Was it the mouth, not the nose?
If the ball caught the lip or a tooth, the mouthguard guide has the calm first response.
See the mouthguard guideWhat to Do If Your Child Gets a Nosebleed Playing Football
Kit, Rules & Safety
A ball to the nose usually means a short, messy scare.
If your child gets a nosebleed playing football, sit them down, lean them forward, pinch the soft part of the nose for 10 to 15 minutes and know the signs that need a professional (NHS).
For years I believed you tipped the head back, and I did exactly that at the back door with a tea towel before I read the NHS page properly. I am a dad, not a nurse, so everything below names its source, mostly the NHS, and 111 is the place for anything that worries you.
Start here
Football Hit Your Child's Nose and It Is Bleeding: The Short Answer
Sit your child down, lean them forward and pinch the soft part of the nose, just above the nostrils, for 10 to 15 minutes while they breathe through their mouth. Do not tilt the head back. The NHS says to go to A&E if the bleeding lasts longer than 10 to 15 minutes, started after a blow to the head, or comes with vomiting, dizziness or difficulty breathing (the NHS advice on nosebleeds). Clear fluid from the nose or any vision problem after a knock to the head means 999 (the NHS head injury advice).
Nosebleeds are common in childhood, and most settle with simple measures (a Cochrane review of children's nosebleeds). The steps below cover the usual case. The red flags further down are the exceptions, and they are worth reading before you ever need them.
The sources differ on timing. The NHS says A&E after 10 to 15 minutes, while some charities say 30 (St John Ambulance and the British Red Cross), and the figure used here is the NHS's.
The NHS lists a nosebleed that started after a blow to the head as a reason for A&E. For a ball in the face, my own reading is that if in doubt you ring 111 and describe what happened. That is my judgement, not the NHS's wording.
If the knock came from heading the ball, whether children should head the ball at all is worth reading once the bleeding has stopped. None of this is medical advice, and the NHS is the place to check.
Do this first
Treating a Nosebleed After Football: Six Steps
These steps are the NHS's, and charities add detail where the NHS is silent.
- 1
Sit down and lean forward. Sit your child down with the head tilted forward and the mouth open, so the blood runs out of the nose and not down the throat (NHS). Do not tilt the head back or lay them down (an NHS ambulance service's child nosebleed page and the British Red Cross guide to a child's nosebleed).
- 2
Pinch the soft part. Pinch the soft part of the nose, just above the nostrils, with finger and thumb, not the hard bony bridge. Ask your child to breathe through their mouth (NHS).
- 3
Start a timer and hold for 10 to 15 minutes. The NHS says 10 to 15 minutes. Children's hospitals add that you should hold the full time without checking (Alder Hey's advice on nosebleeds in children and the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne nosebleed fact sheet).
- 4
Cold on the nose. An ice pack or frozen peas in a tea towel on top of the nose may help reduce the blood flow (NHS). Loosen anything tight round the neck (the Better Health Channel nosebleed advice).
- 5
If it is still bleeding, stop and decide. The NHS says go to A&E if it lasts longer than 10 to 15 minutes. Go straight there, and call 999 if you cannot get your child there safely, which is my own reading, not the NHS's. A charity allowing further rounds of pinching is not a reason to wait or to ring 111 first.
- 6
Keep leaning and wipe up. Once it stops, keep leaning forward while you clean round the nose with lukewarm water (St John Ambulance nosebleed advice). If it starts again later, sit them down and pinch again, because a quick restart can be as simple as a touched nose (British Red Cross).
For the next 24 hours the NHS says no blowing or picking the nose, no hot drinks, no heavy lifting or strenuous exercise and no lying flat (NHS).
