Shaken Baby Syndrome - Causes

Shaking is more likely to injure a baby than an older child or adult for three reasons. First, a baby's neck muscles are still weak. Second, its head is still relatively large and heavy, compared to its body size. Third, the baby's brain tissue and blood vessels are still quite fragile.

When a child is shaken violently, its head snaps back and forth. The brain is pushed first against one side of the skull, then against the other side. The bumping action can cause brain tissue to tear and blood vessels to break.