Between January 1, 2025, and February 28, 2025, new parents and caregivers of newborns and 2-month-old infants in the Northern Health region will receive a handmade purple knitted or crocheted cap. Along with the caps, nurses and midwives will provide Period of PURPLE Crying ® Program standard education and resources about preventing traumatic head injury due to child maltreatment to families in maternity units and during 2-month child health clinics.
PURPLE is an evidence-based education program universally delivered to all parents of newborns in BC. The goal of the purple cap campaign, called CLICK for Babies™ (CLICK), is to raise awareness about PURPLE crying and the importance of never shaking infants and young children. “PURPLE crying” is a normal phase of infant development when a baby cries inconsolably for long periods of time. This period starts around 2 weeks old, peaks around 2 months, then decreases. This can be frustrating and overwhelming for parents and caregivers. “Inconsolable infant crying is the most common trigger for shaking a baby and other forms of infant abuse,” says Dr. Ian Pike, Director of Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome BC (PSBSBC) at BC Children’s Hospital, the program that administers and evaluates the PURPLE program across British Columbia.
Since the program began in 2009, NH staff on maternity units and in primary and community care interprofessional teams have talked to new parents and caregivers about the normalcy of inconsolable crying and how to cope with negative feelings. They provide evidence-based tips to soothe babies, as well as talking points for additional caregivers, such as grandparents and relatives, on the dangers of shaking. “PURPLE is an important public health injury prevention program and is associated with a significant reduction in traumatic head injury due to child maltreatment (THI-CM) in British Columbia,” says Dr. Pike.
The CLICK campaign was paused in the province in 2020 due to restrictions implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. NH received more than 1,250 caps from PSBSBC to restart the CLICK campaign in NH for 2025. Later this year, NH plans to expand the campaign to invite Northern BC knitters, crocheters and crafters to make both baby caps and booties. More information to follow.
“We’re excited to re-boot CLICK in NH. It’s a warm-hearted way to talk about a very difficult topic with families,” says Randi Leanne Parsons, NH Regional Nursing Lead for Maternal Infant Health and project co-lead. “Families need support from their communities. CLICK will help us to start conversations in the wider Northern BC community about soothing infant crying and keeping them safe from harm.”
Learn more by visiting dontshake.ca.
