Headache is more common in children than people think: more than half of school-age children experience headaches from time to time. The vast majority are benign; the family's job is to recognize the warning signs without panicking.

Common Causes

  • Tension-type headache: A pressing, mild-to-moderate sensation around the forehead and temples; associated with fatigue, screen time, stress and lack of sleep
  • Migraine: Throbbing, often one- or two-sided; accompanied by nausea-vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound. Childhood migraine can be shorter than in adults (1–2 hours) and may present as abdominal pain. A family history of migraine is typical
  • Febrile infections (the most common temporary cause), sinusitis
  • Hunger, thirst, skipping breakfast
  • Vision problems (refractive errors), dental issues

Warning Signs — Seek Help Without Delay

  • The "worst" sudden headache of their life
  • Pain that wakes the child from sleep at night, accompanied by morning vomiting
  • Pain that becomes progressively more frequent and severe
  • Neck stiffness together with fever, vomiting, altered consciousness (suspected meningitis)
  • Visual disturbance, double vision, loss of balance, weakness
  • Pain following head trauma
  • Recurrent headache in a child under 3 years of age

In the absence of these signs, a routine MRI/CT scan is not required in a child with a normal neurological examination.

Approach at Home

Regular sleep, not skipping breakfast, plenty of water, limiting screen time, and keeping a headache diary (to identify triggers) are the basic steps. Frequent use of painkillers can lead to medication overuse headache; the need for painkillers more than 2 days a week should be reported to the doctor.

📅 Book an online appointment for your child: Uzm. Dr. Hasan Keleş — appointment page

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This article is for general informational purposes only; it does not replace diagnosis and treatment. For any concerns about your child's health, be sure to consult a pediatric health and diseases specialist.

Uzm. Dr. Hasan Keleş — Specialist in Pediatric Health and Diseases, Gaziantep