Child Maltreatment
Infant crying is a primary risk factor for abusive head trauma and other forms of physical abuse. Anticipatory guidance beginning at the newborn visit must address infant crying and assess parental stress and coping mechanisms. Inform parents that crying typically peaks between 2 and 4 months and excessive crying is a normal phase of infant development (National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, 2011). Reinforce that crying does not mean they are a bad parent or that their baby does not like them. Discuss measures to comfort a crying infant, such as checking for signs of illness, changing the diaper, and feeding. Parents need to be informed that sometimes the baby will continue to cry despite exhausting all efforts to calm the baby, and that it will not hurt the baby to cry. Crying can be very frustrating; parents should be told that this frustration is normal but that it is important to recognize when they are frustrated and to take a break. Educate the parent to place the infant somewhere safe, like in a crib on his or her back, and walk away, checking on him or her every 5 to 10 minutes. Reinforce that infants should never be shook and that shaking can result in serious permanent injury and even death.
Crying
Infant crying is a primary risk factor for abusive head trauma and other forms of physical abuse. Anticipatory guidance beginning at the newborn visit must address infant crying and assess parental stress and coping mechanisms. Inform parents that crying typically peaks between 2 and 4 months and excessive crying is a normal phase of infant development (National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, 2011). Reinforce that crying does not mean they are a bad parent or that their baby does not like them. Discuss measures to comfort a crying infant, such as checking for signs of illness, changing the diaper, and feeding. Parents need to be informed that sometimes the baby will continue to cry despite exhausting all efforts to calm the baby, and that it will not hurt the baby to cry. Crying can be very frustrating; parents should be told that this frustration is normal but that it is important to recognize when they are frustrated and to take a break. Educate the parent to place the infant somewhere safe, like in a crib on his or her back, and walk away, checking on him or her every 5 to 10 minutes. Reinforce that infants should never be shook and that shaking can result in serious permanent injury and even death.
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