{"id":60807,"date":"2026-08-26T23:43:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T20:43:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/findmykids.org\/blog\/?p=60807"},"modified":"2026-08-30T22:43:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T19:43:59","slug":"my-child-hit-their-head-is-it-dangerous","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/findmykids.org\/blog\/en\/my-child-hit-their-head-is-it-dangerous","title":{"rendered":"My child hit their head. Is it dangerous?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>My\u00a0child hit their head. Is\u00a0it\u00a0dangerous?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u00a0happens: children fall (sometimes on\u00a0perfectly flat ground!) and nobody is\u00a0to\u00a0blame. Most of\u00a0the time they\u2019re just fine, but sometimes you need to\u00a0watch your child\u2019s condition carefully so\u00a0you don\u2019t miss any warning signs and can get medical help in\u00a0time. Let\u2019s break it\u00a0down\u00a0\u2014 bumps, colours and all.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In\u00a0the first seconds<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Stay calm (yes, this matters\u00a0\u2014 panic gets in\u00a0the way of\u00a0assessment). Sit or\u00a0lay the child down. Don\u2019t shake them or\u00a0lift them up\u00a0suddenly. Apply cold to\u00a0the site of\u00a0impact: ice or\u00a0frozen food wrapped in\u00a0cloth, for 15\u201320\u00a0minutes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What not to\u00a0do<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t apply heat to\u00a0the bruise. Don\u2019t massage the site of\u00a0impact. Try not to\u00a0leave the child alone during the first 24\u00a0hours after the bump, even if\u00a0everything seems fine.<\/p>\n<p><strong>When to\u00a0call emergency services<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Call 999\u00a0\/ 911\u00a0\/ 112 immediately if\u00a0you notice:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left; width: 100%;\">\n<li>loss of\u00a0consciousness<\/li>\n<li>seizures or\u00a0numbness in\u00a0the arms or\u00a0legs<\/li>\n<li>a\u00a0headache that doesn\u2019t go\u00a0away but gets worse<\/li>\n<li>vomiting, especially if\u00a0it\u00a0happens more than once<\/li>\n<li>blood or\u00a0fluid from the nose or\u00a0ears<\/li>\n<li>pupils of\u00a0different sizes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If\u00a0the child is\u00a0under two years old\u00a0\u2014 see a\u00a0doctor after any head injury, even if\u00a0everything looks fine on\u00a0the outside. In\u00a0young children, symptoms can cleverly disguise themselves as\u00a0minor discomfort and may only appear several days later. Doctors call this the \u201cobservation period\u201d\u00a0\u2014 we\u00a0call it\u00a0\u201cdon\u2019t let your guard down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>The bump looks terrible. Is\u00a0that normal?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Almost always, yes. A\u00a0bump is\u00a0blood and fluid accumulating under the skin after an\u00a0impact\u00a0\u2014 it\u2019s completely normal. It\u00a0turns red, then blue, then gradually fades. It\u00a0looks alarming but usually isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>Three reasons to\u00a0take a\u00a0closer look:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left; width: 100%;\">\n<li>it\u00a0keeps growing despite the cold compress<\/li>\n<li>you can feel something fluid underneath, like a\u00a0water balloon<\/li>\n<li>the child complains of\u00a0pain, nausea or\u00a0dizziness<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Any of\u00a0these symptoms is\u00a0a\u00a0reason to\u00a0see a\u00a0doctor.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Age matters<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Under 3\u20134 years old, a\u00a0child can\u2019t properly describe what hurts. You\u2019ll need to\u00a0be\u00a0a\u00a0detective: a\u00a0sudden cry that abruptly goes quiet, refusing food, restless sleep\u00a0\u2014 these are all symptoms to\u00a0notice and remember. Monitor them and see a\u00a0doctor if\u00a0they worsen or\u00a0increase.<\/p>\n<p>Older children can explain what\u2019s going\u00a0on. Ask them: does your head hurt, and if\u00a0so, how\u00a0\u2014 throbbing or\u00a0pressing? Do\u00a0you feel sick? Dizzy? Sleepy?<\/p>\n<p><strong>The child fell asleep right after the bump. Should I\u00a0wake them?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Yes, without hesitation. In\u00a0the first 2\u20133\u00a0hours, wake them every 30\u00a0minutes. While a\u00a0child is\u00a0asleep, you can\u2019t assess their condition. If\u00a0you can\u2019t wake them or\u00a0the sleep seems unusually deep\u00a0\u2014 call emergency services.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Symptoms that don\u2019t appear straight away<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sometimes everything looks fine right after the bump. Then a\u00a0few hours or\u00a0even days later, something strange starts happening. These are called delayed symptoms, and they\u2019re important to\u00a0know:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left; width: 100%;\">\n<li>bruising under the eyes or\u00a0behind the ears for no\u00a0apparent reason<\/li>\n<li>disturbed sleep, irritability, tearfulness, excessive sweating<\/li>\n<li>the child can\u2019t bring their chin to\u00a0their chest\u00a0\u2014 the neck muscles are that tense<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If\u00a0any of\u00a0these appear\u00a0\u2014 see a\u00a0doctor immediately.