Tossing Your Baby in the Air for Fun - Is It Harmful?
83There's A Chance It Could Be
There is conflicting advice with regard to the playful tossing of a baby, although the conflict relates more to whether or not potential injuries (from tossing or dropping) would be considered, “shaken baby syndrome” or not.
Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego, a pediatric hospital; which also conducts research aimed at providing information that will benefit children locally, nationally, and internationally; advises, "Never shake or toss a baby or a child under age five." Further, this research hospital advises that infants should not be wiggled or bounced.
The children's hospital notes, on its website (http://www.chsd.org/1405.cfm) that the heads of babies and young children are heavy, and that the neck muscles are not strong. Rady's position on tossing a baby is offered in conjunction with information on Shaken Baby Syndrome. Rady notes that any sudden movement or shaking motion could cause brain injury, and that parents, grandparents, and babysitters often don't realize "how easy it is to hurt their baby this way". Not only does Rady advises parents not to toss their baby in the air. The children's hospital states that even though children may laugh and appear to be enjoying the toss, this activity could kill them.
When Shaken Baby Syndrome is not fatal, children may be left with serious long-term health conditions, such as cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, blindness, and mental retardation.
The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, which specifically defines "Shaken Baby Syndrome" and it's associated injuries with abusive shaking, describes injuries associated with Shaken Baby Syndrome as distinctly different from injuries resulting from falls from parents arms, falls downstairs, and falls from being tossed. It is noted that the types of injuries resulting from abusive shaking are generally not seen in accidental falls, although falls from extreme heights or onto particularly hard surfaces can result in more serious injury than "average" falls.
The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome states that it recognizes and supports the position taken by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which states that the constellation on injuries associated with Shaken Baby Syndrome are not present in other types on injuries. Further, the AAP states that when Shaken Baby Awareness programs "erroneously" state that bouncing on the knee or playful tossing can cause Shaken Baby Syndrome they cause parents to feel guilty.
So, while the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome states that accidental injuries from falls or other accidents are very different from the injuries produced with the violence required for Shaken Baby Syndrome, the question of risk of accidental injuries from being tossed is not addressed. While injuries that result from a baby's being tossed up and not caught may not be the same as those in Shaken Baby Syndrome, there is, of course, the risk of some injury.
The American Academy of Pediatrics doesn't necessarily state that it is fine to toss a baby in the air. It just states, unlike the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome does, that an accidental resulting injury from it won't constitute Shaken Baby Syndrome.
There are, of course, parents who have the "nothing's-going-to-happen" thinking, and who believe that the fun of tossing a baby is well worth any risk. They have confidence that their hand won't slip, and that baby won't move in some awkward way that causes an accident.
While many babies do enjoy being tossed, there are many who may feel insecure or a little anxious about such activity. In view of the fact that feeling secure and safe play such an important role in early brain development, there is at least some reason to consider the possibility that too frequent "rough play" could be detrimental to the baby's brain in that way.
When my children were babies neither their father nor I tossed them. We played with them, and had many different ways of offering them rides and fun and a little thrill - but it was not my instinct to toss them. There are four main reasons (besides not being inclined) that I did not toss my own babies:
1. My oldest son was adopted from infancy and came to me after being hospitalized for a skull fracture, the cause of which may have been abuse but may have been simple negligence that led to an accident. Regardless of the cause, imagining a baby so young with a fractured skull was very difficult for me.
2. My children were all slim babies, so their rib cages were close to the surface. I worried that if someone tossed them they may be caught with large hands that could accidentally injure their ribs, or possibly internal organs.
3. I was concerned that an awkward fall could result in a spinal cord injury, and living with knowing that something so unnecessary had caused such an injury would have been unbearable.
4. I wanted my babies to be active participants in fun activities. I didn't want to do things to them, in view of the fact that I wasn't sure they would enjoy being tossed up in the air.
With at least some experts believing that tossing a baby poses potential danger, and with not being able to guarantee that no accident will occur, it may make sense to find other ways to offer "fun play" to a baby.
Besides, a five-month old baby who has never been tossed in the air doesn't know what he's missing, but if something goes wrong he will be the one who pays the price.
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Comments
Just last evening the tv show, Inside Edition, showed a video of a man that's apparently all over the Internet, and the story was about all the "outrage". The guy is swinging a nine-month-old baby as if, maybe, he was a partner in an extremely acrobatic dancing routine. It was said that authorities are now looking for the father because of all the risk he apparently takes with the baby. The expert interviewed stressed first the risk of the baby being dropped. She then went on to talk about the brain being "shaken". Of course, this wasn't one toss in the air. The guy was swinging the baby around by his arms and legs for quite a stretch of time.
