Background
All babies cry, but when the crying is constant it can cause parents to feel stress, frustration and inadequacy. Studies have repeatedly shown that frustration with a crying baby is the number one cause of Shaken Baby Syndrome, yet a nationwide study conducted by Dr. Jacy Showers, of the Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention Plus Program, shows that 37% of parents and caregivers are unaware that shaking a baby is dangerous. When a young baby is shaken, it can result in blindness, mental retardation, seizures, broken bones, skull fractures, cerebral palsy and, in many cases, death. Each year, five to ten severe cases of shaken babies are reported in Washtenaw County, and many of these babies die because of their injuries. Others are severely brain-damaged and will require total care for the rest of their lives. Still other cases go unreported. One baby with severe Shaken Baby Syndrome can cost up to $1 million in medical care, special education programs, and other public services in the first few years of its life.
Shaken Baby Syndrome is caused by the violent shaking of a young child, and yet many caregivers do not realize that shaking a baby is a form of abuse and can lead to serious injury.
Our Current Programs
Since 1999, the Washtenaw Area Council for Children has given trainings to prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome to high schools, and babysitting classes hosted by the Michigan State Police. Each training addresses why babies cry, myths about spoiling babies, and constructive methods for calming babies. Visual demonstrations show what happens to a baby's brain when the child is shaken. These involve using a lifelike baby doll with a floppy head to demonstrate the whiplash that occurs what a baby is shaken; a "brain" inside a glass jar shows how a brain bounces inside a skull; and a brain made of Jell-o (the consistency of an infant's brain) inside a clear container to show how easily a brain falls apart when shaken. Because most of the demonstrations are interactive, participants quickly get the picture.
To schedule a training session for your group or organization, send us an email or call our office (734.434.4215).
Future Plans
WACC plans to expand these trainings to middle schools, teen parent groups, prisons, and social service agencies. In addition, WACC is working to provide training to those who care for infants on new methods for soothing newborns. The work of Dr. Harvey Karp, author of the book The Happiest Baby on the Block, has helped many caregivers find new methods for quickly and safely soothing crying babies. From his research on many cultural responses to newborns, Dr. Karp has developed a simple method to soothe babies that is easily learned and taught. Armed with this knowledge, WACC is expanding its program to train professionals such as midwives, nurses, and social workers, to train in this method and in turn to train parents and caregivers in this technique with the goal of helping relieve the frustration and stress many caregivers feel when dealing with a crying baby. Our goal is to ensure that every parent of a newborn is trained in the baby soothing techniques and is aware of the dangers of shaking a baby before leaving the hospital with their infant.
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