Never Shake a Baby or Young Child

• Shaking a baby can cause serious damage, such as: permanent handicaps, brain damage, blindness, paralysis, stroke, seizures, mental retardation, and even death.
• 1/3 of all children who have Shaken Baby Syndrome die.
• An infant’s head accounts for one third to one quarter of his/her body weight. Unlike adults, a baby’s head is large in proportion to his/her body and the neck muscles are relatively weak.
• When a baby is shaken, the brain and skull rotate at different rates of speed. The veins that connect the surface of the brain and the undersurface of the skull break as a result of these forces, causing severe brain damage.)
• Shaken Baby Syndrome occurs most often when the caregiver is feeling frustration, anger, and an overwhelming sense of responsibility.
• Make sure anyone who handles your baby knows the dangers of shaking a baby. Educate all family members and caregivers about the fragility of a baby’s brain, head, and neck and the serious damage caused by Shaken Baby Syndrome.