Approximately 20-30% of victims of shaken baby syndrome in the United States will die as a result of their injuries. Shaken baby syndrome is the name given to describe the head trauma that is inflicted on a baby when the parent or infant’s caretaker shakes the infant violently causing brain damage. This deadly form of child abuse accounts for serious traumatic brain injury (TBI) in up to 1,500 infants per year.

Caretakers and parents who have become frustrated with a crying baby may shake them violently in an effort to keep them quiet. The shaking does quiet the baby by damaging his brain. Children living in poverty are the victims of shaken baby syndrome more often than those not living in poverty. Male caretakers are estimated to be the perpetrators of shaken baby syndrome between 60-90% of the time, and approximately 60% of the victims of shaken baby syndrome are males.

Shaken Baby Syndrome affects children under one year of age (typically) due to their underdeveloped brain structure, but cases of brain injury from shaking have been reported in children up to four years old. Babies who survive being shaken often develop symptoms that last a lifetime including blindness, seizure, hearing loss, cognitive dysfunction, mental retardation and paralysis.

How is the Brain Affected by Shaking?

When adults shake an infant, the infant’s still-undeveloped brain is moved about violently. Since their little necks do not have muscles developed enough to stabilize their own heads, the brain shakes within the skull causing torn brain tissue and ruptured blood vessels. The shaking, in turn, causes swelling in the brain; the swollen tissue constricts blood flow to the child’s brain, preventing its development and contributing to blood clots.

Shaken babies often stop crying as the shaking progresses and the brain damage becomes more severe. The degree of the traumatic brain injury caused by the shaking depends on the severity and repetition of the shaking. Some signs of shaken baby syndrome are lethargy, inability to lift the head and focus the eyes, lack of vocalization, decreased appetite and lack of smiling. Because parents and caretakers know they are the cause of these symptoms, they often will not take the children to the hospital for fear of criminal charges being placed against them.

There are ways to lessen the incidences of shaken baby syndrome. Parenting classes and stress relief techniques can help minimize the frustration felt by a distraught parent. It is appropriate to play with a baby safely and jiggle your infant on your knee in a soft, playful way; however, shaking a baby in anger will most likely cause brain damage that will last a lifetime.