A state law named for Goree's granddaughter, the Kimberlin West Act of 2002, requires parents receive education about shaken baby syndrome after their child's birth, but 'a lot of hospitals aren't familiar with what they need to be doing,' Goree said.

Also, some nurses found it awkward to tell parents, 'Don't shake your baby,' when they're joyful over celebrating the birth, she said.

The state Department of Health chose to tailor the education to teaching parents how to cope with crying, which is a top trigger of child abuse.

It contracted Goree to hold seminars in five counties, including Hillsborough and Pinellas, on a $70,000 grant. The targets would be caregivers, nurses and child advocates, who then would teach parents. The seminar demonstrates how brain damage occurs from shaking and offers suggestions on how parents and caregivers can calm themselves when they become frustrated.

She suggested that nurses ask parents: 'Have you ever felt an inkling of road rage?'; then tell them: 'That's how your baby will make you feel when he won't stop crying.'

Goree said her former son-in-law shook Kimberlin after she'd had her six-week immunizations in 1993. The child died in 1996 of pneumonia from complications as a result of being shaken; her father received probation, Goree said.

This month, a Hillsborough County grand jury handed up a murder indictment for a teacher's aide, Aurelio Gonzalez of Tampa.

He is accused of shaking 16-month-old Mia Alvarez because she would not stop crying, then punching her in the head, records show.

A baby has no other way to communicate but to cry, Goree said. A healthy baby will cry two to three hours a day from feeling hungry, gassy, tired, bored, overstimulated, hot, cold or soiled, she said. Colic, immunizations and other medical problems cause more crying.

It is natural to become frustrated, thinking, 'The baby doesn't like me,' or that you're a failure if you can't soothe the child, she said. The trick is to separate yourself from those emotions. Run through a checklist of what might be bothering the baby. If nothing works, distance yourself.

Set the baby down for 30 minutes in a crib, playpen or other safe place, Goree said. Check on the baby every five to 10 minutes. Take a bath or shower. Get a snack. Crank up your favorite music and dance. If the baby still screams, make an appointment with your pediatrician to check for a medical issue.

Goree suggested that parents fill out a 'pledge of love' to never touch their infants in anger and develop an action plan outlining what they will do when they become frustrated, such as call someone for support.

Susan Sebree, 47, a labor and delivery nurse at South Florida Baptist Hospital in Plant City, said she could incorporate Goree's suggestions into her regular pitch to parents. Support was valuable to her about 19 years ago when her oldest son, then 2 months old, had colic.

One night he dozed off after she drove him around the neighborhood but woke up crying after being put in his crib, Sebree said. She scooped him up and sat him down hard on the changing table. 'I remember his startled response. I felt so terrible,' she said. She drove him to her mother's home, an hour away, 'crying all the way because I felt so guilty.'

Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800.