Shaking a Crying Babies Causes Brain Damage

Cologne, Germany Newsbrief

A crying baby should never be shaken as this can cause severe brain damage or even death, Germany's professional association for pediatricians said in Cologne.

Parents should first leave the room or count to 10 and take a deep breath before acting hastily and doing something they later bitterly regret, the association advises. A pediatrician could recommend a nearby outpatient clinic that can make the interaction with a difficult infant easier.

About 100 infants in Germany annually suffer severe brain damage because they were shaken by caregivers who, in most cases, were overburdened. This figure was reported by the census unit for rare pediatric illnesses in Germany, but the pediatricians association estimates the number of babies in Germany that suffer trauma from shaking is higher.

Experts have determined that a risk factor or trigger for trauma from shaking is excessive crying. Brain damage resulting from external force that is not due to an accident is the most common cause of death among children ages six to 12 months.

"The baby's head is proportionally larger and the brain sitting relatively high with a high amount of fluid," said professor Hans-Juergen Nentwich, a member of the association's board of directors. "Only about five seconds of hard shaking are enough to break the brain functions."

Blood vessels and nerves tear, causing bleeding in the brain and brain damage. Bleeding around the eyes also is possible. More than two-thirds of the children who suffer trauma from shaking have permanent vision, hearing and speaking disabilities. Up to a quarter die from their injuries, he said.



For information on the detrimental brain impact from forcing a baby to cry see:

BOOKS:

*Why Love Matters

*The Science of Parenting
*The No-Cry Sleep Solution
*The Baby Sleep Book
*Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering
*The Baby Bond
*Natural Family Living
*The Baby Book
*The Continuum Concept: In Search of Happiness Lost
*Baby Matters
*Attachment Parenting: A Commonsense Guide to Understanding & Nurturing Your Baby
*Primal Health: Understanding the Critical Period Between Conception and the First Birthday
*The Attachment Connection: Parenting A Secure & Confident Child
*Attachment Parenting: Instinctive Care for Your Baby & Young Child
*Mothering Magazine

LINKED ARTICLES:

Excessive Crying Harmful to Babies

Being Wise to Babywise [advocates for CIO, 'controlled crying' and 'sleep training']

The Dangers of Leaving Baby to Cry It Out (CIO)

Crying It Out Causes Brain Damage

Dangers of Your Baby 'Crying It Out'

The Cons of Controlled Crying

Ask the Experts: Sleep Training

Healthy Infant Sleep

Should Baby Soothe Himself to Sleep?

Sleeping Through the Night

The No-Cry Sleep Solution

Biological Imperatives: Why Babies Do Not and Should Not Sleep Alone

Where Should Babies Sleep at Night? A Review of Evidence

Sleeping Like a Baby

10 Reasons to Sleep by Your Baby

Breastfeeding, Nightwaking: Protection from SIDS

Solitary or Shared Sleep: What is Safe?

Babies Not Designed to Sleep Alone

Baby Sleep: A Review of Research [with links to articles]

Train Up a Child in the Way He Should Go

Primal Love & Mothering

Night Time Parenting: A Practical Approach for the Reduction of Attachment Disorders and the Promotion of Emotionally Secure Children

WEBSITES:

Co-Sleeping vs. Crib Fact & Statistic Sheet

Baby Sleep Institute and McKenna Library of Research

To connect with other parents and get in on Sleep Forums:
SafeBedSharing.Org