Take A Break to Avoid Shaken Baby Syndrome

Being a new parent can be a joyous time, but it can also test your patience. Your baby will cry for all sorts of reasons; sometimes they’ll cry for no reason at all. This often makes it a struggle to keep your emotions in check. Learn ways to avoid shaken baby syndrome.

All babies cry — some for two or more hours a day. At six weeks of age, the average infant cries about 3.5 hours each day. Babies cry when they’re hungry, uncomfortable, stressed, frustrated, tired or lonely. Crying is the only way a baby knows how to communicate. This form of communication can become intolerant to a parent, who is under stress and sleep deprived. This could lead to physical abuse of the baby often called shaken baby syndrome (SBS).

Shaken Baby Syndrome Is Dangerous

The injuries from SBS occur when a child is shaken so vigorously, that their head rotates about the neck uncontrollably. This “whiplash effect” causes the child’s brain to hit back and forth against its skull, causing significant damage to the brain, such as blood vessels rupturing, bruising or bleeding. The damage can be even greater when shaken baby syndrome ends with an impact, such as the child being dropped or thrown.

Roughly 20% of shaken babies die, and 80% of shaken babies suffer from serious injuries and long-term disabilities each year. SBS often causes irreversible damage such as:

• Blindness
• Hearing loss
• Seizures
• Developmental delays
• Severe mental disabilities
• Cerebral palsy

The vast majority of SBS victims are infants younger than 1 year old, although these injuries are occasionally seen in children up to 4 years old.

Steps to Take When Your Baby Doesn’t Stop Crying

When an adult is helping a baby or child through a stressful situation, the baby learns how to regulate their response to the issue. This is called co-regulation. In other words, if you are tuned into the baby’s needs, you can calm the baby’s reaction to stress through your words, actions or movements. Over time, you’re helping your child sort through the moment and learn how to react in the future.

If your baby won’t stop crying, make sure they don’t need to be fed, burped or changed. Make sure they don’t have a fever or diaper rash or are teething. Then try one or a combination of the following tips:

• Take a break. You need to feel well enough to care for the baby. Lay your baby down in a safe sleeping area, like a crib, for a few minutes and walk away. Get outside, take deep breaths or take a shower. The baby’s needs being met 10 minutes later is fine.
• Swaddling. Wrap your baby tightly in a receiving blanket to replicate warmth, protection, and the “tight fit” the womb provides.
• Side/stomach soothing. Lay your baby on their side or stomach while holding them. If they fall asleep, don’t place them on their stomach as it increases the risk of SIDS.
• “Shhhing” sounds. Create this sound with a “white noise” machine, dishwasher, car ride or hair dryer.
• Swinging. Create a rhythmic movement by placing your child in an infant swing, rocking chair or carrier.
• Sucking. Occupy your baby with a pacifier, infant bottle or a mother’s nipple.
• Singing. Sing, play music or talk to your baby.

When you begin to feel frustrated, lay the baby on their back in the crib, close the door and check on them every 10 minutes. If they haven’t stopped crying and your feelings of anger are growing, call a friend or relative to take care of the baby while you take a break. When you feel ready to watch your baby again and they still haven’t stopped crying, you may consider calling the pediatrician in case there is a medical reason for the fussiness.

Finding ways to deal with your frustration will make it easier to deal with your baby when they’re upset. If you take it one day at a time and ask for help when you need it, dealing with your crying baby will seem much easier!