When your baby starts to crawl, they can bump their head on furniture or other objects and when starting to walk they may be unsteady and fall. Most of the time the injury will be minor and they might not even cry, but sometimes a bump on the head can be more serious.
Head injuries in babies and children
Dr Lynn Thomas, OStJ, BSc, MB.BS, MA, FRCPClinically reviewed: 28/04/2025
When your baby starts to crawl, they may bump their head or fall. Find out what to look for and what to do for minor and severe head injuries in babies and children.
Minor head injury
Signs and symptoms
Look for:
bump or bruise to the head
possible head wound
dizziness or vomiting
short period of unresponsiveness.
What to do
- 1
If you think your baby has a minor head injury sit them on your lap and try to assess the baby's level of response using the AVPU scale.
A - Are they alert? Are their eyes open?
V - Can they respond to you if you talk to them?
P - Does the baby respond to pain? If you flick the bottom of their foot, or pinch their ear lobe, do they respond to you by moving or opening their eyes?
U - Are they unresponsive to all of the above? If they are unresponsive or you are worried, call 999 or 112 for emergency help.
While you do this, hold something cold against the injury to help reduce the swelling, like an ice pack or a frozen bag of vegetables wrapped in a tea towel.
- 2
If they have any wounds, treat them by applying direct pressure to the wound.
- 3
Keep checking the baby’s level of response until they’ve recovered or medical help arrives.
Severe head injury
Signs and symptoms
Look for:
drowsiness
headache
vomit
if they suffer a seizure or fit
unequal pupil size
blood or blood-stained watery fluid coming from the ear or nose
unresponsiveness.
What to do
- 1
If you know that your baby has had a severe knock to the head or a minor head injury is getting worse, you should call 999 or 112 for emergency help. Tell ambulance control that you suspect your baby has a serious head injury.
- 2
While you’re waiting for help to arrive, check your baby’s breathing and ensure their airway is open and clear.
If they stop breathing at any point, prepare to start CPR. If possible, try not to move your baby in case they have a spinal injury. However, having a clear airway is always a priority.
