Please! Don’t Shake Your Baby
21 August 2017
Why Shaking a Baby is so Dangerous
Infants and young children have a relatively large and heavy head, weak neck muscles and a brain that is still developing, making a baby’s brain more prone to injury from shaking. With shaking, a baby’s head wobbles rapidly back and forth and the brain strikes the inside of the skull. The effect is similar to whiplash. The brain may bleed or swell, raising pressure, which can further harm brain tissue. The result may be permanent brain damage. This condition more commonly known as “shaken baby syndrome”, “shaken impact syndrome” or “abusive head trauma ” is a grave form of abusive head trauma.
This information was prepared by the Trauma Department and the Child Protection Committee of The Montreal Children’s Hospital of the McGill University Health Centre.
Reviewed by Trauma specialists at the Montreal Children’s Hospital.
Last updated: July 2013, January 2016