Hit Head And Now A Small Nosebleed

Question: My 16 month old boy fell and hit his forehead yesterday and today he got a nosebleed, Should I be worried? He is also getting over the flu!

Baby Help Line:

Nosebleed After Fall In Children

Since it was almost 24 hours between your baby's fall and nosebleed, it is very possible that the two are not related. A flu often comes with a runny nose, so maybe the flu rather than the fall is the reason.

If a small nose bleed is the only thing happening after a fall when hitting the forehead, then most likely, there is nothing to worry about.

The minute a baby stands up and starts walking around, he or she will fall a lot and most of the time nothing bad will happen at all. The fall is usually from a low height. If your baby falls from something higher than the length of his or her body, it can be more serious.

When a baby has a nosebleed after a fall, it can sometimes be a reason for concern. Here are a few reasons for concern:

Is there any chance that your baby's nose is broken? (This should mean pain, and possibly crocked nose in addition to bleeding.)

If the bleeding won't stop. within 20 minutes.

If you baby has trouble breathing

If your baby is bleeding elsewhere, for example from their ears or gums.
If your baby is showing signs of concussions.

In these cases the nosebleed, when occuring after a fall, can be a sign of concussion or internal bleeding and should definitely be checked by a doctor.

But again, a small nosebleed that stops quickly as long as 24 hours after a fall is not likely to be anything to worry about unless the baby is showing other signs of concussion or internal bleeding.

Continue watching your child for a few days for more symptoms, such as being unusually sleepy, reduced balance, vomiting or being a lot more fussy than usual. Any of these can be a sign of injury and a doctor should be consulted.