When it is not just a nosebleed
Ball Hits Face: Nosebleed First Aid and the Red Flags
A nosebleed is the nose, but a ball in the face can also mean a knock to the head or a broken nose. The table puts the NHS's own warnings in one place and says which NHS page each comes from. If more than one row fits your child, do what the most urgent row says: 999 before A&E, and A&E before 111.
| What you see | What to do | Where the NHS says it |
|---|---|---|
| Still bleeding after 10 to 15 minutes of pinching | Go to A&E | The NHS nosebleed page says A&E if it "lasts longer than 10 to 15 minutes" (NHS). Go straight there, and call 999 if you cannot get your child there safely. That second part is my own reading. Charities and one children's trust use 20 or 30 minutes, so the NHS figure is the one used here. |
| Heavy bleeding, swallowed blood that makes them vomit, weak, dizzy or short of breath | A&E, 999 if you cannot get there safely | All four are on the NHS nosebleed A&E list (NHS). |
| The bleed started after a hard blow to the head or face | A&E. Ring 111 if you are unsure the knock counts | The NHS says A&E if it "started after a blow to your head" (NHS). It does not define "blow", so for a light touch on the nose ring 111 and describe it. That reading is mine, not the NHS's. |
| Clear, watery fluid from the nose | 999 | The NHS head injury page lists clear fluid from the nose or ears under 999 (NHS). The broken nose page says it could be a sign of a serious head injury (NHS). |
| Vision or hearing problems, a black eye when the eye was not hit, cannot stay awake, a fit, new weakness or changed behaviour | 999 | All are on the NHS head injury 999 list (NHS). |
| Dizzy or being sick after a knock to the head, once the nose has stopped bleeding | Ring NHS 111 | This is on the NHS head injury 111 list (NHS). If the nosebleed started after a hard blow to the head or face, the A&E row for that comes first. |
| The nose looks bent, has changed shape or crackles when touched | Ice in a tea towel and do not straighten it. Ring 111, or go to A&E if it bled after a hard blow | The NHS broken nose page gives the signs as pain, swelling, bruising and crunching. It says to get help from 111 if the nose is crooked after the injury, or the swelling has not started to go down after 3 days (NHS). If the bleed started after a hard blow, the A&E row for that comes first. |
| Nosebleeds keep coming back, or your child is on blood-thinning medicine | See a GP | This is on the NHS nosebleed page (NHS). |
After any head injury the NHS says an adult should stay with the child for at least the first 24 hours (NHS). The NHS 999 head injury list is longer than this table, so read the full page.
The calm half of first aid
Child Scared of Nosebleeds During Football: What to Say
Crying increases blood flow, so keeping a child calm is part of first aid (the Better Health Channel nosebleed advice). Blood also looks like more than it is, and it is rare for children to lose enough to cause a problem (Alder Hey's advice on nosebleeds in children).
Four short moves help. Say it, in a slow, flat voice and one sentence. Sit it, on the step and not the grass, with the head forward.
Give your child a job, such as holding the pinch or watching a sand timer or kitchen timer you start together. Use the timer for the full 10 to 15 minutes, counting aloud together to pass the time, with no early checking.
Skip "it's nothing", because it argues with the fear. Name what you see instead: "That looks dramatic and it is really common." If the ball itself now feels scary, the roll-first guide for a ball-shy child is the next stop.
"Shall we sit on the step together? Lean forward a little and I'll set the timer. Blood always looks like more than it is, and you're doing brilliantly."
Once it has stopped, tell your child what happened in plain words: the ball caught your nose, which is a soft part, and it's all done. You can add that around half of children their age have had one (a Cochrane review of children's nosebleeds). Never promise it will not happen again.
Your own panic needs a plan too. Say the six steps aloud to yourself, because the first thing a frightened child reads is the adult's face.
The next days and weeks
After the Nosebleed: Cleaning Up and Getting Back to Play
Wipe the face with lukewarm water (St John Ambulance) and wash your hands. Rinse a stained top in cold water first, and wipe down the ball and the step with soapy water.
