Experts say the study, which collected reports of injuries to children from hospital emergency rooms over 19 years, represents the first national look at this problem.
The study comes during a flurry of regulatory activity over cribs and crib products, culminating in the recalls of millions of items and the first new government-mandated safety standards in cribs issued in nearly two decades.
The study was published online in the journal Pediatrics.
The research was praised by government regulators and industry representatives for helping to increase awareness of the dangers to children posed by unsafe sleep environments.
Researchers who were not involved in the study also praised its scope.
About 15% of injuries resulted from falling inside the crib or hitting or being cut on the inside of the crib. About 6% resulted from becoming caught or wedged in the crib.
The vast majority of injuries were not life-threatening.
Soft-tissue injuries, including bruises and scrapes, were the most common, representing about one-third of reported injuries. But in about one in five cases, a child was rushed to the emergency room with a concussion. Fractures represented 12% of injuries; lacerations, or cuts, made up 14%.
Children will roll over for the first time or sit up for the first time or stand for the first time when you're not expecting it. Suddenly, they're doing it one day, and I think parents are just simply caught off-guard.
About 1% of children died, sometimes after becoming caught or wedged in the crib. Most of these deaths involved a diagnosis of suffocation or sudden infant death syndrome. Two-thirds of the deaths occurred in babies younger than six months.
Part of the problem, experts say, is that parents think that it's safe to put soft products like pillows, blankets, and crib bumpers in cribs when those products can be dangerous in two ways.
Infants may roll over into soft material and suffocate while they are sleeping. Babies who are older and stronger, on the other hand, may use materials like bumpers to pull themselves out.
What we've looked at before have been deaths associated with sleep areas, and one of the big issues is that in trying to prevent injuries, many parents will put pillows and bumper pads in cribs to prevent injuries. When in reality, these kinds of materials are often the problem.
The only thing that should be in the crib is the baby.
The study authors say a big part of the problem has been crib manufacturing and design flaws that have led in recent years to the recalls of more than 11 million cribs, many of them drop-side models.
This is all because cribs have just had a terrible track record. The design hasn't changed for over two decades, so we're seeing a big shift in our understanding of how to make them safer.
This article will discuss the common causes, signs and symptoms of mild to moderate or severe baby or toddler head injuries, what to do at home, when to call your doctor, and how to prevent these injuries.
FAQs About Baby Nursery
After a knock on the head, young children are often sleepy, especially if they have cried a lot of it is getting near to a nap time. If the child seems well after the bump to the head, it is OK to let them go to sleep.
Changes to watch for include inconsolable crying or fussiness, vomiting more than once, balancing difficulties when sitting or walking, and being unresponsive. If your child is exhibiting any of these symptoms or has any significant swelling over the injury site, you should take them to the doctor right away.
The Baby's soft spots may look very delicate. But the baby has a thick membrane under their scalp that keeps their brain protected. So as long as you touch the baby's soft spots gently, you won't hurt the baby. So don't be afraid to touch the baby's soft spot gently.
Babies' heads are easily damaged, and their neck muscles are not strong enough to control the movement of the head. As a result, shaking or throwing a baby can cause the head to jerk back and forth. This can make the skull hit the brain with force, causing brain damage, serious vision problems, or death.
Children and adolescents with a concussion can take up to four weeks to recover, but most concussions will get better on their own over several days. Following a mild head injury, your child will need plenty of rest and sleep, particularly in the first 24 to 48 hours.
Reasons Why Infants Suffer From Concussions
Most infants will get a concussion sometime within their first year. This is due in part to the fact that infants lack the motor skills necessary to exert the same level of control over their own head movements as do grownups. They do have weaker neck muscles. In addition, their centre of gravity is higher on their heads than their bodies are when they are full-grown.
Babies also develop other abilities, such as grasping, rolling, walking, and sitting. All this risky yet thrilling exploration is going to result in some accidents.
A newborn could knock its head in a variety of ways. The most prevalent reasons for these bumps, however, typically result in the least serious injuries.
Leading Causes of Bumps
- Accidental spills from changing tables and beds
- Rolling, crawling, scooting, and walking-related injuries
Unusual Triggers for Bumps
- Confrontations involving motor vehicles and bicycles
- Accidental injuries to infants caused by defective baby gear, such as a falling baby seat or stroller
- Cruelty to Children (parental inflicted bumps or "shaken baby syndrome")
The scalp is often affected by outside forces that cause head trauma. Injuries to the brain, skull, or blood vessels are considered internal.
Head bumps in infants can occur for a number of causes. Even in houses where everyone is paying close attention, accidents like spills and falls happen frequently. However, other accidents result from much more severe circumstances.
