You or another responsible adult should stay with your child for the first 24 hours and be ready to take your child back to the doctor’s office or hospital if there is a problem. Your child may need to be watched carefully for a few days because there could be a delay in signs of a more serious injury.

If your baby is showing any of these symptoms after experiencing an injury to their head, call 911 or take them to the nearest emergency room immediately:

• uncontrolled bleeding from a cut.
• a dent or bulging soft spot on the skull.
• excessive bruising and/or swelling.
• vomiting more than once.

Call an ambulance if your child has had head injury involving high speeds or heights, or if after a knock to the head they lose consciousness or vomit more than once. Your child may develop a number of different symptoms in the weeks after a head injury. Many of these require immediate medical attention.

If your child experiences a knock, bump or blow to the head, sit them down, comfort them, and make sure they rest. You can hold a cold compress to their head – try a bag of ice or frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel. Seek immediate medical advice if symptoms such as mild dizziness and a headache get worse.

Watch Your Child Closely for 2 Hours: Note: mild headache, mild dizziness and nausea are common. Allow your child to sleep if he wants to, but keep him nearby. Wake him up after 2 hours of sleeping.

Physical symptoms

• Loss of consciousness from several minutes to hours.
• Persistent headache or headache that worsens.
• Repeated vomiting or nausea.
• Convulsions or seizures.
• Dilation of one or both pupils of the eyes.
• Clear fluids draining from the nose or ears.
• Inability to awaken from sleep.

In most people, symptoms occur within the first seven to 10 days and go away within three months. Sometimes, they can persist for a year or more. The goal of treatment after concussion is to effectively manage your symptoms.

If the child seemed well after the bump to the head, it is OK to let them go to sleep. But if they seem unusually sleepy, or they seem dazed when they wake, they should be seen by a doctor straight away.

See a doctor within one to two days of a significant head injury with ongoing symptoms, even if emergency care isn’t required. Seek emergency medical attention if your child experiences: Unconsciousness, confusion or disorientation after a head injury.

“After getting home or even the next day, they may start to develop a headache, or other post concussive symptoms.” The symptoms one develops can vary from person to person, and may include headaches, nausea, dizziness, difficulty remembering, fogginess, irritability, difficulty sleeping or trouble balancing.