From the research I did it appears also that dropping is the biggest concern when the issue is tossing the baby. Most often brought up was the risk of falling (and the matter of whether a head injury from falling would or would not be "Shaken Baby Syndrome"). Shaken Baby Syndrome is associated with that violent shaking back and forth. Whether or not anything could have happened when you son was tossed "ferociously" into the air isn't something I am qualified to answer, but I tend to think if he there wasn't shaking/jerking of his head you probably don't need to worry. I do know that kind of brain injury that occurs with Shaken Baby Syndrome is not something that you would not notice.
One of my sons was adopted from infancy after having a skull fracture in early infancy. At four years old (and within the limitations of equipment 25 or so years ago, no long-lasting brain showed up. Because he was a baby who had this medical history I did some studying up on brain injuries in newborns/young infants; and I read that young babies with injuries stand a better chance of having no permanent damage because their brains are able to "heal" better. This was the information available over the last 20 years or so. Whether science has discovered otherwise since I don't know.
This is only a guess on my part (and I don't even have the "right" to be guessing about such a thing, really), but I tend to think if your baby showed no signs of any injury he probably didn't have any injury, or if he did it would have been minor enough for the brain to repair itself. Even when it comes to discussions of possible long-term effects of concussion, the issues are usually either the severity of the injury (associated with length of time a person is unconscious), or else repeated injuries.
Some children are more scared by "rough" play than others are, but babies, in general, can become very frightened if someone is too rough. They like feeling safe and secure, and (some more than others) can be particularly frightened by being handled "roughly". Also, as they get toward nine months or so they are particularly sensitive to people other than their mothers for a few months (give or take). They sometimes don't even want someone who isn't their mother to talk to them, let alone hold them. Part of your baby's crying could have been more fear than anything else; but, again, one episode doesn't constitute spending the entirety of his infancy in insecurity.
After all these words, and keeping in my mind that I'm not qualified to make a any guesses about your need to be concerned, I have to say that if it were my baby I would not be concerned about one toss in the air. Babies and children take some pretty rough tumbles without getting hurt, and I would think if your baby suffered injury he would have showed signs of it.
Here are two Yahoo Health articles that you may find reassuring:
http://health.yahoo.com/other-other/head-injury-ag
Hmm I never thought tossing a baby in the air can cause them harm.. Thank goodness I never did toss my daughter when she was just a baby!
I saw my sis get dropped when she was a baby. while its slightly different in the emotions involved, in that shaken baby usally is out of anger, dropped baby is an accident, it still hurts. Luckily she was fine, but I really never forgave my parents for that. Who the hell throws a baby when thier drunk? I never felt the risk was worth the "fun" my children were ALWAYS held securly in TWO hands.
This was a very useful article. Thank you so such. Never ever knew about this syndrome.
Great article thanks.
filthyscoundral, thanks.
Hi, my 16 month old was repeatedly carried by the armpits 1-2 ft off the ground by a friends 3 yr old & repeatedly dropped from 1-2ft. Her head possibly bouncing off the floor & definately not good for her neck (my daughter, that is).
I tried to stop it several times, & the mother of the child was hardly any help.
Does anyone have any clue as to what kind of neck, head or brain injuries this could have caused?
I am worried that she might have injuries. She was screaming everytime the kid dropped her. Also the kid kept hitting her & taking anything she has & teasing her with it.
If i do take her to the hospital here on base i know for a fact they would contact her about this, since we are both military families & i dont want to make enemies with her.
Tiff, I'm sorry I didn't see your comment until now, so I know you may have found others online somewhere for your answers.
On the one hand, todders are often falling and hitting their head without getting serious injuries. Based on what I found in research for this article, how high a child is when dropped usually matters. A screaming child doesn't necessarily equate to serious injuries. Then again, there are always those rare times when injury results from something that often wouldn't case it.
Any time you suspect there could be a head injury it's always wise to get a child checked out. Normally, losing consciousness is one major sign of head injury, and the longer someone is unconscious, the more serious the injury. The child won't seem "to be acting right" or may be lethargic. Parents are often not sure whether they should bring a child to the doctor after a head bump, and I would be wrong to say anything other than, "It's always wise, but with seemingly minor falls it's sometimes a matter of the parent's judgment."
Besides serious injuries, there are always temporary ones - bruises, muscle strains, etc. that can happen. With them, you can have a pretty good idea if they exist by looking for bruises and paying attention to whether your child appears to moving normally. If she had something like injury to the upper arm or shoulder she would likely appear to be favoring that arm/shoulder.
So, in answer to your question, it's not possible to make guesses online. Toddlers often have this kind of thing go on without any serious injuries, but there's always the possibility an injury could occur. If you have reason to think your child does have an injury you shouldn't let the fact that the doctor may contact the other person stop you from getting her checked out.
It seems to me that you may have been upset with what went on; and you knew your child could be injured with this kind of activity. It's pretty common for children to do that kind of stuff with no little one getting injured. You're right, though, she could have been injured. Also, it doesn't help a toddler if that kind of thing is "always happening" (as sometimes happens with older siblings), because the younger child is often stressed out and upset (which doesn't do much for having an overall calm, happy, and secure toddler).
