My almost-three-year-old has brief head-

Book a paediatric review this week and start a one-page episode log today — what the episodes actually look like, timed and filmed, is what your child's doctor needs, not a written description of the worry.

Nothing you do tonight will make this better or worse, so the plan is: record cleanly, keep the routine steady, and get a booked door. This is home guidance, not a diagnosis — I can't diagnose these spells from a message, and I'm not going to change anything he takes or give him anything for them.

1. What you've already done, and the sharper version of it

• Writing the concern down — keep it, but make it a log. A general note ("he does the head-shaking thing") is the least useful thing a neurologist can work from. One row per episode, with the fields below, is what gets read.
• Asking for safe next steps — turn it into a booked appointment. The next step is not more information at home; it's a paediatric appointment where you ask directly about a neurology referral. You can make that call today; the clinic may want a week of the log first, and it will tell you so.
• One thing not on your list yet: split the two jobs. One adult holds him; the other films and writes. With a school week and someone else at home, that's the difference between getting a usable video and getting nothing.

2. Tonight and today (about 20 minutes of work, then normal life)

10 minutes — set up the log. One page on the fridge or a note on your phone, one row per episode. Put the phone where it can reach the cot/sofa without you leaving him.

5 minutes — make the call. Ask for a paediatric review this week, and say the words "brief head-shaking episodes" — those words get you the right kind of appointment faster than "a behavioural thing."

The rest of the day — normal routine on purpose. Same meals, same nap, same bedtime, calm transitions. A steady week makes the log readable; a chaotic week makes it unreadable. Keep him away from stairs, hard edges and the top step when an episode starts.

During an episode: support his head and neck if he's sitting, move hard or sharp things out of reach, stay with him, and keep talking calmly. Nothing else. Don't restrain his limbs, don't put anything in his mouth, don't try to stop it by shaking him, jostling him, or flashing lights, and give him nothing by mouth — no medicine, no supplement, no drops.

3. What to record (one row per episode)

In "what you saw": head turned to one side or up-and-down; eyes blinking, staring or rolling; arms or legs jerking; body stiff or floppy; staying on his feet or falling; colour change; drooling. Use the phone stopwatch for the length, and film from a distance without touching him — a video with his face visible is worth more than a description.

There's a printable one-pager with the log grid, the background the clinician will ask about, and the questions to ask at the visit: episode-log-and-visit-sheet-30cc9d26.pdf

Background to have ready (this is what neurology will ask for, so write it once): birth and early history; growth and milestones, including anything he's lost; hearing and speech so far; fevers with fits, head bumps, other illnesses; every medicine or remedy he's had, including anything given for these spells; sleep, appetite, screen time; and family history of seizures, faints or tremors.

4. Avoid list

• No diagnosis, and no changing or starting any medicine — including his, the elder's, or the pets'. No doses from anyone at home.
• Nothing by mouth for these spells: no melatonin, no "calming" drops, no herbal powders, no leftover adult medicines, nothing bought online without a prescription.
• Don't change a medicine a prescriber gave him, even if you think it's connected.
• Don't test him — no flash games, no breath-holding games, no deliberate sleep disruption to see if an episode appears.
• Don't ration food or sleep to "prevent" episodes, and don't argue with him mid-episode.
• Don't wait for the spells to stop before booking the appointment. "Let's see if it settles" is the step that turns a loggable pattern into a six-month delay.

5. Red flags — stop the DIY and get help now

Call your local emergency number now, and say "my nearly-three-year-old had a seizure-like episode", if any of these happen:

• An episode lasting 5 minutes or more, or one where you lose track of when it started.
• Repeated episodes with no normal, awake time in between.
• Stiffening and jerking with no awareness, not waking properly, floppy, or unable to drink.
• Blue or grey colour around the lips, or any breathing trouble.
• An episode after a bump to the head.
• Fever with a changed personality, unusual sleepiness, or not seeming like himself.
• New confusion, one-sided weakness, a drooping face, or slurred speech.
• Not back to his usual self for more than about an hour after an episode.
• Losing a skill he had before.

The rule of thumb for the emergency call: if you would not leave an adult alone like this, don't leave him alone. Stay with him, note the time it started, and tell the crew anything he has already been given.

6. Decision tree

Is he awake and his usual self right now?

• No — hard to wake, floppy, blue, breathing badly, or a face/limb has dropped → emergency now (red flags above).
• Yes → during the next episode, does he keep interacting with you? (Does he answer his name, keep playing, keep eye contact?)

- Yes, and he's back to himself within a minute or so → log it, film it, keep the appointment this week. Nothing to do tonight but keep the routine steady.
- No, or he takes much longer than usual to come back, or the episodes are clearly getting longer or more frequent → same-day medical review, and if any red flag above is present, the emergency number instead.

7. What success looks like in 24 hours (no cures promised)

By tomorrow night you want five things, and none of them is "the spells stopped" — they may well not, and their stopping is not what makes the appointment useful:

1. One complete row of the log filled in — even one episode is enough to start.
2. One short video, if you can get one without upsetting him. One is enough.
3. The appointment booked, or the referral question asked out loud.
4. The red-flag list written where you can see it without opening a chat.
5. Meals, nap and bedtime roughly as usual, and you still in one piece for the school week.

8. Scripts to screenshot

To reception or the paediatrician:
> "My child is nearly three. He's had brief episodes of head shaking, each lasting a few seconds, and he stays awake and goes back to his usual self afterwards. I've kept a written log and can bring video. I'd like a paediatric review and advice on whether he needs a neurology referral."

At the visit, ask:

• "What specifically should bring us back straight away?"
• "Over what time should this improve if it's going to?"
• "What must we not do at home?"
• "Do you want a neurology referral, and what do they want us to record before we're seen?"

If you tell me your country or city, I'll point you at the exact clinic to call and the local emergency entry point for where you are. I have no coverage of local clinics and emergency lines from here, so I won't guess a number for you.

The one thing that would change my advice: during an episode, does he stay awake and keep interacting with you — does he answer his name — and is he back to his usual self straight away?