Coping with Infant Crying - Abusive Head Trauma Prevention

Overview

ICON is a programme aimed at helping parents and carers with young babies to cope with infant crying.

Most babies start to cry more frequently at about two weeks of age, with crying becoming more frequent and longer lasting during the next few weeks and reaching a peak at six to eight weeks. The ICON programme offers the support to let parents and carers know that this behaviour is completely normal and that they are not alone in dealing with this situation. It is completely natural for babies to cry and it is important to remember that this will stop. After approximately eight weeks babies start to cry less and less each week.

ICON provides the important messages below on how to cope with a crying baby: 

 I – Infant crying is normal and it will stop.

C – Comfort methods can sometimes soothe the baby and the crying will stop. 

O – It is OK to walk away, if you have checked the baby is safe and the crying is getting you. After a few minutes when you are feeling calm, go back and check on the baby.

N – Never, ever shake or hurt a baby; it can cause lasting brain damage or death.

Support is available for parents and families. 

For support, contact your midwife, health visitor, GP or contact:

Rochdale's Complex Early Help and Safeguarding Hub

Tel: 0300 303 0440 (Monday - Friday: 8.30 am - 4.45 pm)

0300 303 8875 (out of office hours)

Email: ehash@rochdale.gov.uk

What is abusive head trauma?

• ‘Shaken Baby Syndrome’
• Child Abuse
• Catastrophic injuries:
• Bleeds in the brain and behind eyes
• Fractures
• Babies can be shaken, thrown or hit

It affects approximately 24 of every 100,000 babies admitted to hospital each year

Research suggests 1 in 9 mothers may have shaken their baby and up to 2 in 9 felt like doing so.

Who shakes and why?

• 70% perpetrators are males – fathers/male  surrogates (Kesler et a 2008; Altman et al 2010)
• Can occur in every socio-economic group
• Coping with crying: Living on the edge
• Caregivers lose control and shake – baby stops crying
• Demonstrable relationship between the normal peak of crying and babies subject to AHT. (Barr et al 2006)
• Increase in cases in the 1^stmonth of life, a peak at 6 weeks during the 2^nd month and a decrease during the 3^rd to 5^th months of life

Triggers

• Crying is considered the main trigger
• Peak of crying is 6-8 weeks of age
• The parents or the mother's partner are responsible for AHT in 75% of babies
• A majority of perpetrators are male
• The most at risk groups are:
• Male baby
• Below 6 months
• Low birth weight

Videos

This short film about the ICON message can be viewed online or downloaded to your device.

Watch the short video created by Public Health England and ICON –  "I Am Unshakeable"

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