By Jonas Wilson, Ing. Med. Why do people shake babies? Under no circumstance is it ever ok to shake a baby, because the implications for doing so are dire and far-reaching for both the infant and the perpetrator. Babies, like the young of all mammals, are vulnerable and require protection from their guardians. There are a million and one reasons why someone may engage in the heinous act of shaking a baby. Many people may be surprised to know that sometimes the offenders are normal people, who themselves would have never imagined doing such a thing and never meant to do it in the first instance. Common reasons Believe it or not, there is a significant number of people in the general population who are unaware of the dangers of shaking an infant. These people may believe that shaking may help to stop the crying. In …show more content…
During the first twelve months of life, children are susceptible to violent shakes, because of the unique developing anatomy of the brain and poorly developed neck musculature, which has to support a large head. Children with SBS who survive may suffer long term consequences, such as blindness, hearing loss, seizures, paralysis and mental retardation. Not only are these children affected for the rest of their lives, but the offender, in many countries, will face criminal charges for having shaken the child. Since prevention is better than cure, it is imperative that people are educated about SBS via various platforms. Furthermore, high-risk parents, and all parents in general, should have great support from family and close friends to assist them in times when they are overwhelmed. This is only natural given the demanding nature of raising children. Notwithstanding this truth, SBS is preventable and no one should ever shake a baby.
The cradle motion soothes infants. Parents can rock the cradle or allow the baby’s natural motion to move the cradle.
Ward, H. et al, 2012. Safeguarding babies and very young children from abuse and neglect. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. P 205.
“In the same society who hold different moral or religious convictions may disagree about what type of behavior toward a child amounts to abuse.” (Gale, 2014). Slapping a child when they act up is a form discipline to some individuals. To a certain extent it would be considered abuse. As a parent, they do not want you to tell them how to handle their child simply because that is their child. Every day there is a child out there being abused and will not speak up. Some children think that if they do decide to try and get help, people would not believe them. Also being abused and letting someone know maybe embarrassing. In the article “Child Abuse.” Opposing Viewpoint Online Collection, it goes on to say, “Even people who are reasonably confident that they have witnessed child abuse may be reluctant to report it. Some may not want to become involved in what they consider a private family matter. Others may believe that reporting the problem will do no good.” People just turn a blind eye to things that do not involve them. They feel like it is not their business. Individuals that know the abuser could also be frightened themselves. CHARLES
It is characterized by normal early growth and development followed by a slowing of development, the loss of purposeful use of the hands, slowed brain and head growth, problems with walking, seizures, and intellectual disability.
Smacking has become a controversial debate in today’s society as a group of doctors tried to make a smacking of children illegal (Browne 2013). Similarly, smacking caused numerous deaths of children (Browne 2013). Smacking is a physical punishment which was a typical way that parents used to guide their children in past. Moreover, they believe that smacking is more effective and it is acceptable. Physical punishment is illegal in 33 countries, whereas in some states and territories physical punishment by parents is legal as long as it is “reasonable” such as Australia, United State, Britain and Canada (Why smacking should be regarded as a crime 2013). There are several reasons that smacking should be illegal in Australia. Physical punishment leads to aggressive and antisocial behaviour. Furthermore, Australian children have right of protection from violation. Finally, smacking children may lead to death.
Often frustrated parents or other persons responsible for a child’s care feel that shaking a baby is a harmless way to make a child stop crying. The number one reason why a baby is shaken is because of inconsolable crying. (National Exchange Club Foundation, 1998) An infant may spend two to three hours a day crying. (The Epilepsy Association of Central Florida) A caregiver momentarily gives in to the frustration of responding to a crying baby by shaking. Caregivers may be inadequately prepared for children.
Over some period of time, affected children (patients) experience mental impairment, worsening seizures, and progressive loss of sight and motor skills. Affected patients become totally disabled and eventually die.
There are designated classes to take, so people can be aware of the effects of SBS and what to do when a baby has been shook. Even if you’re not a parent, it is still encouraged for any caregiver or babysitter, or anyone who deals with infants on a daily basis, to take this class to be aware. Most times, SBS occurs when a baby is 6 months or younger. What happens when you shake a baby? When you shake a baby there will be bleeding of the brain or bleeding in the retina’s.
We have all encountered this situation: A small child is standing in the middle of a department store throwing a complete temper tantrum demanding a toy. His mother, exasperated threatens him with time-outs and other deprived privileges, but the stubborn child continues to kick and scream. In the "old days," a mother wouldn't think twice about marching the defiant child to the bathroom and giving him a good spanking to straighten him out, but these days, parents have to worry about someone screaming child abuse. Whether or not to spank a child has become a heated issue in today's society.
The issue of spanking is whether it is justifiable or an act of child abuse. Some child specialists, such as Christine Walsh and Michael Boyle, argue that if a parent must administer a spanking, it should not be through anger and only as a last option when other forms of discipline have been deemed unsuccessful. They say that for a spanking to be instructive it must be...
...that is too far beyond the child's level. As an infant's cognitive development grows he knows how to use things to his advantage. His new smiles help to hold mother's attention longer. He also learns that as mother moves slowly from one side of him to the other, he can move his eyes and head to sustain the interaction. However, if his mother moves out of sight and the baby loses her altogether because he does not yet have the ability to remember and reproduce her image in his mind. Either he will fuss because the schema that he was in is gone, or he will switch on another schema, such as comforting himself by thumb sucking. There is a process to this development that does take a long time to develop fully, but with the help of loved one you can help your child be successful and learn to engage in activities that are good for him and his cognitive learning process.
..., L. L., Groer, M. W., & Younger, M. S. (2003). The behavioral effects of gentle human touch on preterm infants. Nursing Science Quarterly, 16(1), p60-67. Retrieved from http://www.capellauniversity.edu/library/12593316
In the past years, researchers have conducted many studies about how a child is affected
Child abuse is a problem that affects the well-being of children, and it is something that can be avoided with the proper detection and implementation of interventions (Sanders Jordan & Hatfield Steelman, 2015). Harris discussed bruises and disclosed that detected abuse is relevant to a nurse working with families because they can assess for signs such as suspicious bruising, areas in which this occur include the back, genitals, abdomen, cheeks, and neck (2015). The abuse they experience can result in them obtaining the most mental health problem, compared to other children who do not encounter abuse (Ben-David, 2016). Caneira, & Myrick discussed in their journal that child abuse is important to detect as soon as possible because it can go on to affect them later in life, this is the case with pregnant women who experience post traumatic stress disorder from childhood abuse and end up resulting in adverse perinatal outcomes due to bad self care behaviours (2015). Using screening techniques will reduce the amount of children who experience abuse and go unrecognized. Using these techniques, addition resources, and establishing a therapeutic relationship with the patients, will help in minimizing the amount of child abuse (Caneira, & Myrick, 2015). Child abuse is relevant to health care professionals working with families and should be routinely assessed to minimize the
The physical abuse of children covers a wide range of actions from what some might term ‘justifiable chastisement’ such as slapping or spanning to the sort of actions which most would agree constitute deliberate, sadistic cruelty against children.