to ask if anyone has any. experience of their child falling over and. making an indentation on their head?

[froken]

I'm panicking.

My baby loves to walk with his little push along cart, he is really confident and he gets bored as it takes him about 15 seconds to walk from one side of our living room to the other ( he hasn't learnt how to turn round) I took him outside o walk around that communal yard today. It was the first time we have been outside with the pushalong toy. He fell and hit his head on the corner or a concrete block :( :( :( he cried right away ( for 2 minutes and then was happy chatty) he is only 9 months old I feel so so terrible :(

The thing that really shocked me was there was an indentation when he hit his head. It was. About the size of a raisin.

Ds's godfather came straight over ( he's a nurse and has 2 grown up kids) and look at ds and reassured me kids get bumps and he'd be ok, tge indentation had come out by then as the area had started swelling.

I phoned that national health advice line and they said to wake ds every hour to see if he is ok.

Dp is working nights and I just can't stop thinking of the indentation and imagining his skull is cracked :(

Anyone else had a child who had an indentation? I didn't even know it was possible.

[MarianneEnjolras]

Yep, ds was approx 12 months old and escaped his highchair straps and stood up while I had my back turned, the highchair tipped backwards and he went headfirst into the dresser behind. Huge egg and a dent in the middle of it. He was fine.

Then there was the time he tried to demolish Carisbrook Castle with his head. That one bled as well as dented it. He had just turned 2 when he did that one.

He was fine both times, can't say the same about my nerves though.

[Mabelface]

One of my boys had a lovely, long indentation in his head from a shop window ledge after he slipped on their step. He was fine. :)

[FrogsGoWhat]

Frequently! DD was walking at 9 months and falling frequently. She could find a sharp corner to fall onto in a padded room

As long as the dent became a bump fairly quickly, and she didn't vomit, and her pupils reacted equally I tried not to worry. She was always fine but gave me MANY sleepless nights where I kept checking she was still breathing.

It doesn't happen now when she clonks herself - age 2 - think it must be a young baby thing. She's still bloody clumsy though!

[FrogsGoWhat]

... the best one was where she fell onto her teether toy... that left a CRACKING dent

Then there was the corner of a board book - she was holding it open then head dived onto the corner, edge of a shelf in a book case, PIL's plant pot, metal leg of a chair at playgroup.... etc etc - all initially left dents. :)

[PenelopePipPop]

You've seen skulls? The bit at the front is incredibly thick and very unlikely to fracture - we've evolved that way because that is where we hit our heads most, tripping over our feet, falling down the stairs, opening cupboard doors. It can fracture, but it would take a lot more than a tumble from the height of a 9m old. The swelling all takes place in the tissue above the bone and does not mean any damage has affected either his skull or most importantly his brain.

Fractures generally take place at the base of the skull under the hair line where the skull is much thinner and usually only in accidents where people have fallen from a significant height or taken a lot of impact on their head from something blunt (like a weapon or an object hurtling through a car when it stops at speed in an accident). Even then getting a skull fracture doesn't mean the brain will be damaged. So your son won't have fractured his skull.

Concussion symptoms, which can indicate bleeding near the brain, can occur whether or not the skull is fractured which is why NHS Direct told you to keep an eye on your son for the next 24 hours. But this kind of concussion leading to sickness, drowsiness and unresponsiveness is extremely rare. You are absolutely right to be concerned and to keep a close eye on him (and obviously call an ambulance if his behaviour worries you) but please be reassured that nature has designed his head to be pretty tough and your own instincts will tell you if anything is actually wrong.

[froken]

Thank you so much for telling me your stories! I just had no idea you could get a dent on your head, I guess it one of those things you learn when you have children.

Ds is sleeping on me at the moment, I should put him to bed really but I like keeping an eye on him.

[DoudousDoor]

Our friends' DS head-dived off the sofa onto the edge of the table edge. Huge dent then bump but no lasting damage.

Am glad for this thread tho cos DS tripped and fell on the corner of a wall yesterday - lots of bleeding, big dent and small bump. Didnt get him checked tho which I regret but its healing fine so far (and no bad reaction apart from blood and tears!)

[VulvaVoom]

I've been worrying similarly today OP as DD is just attempting to stand/walk and hit her head yesterday on the highchair. She now has a bruise on her forehead and I feel terrible. 1) Because it looks bad and 2) Because I'm left wondering why she bruises so easily? It honestly wasn't a big knock.

I'm guessing this is the time that they will get many bumps, bruises and grazes and we have to be brave

[DoJo]

My son headbutted a marble table in a tizz over being offered a sandwich for lunch and the indentation lasted weeks. Doesn't seem to have done him any harm, but then his head is a veritable road map of dents, dings and other injuries.

[DoJo]

He also has a black eye after falling face first into my knee - I did feel bad about that because it was effectively me kneeing him in the eye!

[Gracie990]

Duplo left a lovely dent on dd head :-)

[breatheslowly]

I'm not a medic, but I think that when they look like they have a dent, it might be more of the case that the area around has swollen a bit. The dents do go away.

[froken]

It sounds like babies/children are amazingly resilient, so far ds is sleeping but stiring if tickle his feet :)

[LoopThePoop]

I fractured the front of my skull, over my left eye when I was about 5.
I still have a flat spot on that side of my head.

I think there was no lasting damage....


;-)

[ballroomblitz]

You get used to it, honestly. I remember laughing when my friend was worried about her dd having concussion after falling on the floor for the first time. Brought back memories of how worried I used to get. Now at near six yo ds trips over his own feet/the dog/whatever at least once a week smacking his head off the floor. Such a clumsy child, like his mum.

[froken]

I think I might buy him a helmet! He wont wear hats or bibs or shoes or socks so I am not sure I will have much luck making him wear the helmet but it is worth a try!

[DoudousDoor]

Nah he needs to learn. DS bumped his a few times but soon learnt that when standing up and we say 'careful' he should slow right down. Its ever so cute to watch him slowly straighten up until his head meets the table (or whatever) then shuffle forward before standing up completely.