Massachusetts Personal Injury Library
Parents guidelines for evaluating children's head injuries
A parents advocacy group called Parents Press, want parents to use guidelines to evaluate children’s head injuries and deciding if the injury needs treatment by a doctor orstitches.
Causes of head injuries (Parents Press)
Children suffer from head injuries from a variety of causes:
- falls from a crib or changing table
- arching backwards out of someone’s arms
- when children are learning to walk, hitting their heads on doorknobs, window sills, fireplaces, table edges
- falls down stairs
- falls onto sidewalks
- hit by a thrown ball or rock or hard object
According to the website, an infant’s skull is made up of five main plates of bone which float over the surface of the brain and allows the skull to allow the baby’s skull to grow and develop. The layer of fluid between the skull and the brain called cerebrospinal fluid cushions and protects the brain from injury. Usually kids who fall from a height of less than six feet do not suffer from serious injuries.
Determining the severity (Parents Press)
The website offers guidelines for parents to use in determining the severity of the head injury to their child.
- If the baby cries immediately after the head injury, acts and looks as usual, the parents should check for any cuts or lumps on the head and if all is well there is no serious injury.
- Parents should still check on the baby after falling asleep for 20-30 minutes after an injury and make sure the baby can easily be awakened, acts normally, and can move the arms and legs.
A child has suffered a concussion, or a shaking up of the brain from a fall or blow to the head, if the child loses consciousness, vomits, or has an accompanying skull fracture. It takes the brain time to recover from a concussion, anywhere from one day to one week. A severe concussion may cause unconsciousness lasting for days, according to Parents Press.
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