Shaken Baby Syndrome

Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention

By Karen Stewards

Although there are often extensive lists of prevention tips and advice offered in order to prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome being inflicted on babies and infants, in essence it all boils down to just three key aspects:

Educate Yourself

Many people are actually not fully aware of the grave ramifications of shaking or throwing down a baby or young child. It is so essential that, as an expectant parent or entrusted baby sitter, you make it your responsibility to become familiar with the unique physical vulnerabilities that young babies have. As a consequence of merely being better informed your handling and limitations of physical force in many regards with your baby as a responsible adult will instinctively be more considered. It is such a simple and easily digestible mini education, that it is a wonder why a more apparent fact sheet or informative conversation is not issued or carried out with every new parent when taking their baby home from the hospital. There are numerous Shaken Baby Syndrome awareness campaigns taking place on a routine basis throughout the USA, in an attempt to do just that.

Understand Yourself

This seemingly simplistic point lies at the very foundation of preventing violently shaking your baby and preventing injury or possibly death to your baby.

Understand your everyday stress levels that you are comfortable with and try to maintain them within these boundaries. If you exceed your manageable routine stress levels at any period, either find a way to destress to acceptable levels or allow your partner or other trusted adult to look after your baby whilst you calm down.

This is particularly important for those individuals that are prone to physically uncontrollable fits of anger when they become over stressed. If you are a new parent and are aware that you have a track record of a physically reactive nature when over stressed, use the opportunity of your new baby arrival to seek professional advice or enroll on one of the many informal local stress management sessions and take pride in becoming a better human being for both yourself and those closest to you. A new baby brings innumerable pleasures but also an increase in the household stress levels.

Most people are actually more aware of their limitations and thresholds than they realize and for most, before they 'snap' they realize they are heading in that direction if the current situation continues. With a young baby in your arms, don't wait for the moment to arise, walk away before it happens. For those that may find themselves in this position when they are home alone with their baby, it's a safer alternative to put the baby down momentarily in a safe place, such as their baby crib, de-stress and then return.

Understand Your Baby

The most common time when an adult throws or shakes their baby is during a bout of seemingly uncontrollable and unrelenting baby crying. Although the mere sound of the crying may ratchet up your stress thermometer a degree or two, usually a genuine effort is made to calm the baby down in an appropriate and soothing fashion. If the baby continues to cry unremittingly and you've exhausted your usual causes such as hunger, a dirty diaper, insecurity or any apparent pain, the stress thermometer climbs another couple of degrees as you are left seemingly stranded. The only way now in your mind to stop the crying is well, for the baby to just stop. Unfortunately, a baby's crying duration and rationality isn't synchronized to your desire for your baby to stop when you've had enough. By understanding that you'll achieve your goal of quiet a lot quicker if you don't shout, scream or physically abuse your baby and keep that gem of certainty at the forefront of your mind during the persisting crying, you'll find it easier to view the crying episode taking place as a non-catastrophic event and part of bringing up a baby.

There are a number of successful tactics to calm, sooth and stop a baby crying and being familiar with some of these in advance will give you a ready arsenal to more effectively sooth your baby in the future. As time passes, understanding which one of these tricks work best for your particular baby will be even more satisfying. Some of the tried and tested methods include rocking or walking your baby, singing or talking to your baby gently, offering a pacifier, distract your baby with a visually stunning baby toy or take your baby for a motion ride in a stroller or in the car. In essence, understand, control and don't let your baby become just another statistic while you live with the consequences for the rest of your life.

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