Parents and caregivers of young children

What is Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS)?

Shaken Baby Syndrome is a term used to describe the very serious injuries that can happen if a baby is roughly shaken. Rough shaking causes a baby's head to whiplash back and forth. The jerking motion can cause blood vessels inside the brain and behind the eyes to tear and bleed.

Compared to adults and older children, babies have fragile and undeveloped brains. Babies' heads are heavy and their neck muscles are weak; this is why their heads have to be supported. The younger the child the more at risk they are because their brains and bodies haven't yet developed; however, there have been SBS victims as old as five years old.

Even a few seconds of shaking can cause a baby to have lasting brain damage or even die.

• One-fifth to one-third of the known SBS victims die.
  
• Many SBS survivors have life long disabilities, such as blindness, paralysis, growth and development disabilities, eating problems, mental disabilities, and/or seizure disorders.
  
• Even victims who seem OK at first may have problems later on, such as learning and attention difficulty in school.

Play activities like being bounced on a knee, or swinging in an infant seat, do not cause the type of injuries seen in Shaken Baby Syndrome. But, when doing any activities that may cause jarring, be sure that the baby's head and neck are well supported. If you are not sure that an activity is safe for your baby, don't do it.

Why would anyone shake a baby?

Violently shaking an infant is not a random act committed by a stranger. Usually, shaking a baby is an impulsive act, often by an exhausted or frustrated parent or caregiver. It could happen to anyone.

Reasons for shaking a baby or child include toileting mistakes, sleeping

There is an important link between infant crying and Shaken Baby Syndrome. The most common reason given for shaking a baby is that the baby wouldn't stop crying or fussing.

problems, or feeling that the child is not listening to the caregiver. The most common reason given for shaking a baby is that the baby wouldn't stop crying or fussing.

It is normal to have strong feelings in response to a baby's crying; however, everyone needs to know that they must never shake or otherwise harm a baby.

To learn more about infant crying, click here