The child fell - what to do?

What to do if a child falls?

• Calm and comfort him/her with a soothing touch and words.
• Put a cold compress or ice (wrapped in a cloth or handkerchief) on the place where a bruise occurred.
• If a child complains of severe pain in the leg or arm after a fall and is unable to walk or walks with difficulty, and there is a pronounced swelling at the impact site, the presence of a sprain, sprain or fracture should be considered.
• If a child cuts him/herself by falling - in case of superficial wounds, you can wash the wound with soap and water to remove dirt.
• If there is bleeding - it should be stopped.
• If the child hits his/her head by falling, but does not lose consciousness and behaves normally, carefully monitor his/her behavior for the next 48 hours, in order to detect any unusual signs that may indicate the presence of a severe injury.

When to take the child to the doctor?

Take your child to the doctor if he/she:

• is very sleepy or has difficulty waking up,
• complains of dizziness,
• starts vomiting,
• complains of pain in the head, neck or back,
• cannot walk normally, use or bend his legs or arms, or feels severe pain when moving or in the impact site,
• complains of vision problems,
• if you notice that he/she cannot focus his/her eyes normally.

When to call the emergency medical service immediately?

If you notice any of these, CALL THE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE IMMEDIATELY AT 194:

• he/she is unconscious,
• he/she cannot move or has difficulty moving after a fall,
• he/she has difficulty breathing, 
• he/she is conscious but very agitated,
• he/she projectile-vomits, 
• he/she is partially conscious, delirious, has an epileptic-like seizure.  

If the child is unconscious and shows no signs of life, it is necessary to start cardiopulmonary resuscitation immediately and call the emergency medical service as soon as possible (194).