Taking care of a fussy baby, or a baby who cries and cannot be consoled, is very, very stressful. Sometimes, usually out of frustration, a caregiver will shake the baby forcefully, in an attempt to make him stop crying.

Never shake a baby because his tiny, fragile brain may be damaged. It takes only a few seconds of shaking to cause irreversible brain damage in an infant. Further damage can occur if the shaking ends with the baby hitting something, like a wall or mattress. When a baby is shaken to the point where his brain is damaged, it is called Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) or shaken Impact Syndrome.

SBS is the leading cause of death in child abuse cases in the United States. The average age of the victims is between 3 and 8 months. In most cases, the person who injures the baby is a young male in his early 20s. He often is the baby's father or the mother's boyfriend. When a baby is shaken forcefully, the brain strikes the inside of the skull. This causes blood vessels and nerves to burst and the brain tissue to tear. Afterwards, the brain swells, causing more pressure and more damage. About 25-30% of the babies who have SBS die.

“I really learned a lot. For example, 1/3 of the babies die from baby shaking! That really got me sad! But you giving us that speech is truly going to change the future because now we know to not do it at all. To be honest, I didn’t know it was that important. But after everything you told us, it truly made me see things differently. Thanks.” ~ Alexis (8th Grade)