Babies have large heads, weak neck muscles and soft, fragile brains. Shaken Baby Syndrome is a collective name for a number of injuries caused by an adult losing control and violently shaking a baby. The shaking, which can happen for as little as 5 seconds, causes the baby’s brain to bounce around inside the skull and bruise, bleed and swell. Related injuries include damage to the spinal cord and retinal bleeding. Shaken Baby Syndrome is basically a type of whiplash, and more likely to happen if the baby’s head is also hitting an object, even something as soft as a pillow. Signs of Shaken Baby Syndrome include vomiting, extreme irritability, loss of consciousness, blue skin and breathing difficulties. Doctors say that about a fifth of all Shaken Baby Syndrome cases lead to death within days. A majority of children with Shaken Baby Syndrome end up with permanent damage and disabilities such as blindness, paralysis or mental retardation. Experts say gentle bouncing, swinging or other play does not cause the type of damage seen in Shaken Baby Syndrome. That degree of damage is also very unlikely to be caused by accidental falls off furniture, or even down stairs.
National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome
“What Is Shaken Baby Syndrome?”
"Shaken baby syndrome is a term used to describe the constellation of signs and symptoms resulting from violent shaking or shaking and impacting of the head of an infant or small child. The degree of brain damage depends on the amount and duration of the shaking and the forces involved in impact of the head." …read the full article
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
“Shaken Baby Syndrome Information Page”
"Shaken baby syndrome is a type of inflicted traumatic brain injury that happens when a baby is violently shaken. A baby has weak neck muscles and a large, heavy head. Shaking makes the fragile brain bounce back and forth inside the skull and causes bruising, swelling, and bleeding, which can lead to permanent, severe brain damage or death." …read the full article
Kids Health
“Abusive Head Trauma (Shaken Baby Syndrome)”
"The perpetrators in these cases are most often parents or caregivers. Common triggers are frustration or stress when the child is crying. Unfortunately, the shaking may have the desired effect: although at first the baby cries more, he or she may stop crying as the brain is damaged. " …read the full article
Child Protection Council
“Babies Break If You Shake Them”
"Things which might tell you if a baby has been shaken include: being grumpy or annoyed, tired, no energy or not responding, having trouble breathing, not eating well or other feeding problems, throwing up, having fits, being like a rag doll." …read the full article
ABC News
“Doubt Cast On ‘Shaken Baby Syndrome’”
"Doctors are calling for a rethink of shaken-baby syndrome as researchers cast doubt on one of the symptoms used to identify it. " …read the full article
