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Signs of Shaken Baby Syndrome

Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS), also known as Abusive Head Trauma (AHT), is 100 percent preventable, according to KidsHealth.org (see Resources below). That is an important fact when you consider that in the United States, head traumas lead all other causes of death in child abuse-related cases. Signs of this syndrome can range from lack of smiling to seizures The majority of perpetrators of this crime are men in their 20s (and the baby's father or mother's boyfriend), with the majority of victims being male as well---poor and less than 1 year old.

  1. How SBS/AHT Happens

    • This type of injury occurs due to purposeful shaking of a baby. This is most often done out of anger or stress due to the continued crying of the infant. A parent or guardian becomes so agitated with the sound of the crying that he or she grabs the infant and shakes it to show his or her displeasure. Due to the fact that the baby's neck muscles have not finished developing at that age, it is unable to control its head movements during the shaking. Therefore, the head will move to and fro uncontrollably, causing the brain on the inside to violently move within the head and damage blood vessels, brain tissue and nerves.

    Mild Signs and Symptoms

    • A decreased appetite, lethargy, poor swallowing or sucking abilities, or lack of smiling in an otherwise gregarious and normally functioning baby may be the first warning signs that the child has been shaken, especially if the shaking episode was not severe.

    More Severe Signs

    • Difficulty breathing and irritability may be more severe signs of SBS/AHT, as well as pupil size differences, vomiting, seizures, rigidity and an obvious inability to raise his or her head or focus his or her eyes or follow movement with them.

    The Most Serious Signs

    • While all of the above signs and symptoms are cause for concern in any infant, it is imperative that a baby be immediately taken to the emergency room he or she is unconscious, in shock or suffering from seizures. These three signs can be the result of forceful and repeated shaking or even incidents in which the child's head was hit against a wall, baby bed or other object during the shaking episode(s).

    Rare Signs

    • According to the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, there are two signs that are generally rare, but may appear on a baby who has been shaken excessively: grab-type bruising on the chest or arms of the baby. In addition, the infant's head may appear to be larger than normal or swelling in one particular spot.

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