The Period of Purple Crying

I've recently made a new friend. She's the inspirational adoptive mother of three beautiful little girls. Those three little girls should have a baby sister, but unfortunately, she died at two months old due to Shaken Baby Syndrome, as do one in four shaken babies.

That statistic is absolutely terrifying, and awareness of that is why the Period of Purple Crying Campaign has begun.

The number one reason a child is shaken is because a parent or caregiver becomes so frustrated with a baby's crying that they lose control - and shake them. The phrase "purple crying" has been coined to describe the point in a baby’s life when they cry more than any other time. It begins at about 2 weeks of age and continues until about 3-4 months, and is a normal part of every infant's development.

"It is confusing and concerning to be told your baby “has colic” because it sounds like it is an illness or a condition that is abnormal. When the baby is given colic medicine it reinforces the idea that there is something wrong with the baby when in fact the baby is going through a very normal developmental phase. That is why we prefer to refer to this time as the Period of PURPLE Crying." -- Marilyn Barr

PURPLE does not refer to the color a baby turns while it's crying - it is, in fact, an acronym.

P - Peak of Crying

U - Unexpected

R - Resists Soothing

P - Pain-Like Face

L - Long-Lasting

E - Evening

The Period of PURPLE Crying is a new way to help parents understand this ultimately frustrating time in their baby’s life, and perhaps help prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome altogether. SBS is often fatal and can cause severe brain damage, resulting in a lifelong disability. Up to half of deaths related to child abuse are reportedly due to shaken baby syndrome.

All babies cry. That is a fact every adult knows - but this particular time of their lives, is their "peak." It happens unexpectedly - the baby can go from happy and giggling to simply crying uncontrollably. It's nothing that the parent or caregiver is doing wrong, and it isn't necessarily something wrong with the infant - that some of these crying times start and stop for no apparent reason at all.

To raise additional awareness about PURPLE crying, various organizations are making and collecting PURPLE baby hats to be distributed to babies born in November and December. The mission is to educate others about normal infant crying and prevent shaken baby syndrome entirely.

Fawn brought this donation drive to my attention, as it hits so very close to home for her, based on her children's pasts. She is an expert crochet-er. Or.. Crochet-ist? Expert at crocheting? She's wonderful, regardless of what the correct terminology is, and is collecting yarn to make more "crying caps."

You guessed it - that's where we come in. I'd like to help overwhelm this organization and give them MORE than they can use. With an average of over 34,000 babies born per month in the United States, that's going to require every single one of us to help.

Hat or Yarn Donations can be sent to Fawn at:

Hippy Child Crochet

2620 Butlerhill Rd

Benton, LA 71006

To contact her for questions or more information, add her facebook fan page.

For more information on The Period of PURPLE Crying Campaign, visit their facebook page or website.

On a side note, there is not currently an active campaign to distribute hats to hospitals in Missouri. If you'd like to help begin one, please click "contact" on this link.