Falls
Toddlers and infants are inherently inquisitive and quick. They lack the physical coordination and neck development of older children, which is a shame. Due to these circumstances, they may be more likely to experience a fall.
The severity of a baby's head injury is not always proportional to the height from which the baby fell. However, studies reveal that infants and toddlers younger than 12 months have a greater risk of falling from a bed, a caregiver's arms, or a baby carrier.
Kids' primary source of injury is falls, and it doesn't matter how they go down. They account for half of all infants under 1 year old who have nonfatal accidents.
Well, here's some good news: Major head trauma is uncommon after a fall. TBIs were seen in fewer than 3% of toddlers who had fallen off of low surfaces like furniture or a stroller (an injury that causes damage to the brain).
Unintentional Collisions
The toddler in your care bumps his or her head on the wall, the crib rail, or a wooden block thrown by an older sibling (you know, innocently). You just have to go through these phases in order to mature.
Injuries to the brain, such concussions, are uncommon results of these kinds of accidental collisions.
Crashes
Bicycle and car accidents, in which the child is either a passenger or a pedestrian, are additional sources of childhood head trauma. The severity of these wounds can vary.
Abuse of children
An estimated 1,300 infants in the United States suffer from abusive head trauma (AHT) per year.
Examples of 5 AHT include shaking a child aggressively or banging the child's head against a hard surface (such as a table or a wall). A fatal outcome occurs in 25% of infants born with AHT.
Outward Symptoms and Causes
You're trying to change your kid, but he or she keeps rolling off the changing table or falling over the counter. How will you determine the severity of a blow to the head?
Head injuries that are only slightly severe
Even if your infant or toddler has had a mild concussion, they won't be able to communicate to you that they're in pain or experiencing any dizziness or nausea.
A concussion is a damage to the brain that results from the brain's soft tissue bouncing violently against the skull after sustaining a blow to the head. Even a temporary disruption like that can harm brain cells.
Keep an eye out for these:
- A concussion, or a bump or bruise, on their noggin: This shape is frequently called a "goose egg"
- Because of its potential oval appearance. The size of a bump is not always indicative of the severity of an
- Injury.
- Irritability
- Vomiting\sLethargy
- Having a high level of sensitivity to both light and sound
Head injuries ranging from moderate to severe
Most infant head injuries are minor, but it is still important to be careful. What to keep an eye out for
- A momentary lapse into unconsciousness
- To throw up repeatedly
- A severe head wound (may require stitches)
- Seizures
- Paleness
- The pupil has been enlarged (dark circle in the centre of the eye appears larger in one eye than the other)
- Ear or nasal drainage (usually blood or clear fluid)
- Lack of sucking or nursing capacity
- There was nothing but a blank expression on his face.
- Too much sobbing
- issues with equilibrium
- Variations in their wake-up and bedtime routines (for example, the baby is hard to wake up)
- Bruises under the eyes and behind the ears (can signal a serious skull fracture)
If You Think You Need Help, Dial 911
If your kid:
- Suffering from a fit
- Becomes unresponsive
- Vomits
- Hemorrhaging profusely; exerting pressure for many minutes did not halt the haemorrhage
- Is experiencing ear or nasal discharge
- Is swollen and bruised around the crown of the head (this could indicate a skull fracture)
- Has a bulging fontanelle (the soft spot or fontanelle is the area where your baby's skull plates meet; this area will eventually fuse).
- Getting out of bed can be a struggle.
- Doesn't Have Typical Neck Movements
- Acting strangely or as if they are severely injured
- Experiencing bone fractures
- Has Difficulty Breathing
Symptoms of a Major Injury
Of course, a newborn is unable to articulate the kind or location of their pain (other than crying about it). When your infant gets a bump on the head, how can you know whether it's nothing serious?
Massive Bleeding
If the bump continues to bleed after a few minutes of pressure, or if other portions of the body are bleeding as a result of the accident, you may be dealing with a more serious damage. Your youngster may need sutures if you see a huge or wide cut on his or her skin.
Extremely Harsh Impacts
Getting medical help quickly is essential if your child has suffered a high-impact fall or other significant injury.
A Touch More Than Just the Head
You're probably dealing with a more serious injury if your child's neck or spine are also hurt. If a spinal injury is suspected, you should never move a child.
Transformed Behaviour
Hours after the bump, you should be concerned if your kid is still more fussy than usual, refusing meals, vomiting excessively, appearing less coordinated, or continuing to seem sluggish or simply not themselves.
Not Awake or Responding
If your infant suddenly becomes unresponsive, call 911 immediately. Get checked out ASAP.
