Dr David Newman, president of the Pediatric Society of New Zealand, said the babies in the video were not being harmed, although you wouldn't want to leave them on the vibrating machine for a long period or crank up the dial.
"Their heads are actually moving very little and what's actually jiggling is their subcutaneous tissue. That amplitude would not be damaging to their skeletons, their heads are moving a few millimetres, a centimetre at most.
"If it's doing anything at all, it's not doing any damage. "Younger babies unable to sit up or hold up their heads should not be put on vibrating machines," said Dr Newman.
He said the difference between the gentle jiggling seen in the video and harmful shaking was amplitude and velocity. It was the rapid acceleration and deceleration of shaking that harmed babies, causing tearing injuries in the brain and damage to spines.
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