Those first days after an injury are a blur — the ER or the clinic, the forms, the fear in your child’s face, and the voice in your head asking whether you should have seen it coming. You didn’t. This isn’t a punishment, and it isn’t your fault.
Here is a simple list for the first 72 hours. It is not everything. It is just enough to keep you moving when moving feels impossible.
Always follow the guidance of your child’s care team. If you are ever unsure, or if things seem to get worse, seek care right away. In an emergency, call 911.
1. Get them checked — and ask questions
If you haven’t already, have your child seen by a medical professional, even if they “seem fine.” Ask what to watch for, what a normal recovery looks like, and which symptoms should send you back in. Write the answers down; you won’t remember them later.
2. Know the red flags
After a head injury, some signs mean “go now.” Trust your gut and seek emergency care for things like worsening confusion, repeated vomiting, a worsening headache, slurred speech, weakness or numbness, a seizure, or if your child can’t be woken. You will not be “overreacting.” When in doubt, go.
3. Start a simple record today
It feels unnecessary right now. It won’t later. Keep one note (your phone is fine) with:
- The date, time, and what happened — in your own words
- Who was there and who you spoke to
- Symptoms, day by day
- Every appointment, provider, and instruction
- Receipts, bills, and any time you took off work
This helps with recovery, with school, and — if it ever comes to it — with any claim. You don’t need perfect records. You just need a start.
4. Tell the school in writing
Call if you need to, but also send an email so there’s a record. Let them know your child was injured, ask what their process is, and ask for a written copy of the injury, safety, and return-to-play policies. Keep emotion out of this first message — facts are enough for now.
5. Take care of the caregiver too
You are running on adrenaline and no sleep, and it will catch up. Eat something. Let someone bring you dinner. Tell one person what’s actually going on so you’re not carrying it alone. You cannot pour from an empty cup — especially not now.
What can wait
You do not have to figure out liability, reimbursement, or the big questions today. You do not have to be calm or composed. The only job in the first 72 hours is your child — and you, enough to keep showing up.
And when you’re ready to talk
When the dust settles and the questions pile up — the waiver, the bills, the school, the guilt — that’s what this community is for. Tell us your story, or start with our resources. You’re not the first mom to walk this road, and you don’t have to walk it alone.
This post is general information shared between parents, not medical or legal advice. For your child’s care, follow the guidance of a qualified professional.