Is shaking a baby bad for his brain?

As the baby grows, the focus of care is different at different stages. Everyone knows that sleep is very important for the baby, and good sleep is very important for the baby's intellectual development. When many parents take care of their babies, it is easy to shake the baby when coaxing the baby because the baby is crying. So is shaking the baby harmful to the baby's brain?

1. Can you rock your baby to sleep?

Sleep is very important for babies, and they need more sleep than adults. When a baby is sleeping, his body functions are actually functioning. During this time of sleep, his body is also growing and developing, and gradually he grows up. Therefore, ensuring the baby's sleep time and quality is considered a very important task.

Many mothers know the importance of sleep, so when it is time to sleep, they use various methods to make their babies fall asleep and stop making noises, such as shaking the baby. However, how many people have reflected on why we need to rock the baby, what is the principle, and can we rock the baby to coax him to sleep? Rocking your baby to sleep should not be a common practice. It is a practice without scientific basis and may even be denied by science.

2. The harm of shaking your baby

The action of rocking the baby actually does not only occur when coaxing the baby to sleep. Sometimes some parents also like to rock the baby when playing with the baby. Did you know? There are many dangers hidden in this shaking!

1. The neck is prone to injury. Shaking your baby can easily damage the muscles and ligaments in their neck, and in severe cases it may even sprain the baby's neck. This is because the baby's bones are not yet fully developed and the bones are relatively soft. The head, which accounts for nearly half of the body weight, is supported entirely by the muscles and ligaments of the neck. However, the space under the subarachnoid space of the baby's brain is large, the neck muscles are weak, the ligaments are less elastic, and the cervical vertebrae are not fully ossified, making it difficult for the baby to withstand large-scale shaking and high-throw shocks. When shaken, it is easy to get hurt.

2. Cause temporary congestion of the brain. The baby's brain is still in its early stages of development. Some parents throw their babies high up, which will cause the blood in the baby's body to impact the brain from time to time, which will cause temporary congestion in the brain. If you keep shaking your baby, or throwing him up and catching him again and again, the brain tissue inside the baby's head may easily collide with the harder skull due to the shaking or high throwing, thus causing brain damage. In this case, the baby may refuse to drink milk, become drowsy or easily get angry. In severe cases, the baby may experience sudden coma, difficulty breathing, projectile vomiting and other symptoms of increased intracranial pressure.

3. Cause local anemia. When being shaken, the baby is like an adult playing a high-speed amusement ride. The baby's body cannot withstand the huge centrifugal force, and the blood flows to one side, which can easily cause local anemia. The baby will appear pale, have difficulty breathing, stand unsteadily, and even experience symptoms such as fainting and vomiting. In severe cases, it may cause a significant decline in the baby's intelligence, severe movement disorders, blindness and substantial brain damage, such as brain atrophy, brain softening, brain cysts, etc.