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Shaken Baby Syndrome
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Preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome
QUICK LINKS
Iowa’s statewide program
The Period of PURPLE Crying
What is Shaken Baby Syndrome?
How can Shaken Baby Syndrome be prevented?
Other resources and videos
Iowa’s statewide program
Prevent Child Abuse Iowa is part of a team created for the purpose of developing a statewide Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) prevention program in Iowa in order to reduce the number of injuries and deaths to infants and young children from this highly preventable form of abuse. Other team partners include the Iowa Department of Public Health, Blank Children’s Hospital, and the Office of Community Empowerment.
The team, along with many other partners from across the state, advocated for the development of a statewide SBS prevention program for three years at the Iowa Legislature. In 2009, the Iowa General Assembly successfully passed Senate File 101 which was signed into law by the governor in a public ceremony on March 4. Senate File 101 required the Iowa Department of Public Health to develop a statewide SBS prevention program. Although the Legislature did not appropriate any funding to implement this program, the team has pursued grants and funding opportunities on its own to pilot the program in the central Iowa region. Other agencies across the state are also seeking funding for the program on their own.
With the advice and technical assistance from the 2009 PREVENT Child Maltreatment Institute, the team selected the Period of Purple Crying as the program to be provided to Iowa families, particularly parents of newborns, through hospitals and other family support programs. A recent evaluation of the program was published in the March 2009 edition of Pediatrics. The program is being offered in several other states and is being evaluated even further in a major effort in North Carolina.
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The Period of PURPLE Crying
The Period of Purple Crying program was designed by the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome to teach parents how to understand and cope with infant crying, which is the number one trigger for Shaken Baby Syndrome incidents. The program describes normal crying patterns, soothing tips, and how to safely manage the stress of an inconsolable infant. The program is primarily provided to parents by a nurse at the hospital following childbirth. Parents receive a DVD and a booklet with the information.
The acronym PURPLE is used to describe crying behaviors.
P – Peak of Crying. Your baby may cry more each week, the most at 2 months, then less at 3-5 months.
U – Unexpected. Crying can come and go and you don’t know why.
R – Resists Soothing. Your baby may not stop crying no matter what you try.
P – Pain Like Face. A crying baby may look like they are in pain even when they are not.
L – Long Lasting. Crying can last as much as 5 hours a day or more.
E – Evening. Your baby may cry more in the late afternoon and evening.
The National Center on SBS also recently developed a Period of Purple Crying website just for parents. The site includes video clips, tips for soothing, and a section just for dads.
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What is Shaken Baby Syndrome?
Although parenting can be a joyful and rewarding time, it can also be very stressful. Unfortunately, some caregivers become overwhelmed with the stress and are at risk of shaking their infant or toddler. Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) is the name given to the collection of injuries suffered by an infant or toddler when shaken. SBS is also sometimes referred to as Abusive Head Trauma (AHT). Some of the possible immediate and long-term symptoms of SBS are provided below.
Immediate symptoms: vomiting, seizures, extreme lethargy, bleeding in the eye, difficulty breathing, poor feeding, limpness and/or rigidity of limbs
Long-term symptoms: physical or mental disabilities, paralysis, learning disabilities, speech impairment, hearing loss, Cerebral Palsy, behavior disorders, and more...
According to the Iowa Child Death Review Team, 49 infants and toddlers died due to be shaken/slammed from 1995-2007. It is unknown exactly how many children survive Shaken Baby Syndrome each year.
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How can Shaken Baby Syndrome be prevented?
Shaken Baby Syndrome is preventable. Here are a few simple things parents and caregivers need to remember:
- If your baby is crying, first check the basics – is your baby hungry? tired? too warm or cold? sick? does s/he need a clean diaper? etc. Remember: a baby can't talk; s/he can only cry to communicate discomfort.
- Increase soothing strategies – walk and talk to baby, sing, go for a car ride, hold baby close to you
- If the crying becomes overwhelming, call a friend or family member to take over for a bit
- If you are alone and become overwhelmed, put the baby on his/her back in a safe place like a crib, and walk away. Take a few minutes to de-stress, listen to music, get a drink of water, call someone to vent. It is better to walk away for a few minutes than to lose control.
In some way or other a crying infant has impacted each of us, whether it is a child in our own family or a crying baby in the grocery store or at church. Therefore, we should all play a role in helping parents through this difficult time.
- Offer to help give the parent a break from the baby by babysitting for a few hours. Also, make yourself available if they just need to call and vent for awhile.
- Be sympathetic. All babies cry, and parents are already feeling stressed when their baby cries in public without the added pressure from the rest of us. Even a gentle remark like, "I remember when my little one used to cry like that. Don't worry, it will pass," can help relieve the parent's frustration.
- Talk about your experience. Sometimes parents just need reassurance that their baby is fine, all babies cry, and that this stressful time will pass. Share with a parent how frustrated you felt when your baby cried. Remind them it's normal to feel frustrated, it's what they do when they're frustrated that matters.
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OTHER RESOURCES
Shaken Baby Syndrome
National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome
Epilepsy Association of Central Florida
Wisconsin Children's Trust Fund
Shaken Baby Task Force
Information About Infant Crying
Period of PURPLE Crying
Dr. Ron Barr Explains Crying
Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development
Videos
Period of Purple Crying excerpts
Epilepsy Association of Central Florida video
Washington Council for Children and Families, "Have a Plan" video
Read about or order "Portrait of Promise"
Read about or order "Elijah's Story"
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