A video of a father swinging his child around sparked outrage among doctors and social media users.
The 35 second video apparently shows the father performing acrobatic stunts with his child, swinging the child back and forth by the arms, over his head and between his legs.
Twitter and Instagram commenters were quick to criticize the stunt, pointing out not only the danger to his baby’s joints, but also the risk of brain damage.
It could also have resulted in the baby being dropped, possibly causing his death.
The video was captioned “A bond between father and child,” but thousands of commenters noted that it looked more like child abuse.
Doctors were also shocked by the video.
The 35-second video shows the father swinging his baby back and forth, potentially causing the baby to dislocate his elbow or develop shaken baby syndrome
They said that lifting a baby by the arms without back support can result in a pulled elbow, where the elbow joint dislocates the forearm.
It can also lead to traumatic brain injury, possibly due to the brain moving back and forth in the skull, or if the baby falls on its head.
Dr. Stuart Fischer, an internist and former emergency department pediatrician, said, “I legally and morally believe the child should have a CAT scan or MRI.
“And that may not even indicate microscopic brain damage.”
Swinging your baby back and forth can lead to shaken baby syndrome, a serious head injury caused by the baby’s brain bouncing back and forth in his skull.
It causes bruising and swelling in the brain, and possibly a cerebral hemorrhage.
It is not clear how old the baby is, but his estimated age could be less than a year.
At this time, the baby’s skull has not yet completely closed and hardened around the brain, protecting it from shock.
Between 1,000 and 3,000 babies suffer from shaken baby syndrome in the US every year, and a quarter of them die.
Eighty percent of them suffer permanent brain damage.
Shaken Baby Syndrome can have serious long-term consequences, including cerebral palsy, blindness, hearing loss, learning disabilities, seizures, paralysis and death.
It can happen with just five seconds of shaking, and 35 seconds will likely do a lot more damage.
Dr. Fischer said, “It’s a mental illness to do that, what type, who cares? It could be considered a crime.
“Sure, he doesn’t understand what a precious gift he has. At the very least, he needs long-term instruction and guidance.”
Between 1,000 and 3,000 babies in the US suffer from shaken baby syndrome every year, and a quarter of them die.
The general public was also outraged, with more than 80,000 comments online, many of which were similar to the statement: ‘No way, it’s not legal. Poor baby” and “I consider this child abuse child harm, child neglect, all of the above.
“You need parent classes and CPS needs to be involved. (sic) babies are delicate and helpless, but you would play with such a child as if the baby were a fidgeting toy. This is so terrible.’
John Kavanagh, the coach of UFC fighter Conor McGregor, reposted the video that was initially published on Instagram: “What a stupid thing to do. Even if you make a mistake ‘only’ once in 1000 perfect times, that is a traumatic injury and a brain shock.
“How many idiots are going to try to repeat this for a few likes and destroy their baby? You probably shouldn’t even share it. Do not do this.’