Each year, thousands of babies across the nation suffer serious consequences from being shaken. A survey of ten of the largest children s hospitals in the country shows that in 1998 there were more than 130 SBS cases treated in these hospitals. More than 30 of the SBS victims died as a result of their injuries. The number one reason a baby is shaken is inconsolable crying.
Babies have large, heavy heads and weak, underdeveloped neck muscles.
The whiplash action of shaking causes the brain to ricochet about the skull and the blood vessels, connecting the brain to the skull, to tear. Consequences include brain damage, seizures, paralysis, blindness and death. Back to Top More than two-thirds of the perpetrators are male. Boys are more likely to be shaken than girls. Public understanding is limited.