How can you tell if you only have a crick in your neck, its for a child?

Answer 1

Muscle stiffness should resolve in several days, not be associated with fever/chills/nausea/vomiting, and be self limited. If your child has a stiff neck with fever, vomiting, mental status changes, etc meningitis has to be ruled out.

If your child's neck is permanently turned and twisted toward one side, this could be torticollis. As a congenital condition, it is caused by birth trauma to the sternocleidomastoid muscle, the large muscles that run along either side of your neck. Typically this is treated by physical therapy only. If it persists after a year of age, surgical release of the muscle may be needed, but this is rare. Torticollis can occur as an acquired defect in response to medications, but this is usually seen in adults or older children.

Without more information, I can't really give you more than that.

Answer 2

If I understand you right..you mean a stiff neck, how to decide that it is not serious.
Check for a fever and stiffness in other joints or swelling.
Vomiting or diarrhea are other things to watch out for, make a visual inspection of the child, look for bug bites, rashes, or marks and bruises from a fall or other injuries. If you find none of the above and they still complain of pain, a baby aspirin or Tylenol and warm bath, then to bed...should cure the problem.