iStock_000016863840SmallI need to preface this with the fact that I am a great mom. I have three kids who are all awesome, healthy, and relatively well-mannered. That being said, accidents still happen.

Yesterday my youngest son, 18 months old, tumbled down our flight of stairs. I was standing right next to him. I opened the gate as always and started down while holding his hand. He had other ideas. He got away from me and down the stairs he went. Longest two seconds of my life.

First thing. If your child loses consciousness call the doc and take them in.
Vomiting. This was the second thing my doctor asked me. Had my son vomited. So if your child hits their head then proceeded to vomit, take them in.

Changes in vision. Of course with a young child this is hard to figure out. I can’t exactly ask my 18 month old if his vision is different. But I can check to see if is eyes are dilated, or not reacting to light properly.

Lots of blood. Always good to get lots of blood looked at. The head has lots of sensitive areas that bleed easy, but lots of blood needs to be checked out.

Fluid draining from the eyes or ears.

If your child is unusually lethargic or irritable, that is also a good reason to have them checked out.

Thankfully for us, my son had none of these issues. We took him in anyway because well, honestly, I was so rattled that it made me feel better. How could a small child fall down an entire flight of stairs and not have more than a goose egg on his head? Of course I always believe in taking your child in to the doctor if you think you should. Regardless of any of the above criteria. Better safe than sorry. Your doctors will not mind. It is what you pay them for.
-Stephanie Wright

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