<\/p>\n<p>Head injuries in\u00a0children are unpredictable. A\u00a0minor bump sometimes needs investigation, while a\u00a0frightening-looking lump turns out to\u00a0be\u00a0nothing. Trust your instincts. And don\u2019t put it\u00a0off if\u00a0something doesn\u2019t feel right.<\/p>\n\t\t<div class=\"wpulike wpulike-default \" ><div class=\"wp_ulike_general_class wp_ulike_is_not_liked\"><button type=\"button\"\n\t\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Like Button\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-ulike-id=\"60807\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-ulike-nonce=\"15d2019732\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-ulike-type=\"likeThis\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-ulike-template=\"wpulike-default\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-ulike-display-likers=\"0\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-ulike-disable-pophover=\"0\"\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"wp_ulike_btn wp_ulike_put_image wp_likethis_60807\"><\/button><\/div><\/div>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My\u00a0child hit their head. Is\u00a0it\u00a0dangerous? It\u00a0happens: children fall (sometimes on\u00a0perfectly flat ground!) and nobody is\u00a0to\u00a0blame&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":60809,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"layf_related_links":[""],"layf_exclude_from_feed":["1"],"_fmk_faq_pairs":["a:0:{}"],"_fmk_faq_hash":["ac6edad293c0241858303fbb6ba2e5a8"],"classic-editor-remember":["classic-editor"],"_edit_lock":["1788118901:46"],"_edit_last":["46"],"_thumbnail_id":["60809"],"mpulseenable_meta_value":["no"],"yzcategory_meta_value":["\u0414\u043e\u043c"],"yzrating_meta_value":["\u041d\u0435\u0442 (\u043d\u0435 \u0434\u043b\u044f \u0432\u0437\u0440\u043e\u0441\u043b\u044b\u0445)"],"yzrssenabled_meta_value":["no"],"_s2mail":["yes"],"_ez-toc-disabled":[""],"_ez-toc-insert":[""],"_ez-toc-header-label":[""],"_ez-toc-device-target":[""],"_ez-toc-alignment":["none"],"_ez-toc-heading-levels":["a:0:{}"],"_ez-toc-alttext":[""],"_ez-toc-visibility_hide_by_default":[""],"_ez-toc-hide_counter":[""],"_ez-toc-exclude":[""],"_ez-toc-word_count_limit":["0"],"_ez-toc-position-specific":[""],"\u0430\u0432\u0442\u043e\u0440":["The Findmykids Editorial Team"],"_\u0430\u0432\u0442\u043e\u0440":["field_5e33cab3984d1"],"\u0444\u043e\u0442\u043e":["3272"],"_\u0444\u043e\u0442\u043e":["field_5e33cbc1984d2"],"hide-in-popular":[""],"_hide-in-popular":["field_5d0c8a5b4fde2"],"custom_title":[""],"_custom_title":["field_67cfbde67c007"],"custom_image":[""],"_custom_image":["field_67d012de223ac"],"custom_alt":[""],"_custom_alt":["field_67d012f6223ad"],"read_more":[""],"_read_more":["field_67d0130e223ae"],"article_audio":[""],"_article_audio":["field_6a74a77ac6165"],"_aioseo_title":[null],"_aioseo_description":[null],"_aioseo_keywords":[""],"_aioseo_og_title":[null],"_aioseo_og_description":[null],"_aioseo_og_article_section":[""],"_aioseo_og_article_tags":[""],"_aioseo_twitter_title":[null],"_aioseo_twitter_description":[null]},"categories":[668],"tags":[],"language":[3],"acf":{"custom_title":"","custom_image":"","custom_alt":"","read_more":"","article_audio":""},"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/cdn-blog.findmykids.org\/2026\/08\/photo_2026-08-27_00-50-30.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"The Findmykids Editorial Team","author_link":"https:\/\/findmykids.org\/blog\/ru\/author\/find-my-kids"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/cdn-blog.findmykids.org\/2026\/08\/photo_2026-08-27_00-50-30.jpg","reading_time":"2","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/findmykids.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60807"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/findmykids.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/findmykids.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/findmykids.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/findmykids.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60807"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/findmykids.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60807\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60811,"href":"https:\/\/findmykids.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60807\/revisions\/60811"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/findmykids.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60809"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/findmykids.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/findmykids.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/findmykids.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60807"},{"taxonomy":"language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/findmykids.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/language?post=60807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}