I’m an ex-paramedic — here’s how to tell if a child’s head bump is serious
A former paramedic is sounding the alarm about head injuries in children that could require medical attention.
“A child who is increasingly restless, agitated or combative after a head bump could be a sign that the head injury was more serious, and they should get a medical review urgently,” Australian parenting expert Nikki Jurcutz wrote on the Tiny Hearts Education Instagram page on Tuesday.
Johns Hopkins Medicine notes that there are several types of head injuries — a concussion may bring a brief loss of awareness or alertness; a contusion causes brain bruising and swelling; and a skull fracture is a break in the skull bone.
A 2020 government health survey found that 6.8% of American children had, in their lifetime, experienced symptoms of a concussion or brain injury.
That percentage rose with age — from 2% in children 5 and younger to 12.2% in kids 12 to 17 years old.
Now Jurcutz — who co-founded the child safety organization Tiny Hearts Education with her sister, Rach Waia — is sharing the signs to watch for when very young children bump their heads.
- Short attention span
- Impulsive, low tolerance for pain or frustration
- Uncooperative, resistant to care
- Violent
- Explosive unpredictable anger
- Rocking, rubbing
- Restlessness, pacing, excessive movement
- Repetitive behaviors
- Rapid, loud excessive talking
- Sudden changes of mood
- Excessive crying or laughing
- Hurting themselves
Sutter Health, a healthcare system based in northern California, recommends taking children who lose consciousness or show symptoms associated with a concussion to the emergency room immediately.
But if the child is alert and responsive, parents should watch them for 36 to 48 hours to see if any issues arise.
Jurcutz’s followers praised her advice and shared their own traumatic experiences with head injuries.
“My daughter fell off my partner’s shoulders. Straight down onto her head on the concrete. Partner is 6’1,” one mom confessed. “Anytime I see a child on shoulders I just want to go up to them and say get your child off your shoulders. Bad trauma for all of us. Happened in a blink of an eye.”
“Thank you for sharing, with 2 little boys bumps happen often (sometimes you’d think my toddler is auditioning for a Jackass reboot) and it’s so helpful to know what is a red flag!” another declared.
“Witnessed my 18mo go off the top of our recliner lounge head first into hardwood floors what paramedics explained was a scorpion fall unconscious for almost 5 minutes, thankfully everything was okay & only a concussion,” a third person recalled.
