Headache in 3 year old

[coochicoo]

My ds was ill recently - fever, generally unwell etc. He also kept saying he had a headache which I could believe as his temperature was so high. Anyway, I just proceeded as usual with paracetamol and ibuprofen and after a couple of days he was back to his normal self.

Anyway, he keeps saying now that he has a headache. Not all the time - before nursery or before bed. If he ever doesn't want to do something. If he's in a whingey mood and I ask him if anything feels poorly, he always says his head. He seems fine in himself otherwise.

The doctors don't seem particularly interested or concerned. I guess what I'm asking is how I know if he's got a headache or if he's just saying it? I don't want to assume he's lying because I could well be ignoring real pain. On the other hand, I don't want to be giving him calpol if he hasn't really got a headache.

Do you think there would be other symptoms if he truly had a headache? Does anyone have any experience of toddlers with recurrent headaches? Or do you think young ones fib about feeling ill sometimes?

i think if he is persistently doing it just before things he doesn't want to do I would assume it's fake.

my suggestion would be not to make too much fuss, and not to offer any medicine,.
explain to him that if he has a headache then he should lie down and have a nice rest.
in fact, going to bed is lovely for a headache/

he'll soon get bored of keep getting put to bed when he isn't really ill

That's kind of what I thought. It's just so difficult with things like headaches because you can't see anything.

I'll use the having a rest thing rather than medicine from now on. Like you say, if it doesn't really hurt he'll soon get fed up.

Thanks.