Your Baby Just Hit Their Head. Here Is Exactly What To Do
Crying immediately is actually a reassuring sign.
In this video
- What to check in the first minute
- Why crying right away is reassuring
- The signs that mean go to the ER
- Why under 3 months is different
- What is normal for 24 hours
Your kid is going to fall and hit their head at some point. It happens off the couch, off the changing table, off the bed while you turn around for a diaper. Most of these falls do not cause serious injury, but knowing what to look for matters, and knowing it before it happens matters even more.
In the first minute
Stay calm and comfort your baby. That sounds obvious, and it is still the hardest part, because your own adrenaline arrives before your judgment does.
Crying immediately is actually a reassuring sign. A baby who cries right away is awake, responsive, and telling you they are upset. Silence, or difficulty rousing them, is the thing that concerns me.
Once they are settled, check three things:
- Look over their head for bumps, bruises, or cuts
- Gently move their arms and legs to make sure nothing hurts
- Pay attention to how they are responding to you
That last one carries the most weight. You know what your baby looks like when they are themselves. A baby who makes eye contact, wants to be held, and settles with comfort is behaving the way you would expect.
Why babies under three months are different
For infants under three months old, the bar is lower.
At that age I want any significant bump, bruise, or swelling on the head looked at, and any concerning change in behavior looked at, even without the more dramatic signs listed below. Younger infants have thinner skulls, they cannot tell you what hurts, and their behavior changes are subtler.
If your baby is under three months and took a real fall, call. That is not an overreaction.
The first 24 hours
You do not need to keep your baby awake. This is the single most common thing parents have been told that is not correct.
If it is their normal naptime, let them nap. What you are doing over the next 24 hours is monitoring, not preventing sleep. Check on them, make sure they rouse normally, and watch for the signs listed below.
Extra fussiness and clinginess are common. So is wanting to be held more than usual. A small bump or bruise where they landed is expected.
When to trust the feeling
There is one line on the list below that is different from the others: you are worried something is not right.
That is not a soft criterion. Parents notice changes in their own child before a chart does, and I would rather see a baby who turned out fine than miss one who did not. If something feels off to you, that is reason enough.
What to remember
- Comfort first. Crying right away is reassuring
- Check the head, the limbs, and how they are responding to you
- Under three months, the threshold for calling is lower
- You do not need to keep them awake
- Monitor closely for 24 hours
What is normal
- Crying right after the fall
- A small bump or bruise
- Some extra fussiness or clinginess
- Sleeping at their normal naptime
- Wanting to be held more than usual
Go to the emergency room right away if
- Loss of consciousness or difficulty waking
- A seizure
- Repeated vomiting (more than once)
- Clear fluid or blood from the nose or ears
- Unusual sleepiness
- Severe or inconsolable crying
- Confusion or not acting like themselves
- A bump larger than a golf ball
- Difficulty breathing
- Weakness in the arms or legs
For infants under 3 months old the bar is lower. Any significant bump, bruise, or swelling on the head, or any concerning change in behavior, deserves medical evaluation.
No judgment. I get this call all the time.
Read the video transcript
Your kid is going to fall and hit their head at some point. Most of these falls don't cause serious injury, but knowing what to look for matters.
Right after the fall: stay calm and comfort your baby. Crying immediately is actually a reassuring sign. Check their head for bumps, bruises, or cuts, gently move their arms and legs to make sure nothing hurts, and pay attention to how they're responding to you.
Go to the emergency room right away if your baby has loss of consciousness or difficulty waking, a seizure, repeated vomiting, clear fluid or blood from the nose or ears, unusual sleepiness, severe or inconsolable crying, confusion or not acting like themselves, a bump larger than a golf ball, difficulty breathing, or weakness in their arms or legs.
For infants under 3 months old, the bar is lower. Any significant bump, bruise, or swelling on the head, or any concerning behavior change, deserves medical evaluation.
What's normal in the first 24 hours: crying right after the fall, a small bump or bruise, some extra fussiness or clinginess, and sleeping at their normal naptime. You do not need to keep them awake. Just monitor closely for 24 hours.
No judgment. I get this call all the time.
