Why Is My Baby Flopping Backwards? Could It Be Shaken Baby Syndrome?

Posted on Fri, 10 May 2013

Question: i was just wondering what happens if you don't support a baby's head, my daughter is almost 3 months old with good neck strength but sometimes her head flops around when i hold her over my shoulders or when i go to place in her bed , i know SBS can't happen cause thats forceful shaking but can she get any damage to her brain by her head flopping around not supported?

Answered by Dr. Himanshi Kashyap (3 hours later)

Hi,

Thanks for posting your query on XXXXXXX

Congrats on the new addition to the family.
Your little one has partial head holding and a little head flops or Wobbliness will not do any harm to her.

I guess it's nature's way of ensuring a lot of face to face interaction that we as parents have to support our little one's head in the first few months till they achieve the milestone of a proper head holding, wherein their neck muscles get strong to achieve the next milestone of rolling over,sitting and crawling.

SBS as you rightly put in is intentional and forceful shaking related to child abuse which leads to brain damage.The force with which a normal baby with partial head holding flops is not enough to generate brain damage.

So I would suggest you to cradle your baby's head in your arms to help her bond with you and make her feel loved till she achieves a good head holding by say in another month.

Hope to have answered your query.

Take care.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T