Parents and carers are being urged to find out more about abusive head trauma (AHT) in a campaign to keep babies safe and warn against people shaking them.
Child safeguarding experts will be at Bury Market tomorrow, Wednesday, to raise awareness of this potentially fatal issue.
Bury Town Hall will also be lit up during a week of action promoted by ICON, a national charity dedicated to stopping AHT which can happen when a baby is shaken. Crying is a known trigger of AHT.
The campaign is aimed at all parents and anyone who is looking after a baby, with a particular focus on dads, as research shows that men are more likely to shake their baby.
Bury’s Safeguarding Children Partnership includes representatives from health services, the council, the police, voluntary sector and other agencies.
In terms of facts surrounding the subject, 70 per cent of babies who are shaken are done so by men.
AHT is the most common cause of death or long-term disability in babies and 200 children are killed or hurt annually in the UK.
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Cllr Lucy Smith, cabinet member for children and young people, said: “We want to raise awareness that it’s OK when babies cry, and advice is available on how to comfort a crying baby – especially when the crying goes on for a long time, as this can be stressful for parents, carers or anyone looking after a baby.
“We’ve had cases in Bury where babies have sadly been injured or died because of AHT, which can happen when someone shakes a baby.
“We want to raise awareness of how to keep babies safe.
"We also want to remind parents that crying is normal. Babies will cry a lot from the ages of two weeks to three to four months, but this can vary from baby to baby, and babies are not doing this on purpose.”
The ICON programme is based around helping parents cope with a crying baby.
ICON stands for: I (infant crying is normal), C (comforting methods can help) O (it’s OK to walk away) and N (never ever shake a baby).
More details are available to view at https://iconcope.org/
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