Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) occurs when an infant or small child is shaken vigorously. Infants between the ages of 3 and 6 months are the most frequent victims of Shaken Baby Syndrome, but it can happen to children of any age. Infants are at greatest risk for injuries due to shaking because they have heavy heads and weak neck muscles that don’t offer much support. This allows their heads to snap back and forth, possibly causing physical injuries and sometimes even death.

One in four babies who are shaken die. Those babies that survive being shaken usually endure life-long injuries including:

• Brain damage
• Blindness
• Spinal injury/paralysis
• Mental retardation
• Seizures
• Deafness

How to Care for a Crying Baby

• Check to see if the baby’s diaper needs to be changed.
• Is the baby thirsty or hungry? Try offering the baby something to eat or drink.
• Does the baby have gas? Try burping the baby or rubbing the baby’s back.
• Is the baby feeling too warm or cold? Does he need more or less clothing, or does he feel feverish? Try changing the baby’s amount of covering or clothing, and/or take the baby’s temperature.
• Is the baby lonely or scared? Does holding and speaking softly calm the baby and make her feel more secure?
• Is the baby overly stimulated or tired? Try making the environment more quiet and calm. Remove the baby from an active area, put away extra toys, turn down the television or radio.
• Does the baby just need to cry? Sometimes babies get so worked up they just need to cry it out. Letting a baby cry for a little while won’t hurt him.

How You Can Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome

• Never shake a baby for any reason.
• Always provide support for a baby’s head when you are holding, playing with or moving the baby.
• If the baby is crying, try to discover why. Check to see if the baby’s diaper needs to be changed, whether the baby is hungry, too hot or cold, lonely, scared, or whether she is not feeling well.
• Find ways to pacify the baby. Hold and cuddle the baby, rock the baby, sing or talk to the baby, offer a pacifier, play calming music, take the baby for a walk.
• Find ways to help yourself stay or become more calm.
  • Put the baby down in a SAFE place while you go into another room and shut the door. It is okay to let a baby cry for a little while.
  • Take some deep breaths
  • Call a friend
  • Do something nice for yourself: play music, exercise, take a shower, read a magazine
  • Change your activity: shake a rug, do dishes or laundry, beat a pan or pillow, throw away trash
  • Ask someone else to watch the baby for you—a friend, relative, neighbor.
• Learn what to do if the baby won’t stop crying. What are specific things that usually help the baby calm down? Make a plan or have some ideas for ways to calm the baby and yourself down when the baby starts crying.
• Don’t play rough with babies and young children. Even some play activities can cause brain damage to young children. Avoid play that includes the tossing of children in the air or bouncing on an adult’s swinging leg, swinging children by arms or ankles, or jogging while carrying an infant on your back or shoulders.
• Let everyone who cares for the baby know about the dangers of shaking a baby. Remind other caretakers of the danger of rough play as well as how to carefully handle a baby in order to avoid injuries.

If you do shake a baby, accidentally or on purpose, take the baby to the emergency room immediately. You may feel embarrassed or guilty, but potential injuries can’t be treated unless someone knows.