When You Should See a Doctor
Most medical professionals advise checking in with your child's doctor after any injury to the head, no matter how minor. The majority of the time, a trip to the doctor isn't essential. Your doctor will go over the best ways to care for your infant at home following any minor injuries and when it's necessary to bring your child in for further examination.
If your baby's behaviour changes after sustaining a head bump or if there are any signs of infection at the bump's site, your doctor may want to visit your child for an evaluation.
At the very least, you should expect to be asked questions like these if you decide to bring your newborn into the doctor's office.
- When did your baby first start to show signs of a head bump, and how did you notice it?
- When it happened, how big was the bump, and what other signs did your baby have?
- If your infant has been unusually irritable, unresponsive, forgetful, sick, convulsive, or sleepy, you should contact your doctor.
The infant will also be given a complete physical examination by your doctor. You may be advised to seek further medical attention at a hospital for evaluation and imaging examinations to assess for a more serious head injury if your responses to any of these questions or the results of the physical examination raise concerns.
Otherwise, your doctor will likely advise you to be extra vigilant for a couple of days and go over any symptoms of concern.
Safety from Falls
Using supervision and safety precautions can reduce the likelihood of a fall:
- Don't ever forget about your kid while he or she is in the tub or on a high surface like a bed, changing table, or sofa.
- Make sure that your baby is safely fastened into any infant equipment you use, such as a swing, stroller, high chair, bouncy seat, etc.
- Put baby gates across the steps.
- Do not put a baby in a bouncy seat or other kid carrier on a table. Put the infant in them and leave them on the floor at all times.
- Deck and balcony doors should always be kept locked. Use a baby gate and keep deck/balcony furniture away from railings to prevent accidents when the entrance is open.
- Secure the windows or instal guards. To prevent children from climbing out the window, keep furniture away from the glass.
- Make sure your child stays seated on a non-slip mat in the tub while being bathed.
- Don't try to juggle too many things at once, like a baby and a load of laundry or a grocery bag.
- Be cautious of your steps at all times when you have a baby in your arms. Babies frequently sustain brain damage when they are dumped from the arms of their carers.
- If your infant shows any interest in climbing onto furniture, such as a bookcase or a dresser, be sure to securely anchor it to the wall.
A newborn will inevitably have a tumble or two as they learn to move around their environment and experiment with their bodies. Nonetheless, there are measures that all parents can do to lessen their children's susceptibility to both small and catastrophic brain injuries.
- Babies should never be left unattended on a changing table, bed, or other raised surface.
- Always make sure your child's car seat and helmet are installed correctly.
- Avoid using baby walkers since they provide a fall risk.
- Before your infant can even crawl, you should start baby-proofing your home. Protect yourself from falls by cushioning sharp corners and clearing the floor of any potential hazards.
- Never put a car seat on a shopping cart, and never put a baby in a car seat or booster seat on a table or other raised surface.
Conclusion
The study is being hailed as the first comprehensive look at the issue on a national scale. It compiled data on childhood injuries from hospital emergency rooms over the course of 19 years. The majority of injuries recorded were to the soft tissues, such as bruises and scrapes. Many drop-side cribs have been recalled in recent years due to manufacturing and design issues. Infants lack motor skills necessary to exert the same level of control over their own head movements as do grownups.
The most prevalent reasons for infants' head bumps typically result in the least serious injuries. An estimated 1,300 infants in the United States suffer from abusive head trauma (AHT) per year. A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an injury that causes damage to the brain. TBIs were seen in fewer than 3% of toddlers who had fallen off of low surfaces like furniture. An enlarged pupil in one eye or lack of sucking or nursing capacity could signal a serious skull fracture.
If your child vomits after a bump on the head, you may be dealing with more serious damage to their brain or spinal cord and need immediate medical attention. Most medical professionals advise checking in with your child's doctor after any injury to the head, no matter how minor. Your doctor will go over the best ways to care for your infant at home following any minor injuries and when it's necessary to bring your child in for further examination.
Content Summary
- The study is being hailed as the first comprehensive look at the issue on a national scale, as it compiled data on childhood injuries from hospital emergency rooms over the course of 19 years.
- Cribs and crib goods have been the focus of a great deal of recent regulatory attention, with millions of products being recalled and the first new mandatory safety standards in cribs published in in two decades, coinciding with the release of this report.
- Online edition of Pediatrics published the study.
- Government officials and business leaders applauded the study for its contribution to raising public awareness of the risks that children face in dangerous sleeping conditions.
- Fell inside the crib, hit or cut themselves on the inside of the crib, which accounted for about 15% of all injuries.
- The majority of injuries did not require emergency medical attention.
