Thousands of tiny purple caps will soon be delivered to birthing hospitals across the province. It's part of an annual campaign to help raise awareness for the Period of PURPLE Crying program, an educational program for new parents which teaches them how to deal with infant crying, especially inconsolable crying.

Volunteer knitters were joined by moms and babies at the fourth annual CLICK for Babies Purple Caps Knit-In today at BC Children's Hospital.

The volunteers knit purple caps and create hand-written cards for newborns. The caps will be given to babies in hospitals and public health units in November and December. To date, almost 18,000 caps have been created and distributed to families.

Since the Period of PURPLE Crying Program was fully implemented in B.C. in 2009, hospitals have reported a 56 per cent reduction in the number of cases of abusive head trauma due to shaken baby syndrome in infants six months and younger.

All parents of newborns (approximately 45,000 births per year) receive a copy of a DVD, which includes a 17-minute film on ways to soothe your baby and an 11-page booklet called Did you know your infant would cry like this? before being discharged from the hospital.

Through the DVD and booklet, new moms and dads are educated that it is never okay to shake a baby. The program helps parents and caregivers understand that babies can cry a lot, up to five hours a day in the first two to five months of life. The training tools explain that the characteristics of infant crying are normal, temporary and not the fault of the caregiver.

The B.C. government has invested $1.8 million since 2008 to implement the program in all B.C. health units and birthing hospitals. The program is led by the Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome BC program at BC Children's Hospital.

Quotes:

Stephanie Cadieux, Minister of Children and Family Development -

"A baby's life is extremely precious and this program is an important resource that supports parents through a tough time when their babies can cry more than any other time in their lives. Knowing what to expect and how to respond is proven to help parents cope with this challenging phase."

Terry Lake, Minister of Health -

"As a father, I know that being a new parent can be challenging, and we want to make sure families have the resources they need. We're proud to support the Period of PURPLE Crying Program, which helps educate new parents and caregivers about how to respond to infant crying."

Marilyn Barr, Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome BC director -

"CLICK for Babies is a successful campaign because of the generosity and support from the B.C. community. While making the purple caps and distributing them at birthing hospitals and health units, we hope to generate conversations about the Period of PURPLE Crying, a frequently misunderstood but typical stage in early infancy."

"Through education and awareness, our goal is to prevent shaken baby syndrome and other forms of abuse, which can arise from the frustration of this early infant crying."

Quick Facts:

• In January 2009, B.C. became the first province in Canada to implement the Period of PURPLE Crying Program provincewide and to provide prevention materials with the birth of each baby.
• The program materials are offered in 10 languages: English, Cantonese, French (Quebecois), Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazilian), Punjabi, Spanish (Mexican), Vietnamese, and Somali. 
• Users learn three action steps on how to respond to infant crying, to reduce crying as much as possible and to prevent shaking and abuse. These action steps are: carry, comfort, walk and talk with the infant; if the crying is too frustrating, it is okay to walk away; never shake or hurt an infant.
• The program is a part of the curriculum at 13 post-secondary institutions for nurses, midwives, early childhood educators and community health support personnel.
• Foster parents and ministry social workers also receive training.
• The acronym PURPLE stands for the following:
• Peak of crying - peaks during the second month, decreasing after that.
• Unexpected - comes and goes unexpectedly, for no apparent reason.
• Resists soothing - continues despite all soothing efforts by caregivers.
• Pain-like face - look like they are in pain, even when they aren't.
• Long lasting - can go on for 30-40 minutes and longer.
• Evening crying - occurs more in the late afternoon and evening.

Learn More:

Minister Stephanie Cadieux knitted some purple caps for the CLICK for Babies campaign: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bcgovphotos/10142529744

Find out more about the North American CLICK for Babies campaign: http://clickforbabies.org/about.php

To learn more about the Period of PURPLE Crying, go to: http://www.dontshake.ca/information/information.php?type=6

Media Contact:

Sheldon Johnson
Media Relations Manager
Ministry of Children and Family Development
250 356-1639