What to do if your child falls:
1. Console your baby. Stay calm and don’t panic. This will help your child calm down so you can better assess your child’s condition.
2. Check your child’s limbs, head and body for any bumps, bruises, redness, swelling, or deformity. Undress your child to do this. Check to see if you can see any swelling or large bumps on the head or body, if there is none then it is possible that there was no significant injury.
3. Apply an ice pack to the injured area for 20 minutes every 3 to 4 hours. If you use ice, always wrap it in a washcloth or sock; ice applied directly to bare skin can cause cold injury to the skin.
4. Observe your child carefully for the next 24 hours. If you notice any of the signs of internal injury call your doctor immediately
5. RUSH to the hospital if your baby
- loses consciousness,
- has a seizure,
- oozes blood or fluid from the ears or nose,
- has bruising around the eyes or behind the ears,
- acts lethargic.
- excessive sleepiness, floppiness, or difficulty rousing from sleep,
- refuses to feed,
- starts vomiting violently after having calmed down,
- gets a fever after a few hours.
6. If you notice your child favouring a limb or refusing to support their weight on one leg or seems to be in pain when you are undressing them, then see a doctor immediately for further investigations.