- Roughly a third of the injuries recorded were to the soft tissues, such as bruises and scrapes.
- However, about one in five kids who suffered a concussion were taken to the hospital immediately.
- 12% of injuries were fractures, and 14% were lacerations.
- Crib entrapment and entrapment from other sources accounted for about one percent of infant deaths.
- Babies fewer than 6 months old accounted for 2/3 of the fatalities.
- Experts suggest that some parents may be contributing to the problem by placing soft items like pillows, blankets, and crib bumpers in their children's sleeping quarters, despite the fact that these items pose a double hazard.
- A common cause of accidental suffocation in infants is their accidental rolling over while sleeping on a soft surface.
- Many drop-side cribs have been recalled in recent years due to manufacturing and design issues, which the study authors suggest is a major contributing factor.
- The reason for this is that historically speaking, cribs don't have the best reputation.
- Since the design hasn't been updated in over two decades, there has been a significant paradigm shift in our knowledge of how to make them safer.
- What to do at home, when to call the doctor, and how to prevent mild, moderate, or severe head injuries in babies and toddlers are covered in this article.
- Reasons Why Infants Suffer From Concussions Most infants will get a concussion sometime within their first year.
- This is due in part to the fact that infants lack the motor skills necessary to exert the same level of control over their own head movements as do grownups.
- The most prevalent reasons for these bumps, however, typically result in the least serious injuries.
- Head bumps in infants can occur for a number of causes.
- Even in houses where everyone is paying close attention, accidents like spills and falls happen frequently.
- However, other accidents result from much more severe circumstances.
- Due to these circumstances, they may be more likely to experience a fall.
- Kids' primary source of injury is falls, and it doesn't matter how they go down.
- They account for half of all infants under 1 year old who have nonfatal accidents.
- Well, here's some good news: Major head trauma is uncommon after a fall.
- TBIs were seen in fewer than 3% of toddlers who had fallen off of low surfaces like furniture or a stroller (an injury that causes damage to the brain).
- Injuries to the brain, such concussions, are uncommon results of these kinds of accidental collisions.
- Crashes Bicycle and car accidents, in which the child is either a passenger or a pedestrian, are additional sources of childhood head trauma.
- The severity of these wounds can vary.
- Abuse of children An estimated 1,300 infants in the United States suffer from abusive head trauma (AHT) per year.
- How will you determine the severity of a blow to the head?
- Head injuries that are only slightly severe Even if your infant or toddler has had a mild concussion, they won't be able to communicate to you that they're in pain or experiencing any dizziness or nausea.
- A concussion is a damage to the brain that results from the brain's soft tissue bouncing violently against the skull after sustaining a blow to the head.
- Too much sobbing issues with equilibrium Variations in their wake-up and bedtime routines (for example, the baby is hard to wake up) Bruises under the eyes and behind the ears (can signal a serious skull fracture) If You Think You Need Help, Dial 911 If your kid: Suffering from a fit Becomes unresponsive Vomits Hemorrhaging profusely; exerting pressure for many minutes did not halt the haemorrhage Is experiencing ear or nasal discharge Is swollen and bruised around the crown of the head (this could indicate a skull fracture) Has a bulging fontanelle (the soft spot or fontanelle is the area where your baby's skull plates meet; this area will eventually fuse).
- Getting out of bed can be a struggle.
- When your infant gets a bump on the head, how can you know whether it's nothing serious?
- Massive Bleeding If the bump continues to bleed after a few minutes of pressure, or if other portions of the body are bleeding as a result of the accident, you may be dealing with a more serious damage.
- Extremely Harsh Impacts Getting medical help quickly is essential if your child has suffered a high-impact fall or other significant injury.
- A Touch More Than Just the Head You're probably dealing with a more serious injury if your child's neck or spine are also hurt.
- If a spinal injury is suspected, you should never move a child.
- Transformed Behaviour Hours after the bump, you should be concerned if your kid is still more fussy than usual, refusing meals, vomiting excessively, appearing less coordinated, or continuing to seem sluggish or simply not themselves.
- Not Awake or Responding If your infant suddenly becomes unresponsive, call 911 immediately.
- When You Should See a Doctor Most medical professionals advise checking in with your child's doctor after any injury to the head, no matter how minor.
- The majority of the time, a trip to the doctor isn't essential.
- Your doctor will go over the best ways to care for your infant at home following any minor injuries and when it's necessary to bring your child in for further examination.
- If your baby's behaviour changes after sustaining a head bump or if there are any signs of infection at the bump's site, your doctor may want to visit your child for an evaluation.
- When did your baby first start to show signs of a head bump, and how did you notice it?
- The infant will also be given a complete physical examination by your doctor.
