My almost 8 year old son banged his head on the headboard just before bedtime. He hit it pretty hard. How long should I keep him awake afterwards, to make sure he is OK? We checked him out there appears to be no lump. We applied ice to it. It's now been almost an hour since it happened and he says the spot where he hit it is sore. It seems sensitive to the touch. There still appers to be no lump or bruise, but it's hard to tell for sure because of his hair. There has been no bleeding. We checked his "memory" by asking him simple and sometimes trick questions, which he always answered right. We checked his pupils, and they react to light as they should. If we go in to check on him every 2-3 hours, is it ok to let him go to sleep within an hour of it happening? Or should we keep him awake longer?
2007-06-24 14:21:13 · 5 answers · asked by adclutter 1 in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ Injuries
He seems okay, but I'd take him to the ER just to make sure he doesn't have a concussion or anything else.
2007-06-24 14:24:08 · answer #1 · answered by daisy 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
even at 8 a child's skull is pretty flexible and durable. IF an hour later his pupils are the same size and react equally to light he is probably just fine. I would wake him every two hours to check his pupils but otherwise, let him sleep. Of course if you cannot rouse him, it would be time to head to the ER.
2007-06-24 21:26:28 · answer #2 · answered by essentiallysolo 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
If he is acting normal, I would let him sleep. Make sure the place where he bumped his head is not sinking in.
2007-06-24 21:31:27 · answer #3 · answered by heather 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
it is better to let peope go to sleep as soon as possible so they can "repair" themselves. but do check on him, even though it is very unlikely he will go into a coma.
2007-06-24 21:32:01 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Bless your heart...why do little ones always do that kind of stuff right before bedtime???
RN's answer was right on.
2007-06-24 21:30:40 · answer #5 · answered by khanoldfriend 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