Help Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS)

Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) Options

Shaken Baby Syndrome or SBS, refers to the symptoms resulting from violent shaking of an infant child, a preventable abuse. This usually happens when the caretaker gets stressed and frustrated while the baby is crying, and attempts to shake the baby to stop it from crying. This causes neurological damage from the whiplash effect on the spinal cord and brain.

In America alone, there are around 1500 shaken babies every year who are brought in for treatment. Of these young victims, more than 1/4 do not survive their injuries. Those that survive will have many problems from the trauma that will last their entire life. There is no doubt many others that suffer the symptoms that were never brought in for treatment.

This syndrome can be prevented by continued education and preparation before (or while) having children. The mother, or father, or babysitter must learn what the baby's needs are and learn a lot of patience. All babies will cry. This is a way for them to communicate, since they do not yet know how to talk. It does not always mean that the caretaker is doing anything wrong.

We have all been around the baby who continues to cry. You feed the baby, you check the diaper, you try burping the baby, you checked the child's temperature, and you tried turning down the noise in the room...but the baby still continues to cry. Again, it does not necessarily mean that you have done anything wrong. It could just be that the infant has gas or is starting to have teeth come through.

Some Alternative options that you can try:
- SPEAK SOFTLY to the baby
- SING to the baby
- ROCK the baby
- MASSAGE the baby's back
- OFFER A PACIFIER (but don't force it)
- PLAY SOFT MUSIC like classical, or nursery music
- WALK the baby in a stroller
- ENTERTAIN the baby

In the end, every mother or father says that raising children was worth it. Babies can't cry forever.