My toddler may have broken his nose

Question

I have a 19 1/2 month old son who just fell off the couch and hit his nose on our coffee table about an hour ago. It bled but not for very long and swelled up almost immediately. He cried for about 20 minutes but is now fine and went to sleep. I gave him some tylenol and tried to put some ice on it but he won't let me do that. He seems to feel better now. Is it okay that he went to bed for the night? And should I take him to the pediatrician tomorrow? It wasn't black and blue yet so i'm not sure if it's broken or if he just really banged it. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks

Answer 1

take him to the ER and have them look at it. If it's broken it needs to get medical attention right away and you won't know for sure unless a doctor sees him. Wake him up and take him- NOW.

Answer 2

Did you check to make sure that his eyes were dilating? That is really the only concern. They can't really do anything for him if he broke his nose, but you should wake him up to see that his eyes are dilating ok.  

Answer 3

Anytime I have an issue like that, I call the local "ask a nurse" line at the hospital.  They ask a bunch of questions and determine if he needs to be seen asap,or the following day at the pediatricians office.  I still take him in to the E.R. if I am worried.  Its more of a judgment call than anything. Hope he is ok!

Answer 4

He's probably fine, but just keep an eye on him. If it still seems swollen in the morning and his eyes are puffy/bruised, give your physician a call. Also, just make sure he's breathing normally.

Toddlers are pretty tough... I wouldn't be super concerned.  

Answer 5

Um...ER?