BABY LOVE: Childhood falls - When should you call the doctor?

On Tuesday, September 23, 37-year-old Janet Sakwe, a single mother of five, found a Sh20 coin in her daughter’s pocket.

The nine-year-old refused to reveal where the money had come from and Janet, feeling angry, beat her. At one point, the girl slipped and fell hard on the floor and then vomited soon after.

Janet gave her some water. It was only when she noticed that the girl was motionless that she thought she should rush her to hospital. The girl died before they got there, and the mother was arrested to be charged with the death.

Barely two months before that, on July 13, Wangu Mungai was bathing her seven-year-old daughter in their Embakasi home when the child slipped on the tiled floor and hit her head on the wall. The girl vomited then told her mother that she had a headache and was feeling drowsy.

The young mother gave her daughter some painkillers and then tucked her into bed thinking that she would be as good as new when she woke up. The little girl never woke up.

Common accidents

These are just two of the many young lives that are unnecessarily lost each month because their parents and guardians failed to see or ignored the danger signs following a fall.

Falls are some of the most common accidents at home, especially with toddlers and young children who are still unstable on their feet.

It would be impractical to recommend that a parent rushes the child to the ER each time the child stumbles; so how does a parent know that it is time to call the doctor or to rush the child to the hospital?

Danger signs

According to Were Olwa, a trainer at the Kenya Red Cross training school, whether a fall warrants a visit to the hospital depends on several things; the age and weight of the child, the height from which the child fell and the texture of the surface the child hit.

If a child falls from up high onto a hard surface, or lands head first, a hospital visit is necessary.

Other signs of urgency include the child losing consciousness, if they have a seizure, if there is bleeding that will not stop with the application of pressure, or if there are open injuries.

If none of these is injuries is immediately apparent, you may need to investigate.

Start by calming down the upset child in order to better investigate them. Once calm, check their limbs, head and body for extreme or obvious swellings or deformity. If there aren’t any obvious injuries, watch out for a child’s behaviour and responses.

It is a bad sign when, even after some time, a child is excessively irritable and crying or shows unusual drowsiness. Also, watch out for signs that the child may have suffered a concussion or a skull fracture. These include lethargy, vomiting, difficulty in breathing and/or with coordination, confusion, an inability to wake up, pupils of unequal size or eyes that won’t open fully, bruising behind the ears or blood or clear fluid leaking from the ear canal.

Parental instincts should also never be ignored: If your child isn’t exhibiting any symptoms but you feel that they need to go for a check -up, do not hesitate.

How to fall-proof your home

• According to Were Olwa, the rule of the thumb is prevention rather than control. Here are tips that can make your home safer for your children.

• Place an anti-slip mat in the bath or bathroom floor.
• Never leave you baby alone on chairs, beds or other spots from where they can fall.
• If you live in a multi-level home, install safety gates at the top and bottom of the stairs to prevent access by younger children.

• Teach older children not to run or play on the stairs.

• Arrange furniture to give room to walk through spaces freely.

• Clean up spills right away.

• Ensure you have enough lighting in each room.

• Place frequently used items where they can be reached without a lot of climbing.