sleepy.

Answer 8

One day of interrupting his routine won't do anything.Wake him up make him talk and walk.See if he has his balance controlled.If he vomits three or more times,take him to the emergency room.

Answer 9

If he went to sleep right after it happened wkae him,
If he cried for like over 10 minutes after it happened wake him.
If your not sure, listen to your gut and wake him, better safe than sorry.
If his eyes dont react to the light and dialate take him in to ER

Answer 10

he should be fine trust me i have answered enough medical questions on this sight to have a PhD. If...i mean when he does wake up you will want him make sure he can still remember his name and all that good stuff. i think its great that you don't want to mes with his routine and confuse or upset him by taking him to the emergency room (they can be so scary for kids).