It is frequent for children to have many accidents and suffer the consequences all over their body. When their head is injured it is important to know how to heal it properly and be clear on when to take the child to the doctor. We are going to tell you how to act in each case.

What do we need to know?

When a child hits his/her head we must monitor him/her for at least 24 hours and preferably for the next 72 hours.

In case of any unusual symptom or behaviour we need to go to the doctor. We must also visit the doctor if the child faints, no matter how shortly it lasts.

After banging his/her head the child can and should continue with his/her regular activity, that is, sleeping, eating and playing at the times he/she usually does. If he/she falls asleep the best thing to do is to wake him/her up every two or three hours to check that he/she becomes alert and responds normally.

Call 112 (emergencies) immediately if, after banging his/her head, the child:

• Faints
• Is confused, drowsy or responding to stimuli in a worsening way
• Vomits repeatedly
• Has pupil asymmetry
• Has a seizure

What should we do in case of…

…hit, with cut and wound?

• Since the child is bleeding, it is important to watch out for foreign any bodies that might be embedded in the wound and check to see if the bones yield to the touch; in such cases, do not touch the wound and go directly to the emergency room.
• If he/she has a cut in the skin, wash it under tap water, press down on the wound with gauze (to staunch the bleeding) and apply ice wrapped in a cloth.
• If the wound is deep and large and might require stitches, go to the nearest health centre within four hours.

…bump?

It is normal for the child’s head to hurt. The way to respond is as follows:

• Apply Calmatopic stick, the soothing gel stick with beneficial properties from three medicinal products (arnica, devil’s claw and sea mayweed) or Calmatopic roll-on, a refreshing fluid gel based on arnica, devil’s claw and mint.
• Apply cold locally with ice wrapped in a cloth.
• Watch whether the bump grows, elongates or softens; if it does, you need to go to a medical centre as soon as possible.

…bruise without wound?

• Apply Calmatopic stick or Calmatopic roll-on.
• It is also common for the child’s head to hurt in this case. To prevent this it is important to apply cold with ice wrapped in a cloth.
• It is important to check that the bruise and the pain go down. If we see that they worsen, we must take the child to the emergency room.