Same day: quiet
The NHS says no heavy lifting or strenuous exercise for 24 hours after a nosebleed (NHS). Quiet play, no hot drinks and no blowing the nose.
Next day: soft and low
If it was a plain nosebleed with no red flag, try a few gentle passes with a soft ball at body height, and stop at the first drip or the first "I don't want to". For a ball-shy child, start with the rolling in the roll-first guide.
After a head knock or a broken nose: follow the NHS limits
After a head injury the NHS says no contact sports for at least 3 weeks and rough play avoided for a few days (NHS). For a confirmed broken nose it says sport with a chance of facial contact should wait at least 6 weeks (NHS). Ask your doctor.
Keep shots below shoulder height, use a soft ball for close-range games and stop the game at the first bleed. It is the same low-shots, soft-ball rule as in the glasses guide, and if the ball caught the mouth instead of the nose there is a separate guide.
If a nosebleed repeats within days or comes without any knock, see a GP (NHS).
What is known and what is not
What the Sources Say, and Where They Differ
Nosebleeds in childhood are common. A Cochrane systematic review of treatments for recurrent childhood nosebleeds says around 56 percent of children aged 6 to 10 have had at least one. Read the Cochrane review. The figure quotes a 1979 study I could not read, so it shows how common nosebleeds are in general, not how often a ball causes one, and the review itself is about recurrent bleeds.
The thresholds differ. The NHS says A&E after 10 to 15 minutes, Alder Hey says 20, and St John Ambulance and the British Red Cross say 30. Read the NHS advice on nosebleeds. They were written for different audiences and none was tested against football, so the figure here is the NHS's and the doubtful are sent to 111.
No study measures nosebleeds from garden football, and the NHS nosebleed page does not say whether a ball to the face counts as a "blow to your head". I would rather give you the NHS figure and say where others differ than pick whichever sounds calmest.
Quick answers
Common Questions About Nosebleeds and Football
How long should I pinch my child's nose for a nosebleed?
The NHS says to pinch the nose just above the nostrils for 10 to 15 minutes, sitting forward and breathing through the mouth (NHS). Hold the whole time without checking.
Should my child tilt their head back during a nosebleed?
No. Lean forward with the head tilted forward. An NHS ambulance service says not to lie down or tilt the head back (NWAS), and the British Red Cross says blood can go into the airway or stomach (British Red Cross).
When should I take my child to A&E for a nosebleed?
The NHS says go to A&E if it lasts longer than 10 to 15 minutes, seems excessive, makes your child vomit from swallowed blood or started after a blow to the head. Weakness, dizziness or difficulty breathing also count (NHS). Go straight there, and call 999 if you cannot get your child there safely, which is my own reading.
Can a ball to the face cause a broken nose?
It can. Signs are pain, swelling, bruising, a crunching sound or a nose that looks crooked or changed in shape. The NHS says to get help from 111 if it is crooked after the injury, or the swelling has not started to go down after 3 days (NHS). If the nose bled after a hard blow to the face, go to A&E first, as the red-flag table says.
My child is scared of nosebleeds, what do I say?
Stay calm, because crying increases blood flow. Say what you will do and give your child a job such as watching the timer, for example "Shall we sit on the step together?" The full script is above.
Keep going
Where to Go From Here
Three places to go next, depending on what happened. And if the blood has landed on the kit, how to remove grass stains from a kids football kit covers the soak-first routine. And if the ball hit the head rather than the nose, what to do when a child bumps their head playing football covers the checks. For a ball to the stomach instead, what to do when a child is winded by a football has the steps.
Now afraid of the ball?
Roll it, slowly and softly, until the ball stops feeling loaded.
See the roll-first guideWant the full kit and safety list?
Everything on kit, rules and safety, in one place.
See Kit, Rules & SafetyTonight's five minutes
Set the timer, then play soft.
Put a clean tea towel and a timer where you can find them, agree three words (sit, pinch, count) and use the soft ball tonight.