Mothers are often uncomfortable doing something like saying, "Please don't let your child pick up my child," but they shouldn't be. If a friend or acquaintance gets insulted by a friendly remark that you don't want their child picking yours up, too bad. You don't have to be mean about, but simply saying that your little girl gets too frazzled when older kids do more than just talk and laugh shouldn't be something adults don't understand.
8 hours after you posted your question, I'm imagining you've seen that your daughter seems fine. (Hopefully, that's the case.) If you have any doubts at all about any injuries, though, I hope you don't let worries about the doctor contacting the other mother stop you from getting your little girl checked out. You could always just tell the other mother, "She wasn't acting right. I was worried because she hit her head, so I got her checked her out."
Hopefully, all is well. Again, sorry it took so long to see your question here.
From what I've noticed, it seems since then she has been more irritable. But I'm not sure if it's from that or it's just a mood swing that happens to just follow.
Tiffany, again I'm sorry to have seen your comment six hours after you posted it. We must have a time difference (or at least a schedule difference).
If it were my baby and I had any question at all that she didn't seem ok, I'd just bring her to get checked out. If she seems more irritable there's always the chance she does have some not-so-obvious injury that's bothering her. Also, though, lots of times they get irritable if they have something like an ear infection or teeth coming in.
I don't know how extreme the older child's behavior was toward her, but usually (assuming she wasn't injured) if a toddler has that kind of "rough day" (the usual stuff older kids do with babies if someone doesn't stop them) they might be frazzled for a little while (like the rest of the day or maybe even the next day) but not this long.
I wish I were able to offer better information here, but the only way to really know if your little girl has been injured, has something else that could be making her irritable (like an ear infection), or has nothing physically wrong is for a doctor to see her.
Parents are usually told that if they have any concerns at all about their child they should get the child checked out, and not worry about seeming like someone who worries "over nothing". Pediatricians usually say that it's always better to err on the side of caution.
I know that these days parents can be concerned about bringing a child with possible injuries to a doctor, because they worry that doctors, looking for signs of abuse, may start "a whole big thing going" if a child has injuries.
If your little girl has no injuries from what the kids did that day I'd assume, worst case, you may have to listen to a lecture about stepping in if older kids try to do something like that again. If it's correct that the doctor would call the other mother, let him/her. If she has to hear a lecture too maybe it's not such a bad thing. If it turns out she has nothing wrong at all then you'll at least not have to worry that she does.
If there's some injury that is causing your little girl to be irritable it could be important that it be treated, or that you be told what to watch for. Doctors generally know what type of injuries go with what type of incidents, so I wouldn't think the chances of any wrongful accusations or "whole big things" are all that great.
If she has even a minor injury or else something else (like an ear infection) causing her to be irritable, besides any problems that could arise from not getting the right treatment, someone could see not getting her to the doctor as "negligent" on your part.
To me, the fact that you've come back to this page says one of two things: Either your gut instinct is correctly telling you that something is wrong with your child, or else you're worrying over nothing. Whichever is the case, a doctor is who would be able to address the matter. (Doctors understand "worrying over nothing".)
I've never lived in a military situation or dealt with military doctors, so I don't pretend to know how things are done; or what any of the "surrounding concerns" may be in your situation. Maybe it's easy for me to say, "I'd just bring her (or at least start by calling the doctor's office and asking about it) to be on the safe side, and let the chips fall where they may with respect to the friend/other mother."
In view of your concerns that your child could have injuries, though, I thought, rather than just saying, "Only a doctor can really know," I'd offer my thoughts from the perspective of someone who is not an expert - only "another mother" (of three kids who are now grown).
If your baby is fine and you bring her "just to make sure" might a "whole, big, thing" be made "for nothing"? Sure. Even in civilian life, I've seen how "bringing in strangers" (like a doctor, lawyer, or other professional) can sometimes end up making things a bigger mess than they ever needed to be. Still, sometimes we just have to trust that such people will handle the situation well, and with understanding and sensitivity. Most of the time they do.
I don't know you, but I'm concerned that so many days after the incident with the other kids, you seem to still be concerned that your baby was injured. Either your instinct is telling you she was, or else you could be so stressed out (either in general or because of the incident) that you're worrying more than you need to. Either way, it strikes me that your child's pediatrician may be the person who can not only check out your child but offer you any reassurance or other information. It seems to me you're dealing with this concern alone and trying to find information/reassurance on the Internet. The Internet's good for a lot of information and even support sometimes, but in this situation nobody online (not even a doctor) can really offer the answers you need about your child.
GabeMomma says:
13 months ago
A friend unintentionally scared my 8 mo old son by tossing him roughly into the air. He cried very hard, and now I am worried that he will have some undetectable brain damage from because tossed so ferociously. How hard do they need to be tossed before injury occurs?