What is Child Abuse Prevention?
- Education
- An effective method to stop child abuse and neglect before it starts, reducing the need for intervention and treatment.
- An effort to help parents and caregivers develop skills for managing children by understanding their children's emotional, physical, and developmental needs and using alternatives to corporal punishment for discipline.
- A strong investment from both the public and private sectors in programs and public awareness campaigns that makes adults responsible for our children's protection.
- Education and support networks for families during pregnancy or at birth to help establish a nurturing environment for their children.
- Parent education (from babies to teens), home visitation, and parent support groups that build on family strengths and support families in staying together.
- Anger and stress management, impulse control, and problem solving skills that are taught to all children at each grade level
- Community resources that can help families connect to resources and get long-term guidance and support
- Programs and services that reduce family isolation and increase social capital.
How to Help a Crying Baby
Crying is normal but it can also be a trigger to violence. All babies cry, but some cry more than others. Dealing with a crying baby can be very hard. It can be irritating and frustrating to listen to a baby cry.
Parents often don't realize just how frustrating it can be until they are in a stressful situation. Research shows that crying is the number one trigger leading caregivers to violently shake their baby. Caregivers need to realize that crying is a baby's only way to communicate needs and wants.
Common reasons for crying are:
- Soiled diaper
- Hunger
- Over tried
- Need to suck
- Pain
- Illness
- Stress
- Attempt to communicate
- Colic
How to help a crying baby
- Change diaper
- Feed baby
- Hold close and rock
- Wrap in soft blanket
- Massage baby's back
- Feed slowly, burp often
- Put on soft music
- Sing to baby
- Take baby for car or stroller ride
- Ask another parent/caregiver for help
- If breastfeeding, avoid strong foods
- Have patience
What is Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS)?
Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) is a term used to describe a type of inflicted traumatic brain injury that happens when a baby is violently shaken. A baby has weak neck muscles and a large, heavy head. Shaking makes the fragile brain bounce back and forth inside the skull. This can cause bruising swelling and bleeding which can lead to permanent, severe brain damage or even death.
One of the characteristic injuries of SBS is bleeding in the brain. Because the brain controls the entire body, damage to the brain may affect any function. Shaking a baby can result in:
- Death
- Developmental Disabilities
- Brain Damage
- Server Motor Dysfunction
- Paralysis
- Attention Deficit Disorder
- Seizures
- Dyslexia
- Blindness
- Learning Disabilities
- Deafness
For more information on Shaken Baby Syndrome contact the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome
Prevent Child Abuse South Carolina (PCASC) - statewide community based
non-profit program dedicated to preventing all forms of child abuse and
neglect.
Prevent Child Abuse South Carolina
1712 Hampton Street
Columbia, SC 29201
803-733-5430
http://www.scchildren.org/PCASC/index.shtml |
