my one year old fell down the stairs. it has been 2 days and now his eye is turning blue/black. What should i do? Should i be worried?
Should you be worried about a bruise? My kids get bruises everyday, and most of the time they don't remember how they got them. Bruises are a part of childhood. He's fine!
When my baby fell (she is 15 now!) the doctor said it is less about how they look and more about how they act. At the time she said that the fall would have to be from more than 2 feet onto a hard surface for the doctor to be concerned (my baby slid off the bed with the comforter onto carpeting, so I was freaked for nothing). Is he still the the same in activity level and smiles and playtime and naps? If you feel he is less active or cheerful I would see the doctor. If the only difference is the bruises coming to the surface then I would be less concerned but probably still call, but I recognized all the nurses on the other end of the phone line by voice by the time my infant was a toddler!
He can't talk and tell you if his head/neck/back or anything else hurts. You should ALWAYS take kids in when they fall and hit their heads. Some head injuries don't show up until years later after they develop. Yes, its just a bruise, but he can't tell you and you can see if anything else may be wrong. Its worth the $100 to take him to urgent care if you don't have insurance. "Better safe than sorry" comes to mind for this situation. Just my opinion. Good luck.
Katherine, we aren't doctors. This is a question for a doctor. I have to say that if something was badly wrong with your son, and you listened to a bunch of mom's who have never laid eyes on your child without having gotten him checked out by a doctor, you would feel really awful.
This is a question for the professionals...
Dawn
No offense, but I never understand why parents ask these types of questions here! If it were I, the last thing I would do is ask here -- few of us have professional knowledge, none of us can see him, to take our advice would not be wise. It is likely he's fine, but if there is any questions at all, he should be seen by a doctor -- either in the office, urgent care clinic, or ER. Good luck!
Most likely, if he hasn't shown other signs of injury, he is fine....
A bruise is just showing where the blood is pooled beneath the skin's surface from the tiny ruptured capillaries..... it sometimes takes a day or two for it to show.
The color will change as the blood is re-absorbed or handled by the body.... it will gradually change.
Kids get bumps and bruises all the time... I came home from a women's retreat to find that my hubby had let our son (about 15 months at the time) walk up the front sidewalk/steps by himself... and I came home to find him with a bit of a black eye, also! (Hubby also lost our son in walmart that weekend..... he hadn't learned that you NEVER put him down unattended... I always put him in a cart.)
nothing, and be glad it was just his eye. bruising can take a long time to show, if its very deep. Likely he hit the bridge of the nose or brow and the bruise was deep, its just coming to the surface now. If he acting completely normal, with no sign of injury or internal issues like sleep pattern is normal, no limping, or crying for no reason. Then you chalk it up to a learning experience, and be more careful around steps. My friends girl was 11 months old and fell and rolled down two flights of concrete steps. She had some big scrapes and bruises but no serious damage was done.
Did he hit his head when he fell down? My son once fell down the bed and started throwing up immediately. I got worried and took him to the doctor immediately. This is what they told M. - The main concern with kids falling and hitting their head is concussion. And the symptoms don;t appear immediately. They asked M. to watch him for the next 48 hrs and if there were any behavioral changes, lethargy, vomitting etc then bring him in immediately.
So do take your son to the doctor. It might just be a bruise, but the fact that it's happening 2 days later (and not immediately) is my reason for asking you to get it checked. Hopefully he is fine and you just come back with peace of mind.
I am in the medical field, and have seen many injuries. A main concern is a concussion. If you are not sure he hit his head, I would definitely get him checked out as a "just in case". Effects from a concussion can be life threatening and can show up days later.
I hope he gets better,
