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Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.
Joel 2:32
Simply shaking a child can cause lifelong injuries

September is baby safety awareness month. The Memphis and Shelby County Health Department offers the following advice for prevention of shaken baby deaths. Every year thousands of babies are shaken by parents or caregivers, many of whom don’t realize that simply shaking a child can cause lifelong injuries.

A baby’s neck is very weak and its head is very heavy. The stretching motion that comes from a child’s head snapping back and forth during shaking can rupture blood vessels in the brain and result in serious injury or death.

You can prevent shaking injuries by:
  • Always supporting the head and neck of an infant or small child as they are picked up.
  • When playing with your child, never throw or toss, jerk, or swing a child by the arms or legs. Although you may think your child is enjoying the motion and you are having fun, the risk to your baby is great and could cause death.
  • Always supervise older children when they play with a baby or small child.
  • Choose babysitters and caregivers carefully. Make sure they know the dangers of shaking small children.
  • If you become upset with a child, first make sure the child is in a safe place, then go into another room. Take a few moments to calm down before you handle the child again. Call someone to help if you are still angry and the child needs care. The call could save a child’s life.

For more information about shaking injuries and how to prevent them, call the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department’s Office of Community Health Nursing at (901) 544-7646.

For information about a variety of childbirth classes for expectant parents and sibling and grandparent education classes, please visit the Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women classes and events page.

Published: September 15, 2006
Source: Memphis and Shelby County Health Department



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