Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) is a form of infant or toddler or child abuse that may cause brain damage, fractures and blindness due to sudden shake of the baby violently (unwillingly or willingly) or creating a whiplash-type motion that causes acceleration-deceleration injuries to the baby. It is a crime of the shaker or abuser of the baby. The act of shaking a baby is considered physical abuse, as spinal, head and neck injuries often result from violently shaking young children. Shaking makes the fragile brain of the baby bounce back and forth inside the skull and causes bruising, swelling, and bleeding, which can lead to permanent, severe brain damage or death. shaken baby injuries usually occur in children younger than 2 years old, but may be seen in children up to the age of 5.

Syndromes is a collection of symptoms. Symptoms are bruising, vomiting, fainting, coldness, numbness, paleore, swelling, bleeding in the brain and brain damage.

Experts or pediatricians estimated that the incidence of unwillingly or willingly SBS (Shaken baby syndrome) to be between 1,000 to 1,500 infants per year. CDC’s account is higher than the pediatricians or experts. CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) estimated almost 2,000 children’s death from SBS (Shaken baby syndrome).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaken_baby_syndrome
http://www.mahalo.com/stub/shaken-baby-syndrome
www.medicinenet.com › ... › shaken baby syndrome index -
http://www.medicinenet.com/shaken_baby_syndrome/article.htm
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/shakenbaby/shakenbaby.htm

After reading your question about the father rocking his child to his/her delight, I was surprised to learn that Shaken Baby Syndrome is in fact a form of child abuse. This often takes place when a parent violently shakes their children as a way to get them to calm down if they are crying excessively.

It generally happens in younger children who are less than one years old. The damage caused by this syndrome often results in permanent brain damage, injuries to the spinal cord, bleeding behind the eye and even death in some cases.

The website link below suggests that the common age of this occurrence takes place between three and eight months of age. Also, one in four infants who are diagnosed with Shaken Baby Syndrome die as a result of their injuries.

http://www.medicinenet.com/shaken_baby_syndrome/article.htm