Crying is normal for babies, and they should never be shaken, no matter how frustrated a person gets.
Oklahoma State Department of Health officials hope people will remember that when they see a purple cap on a baby.
The Health Department is looking for volunteers to knit or crochet the purple caps, which will be distributed to newborns at 34 hospitals in November and December as part of the CLICK for Babies project.
Ann Benson, administrative program manager for child and adolescent health at the state Health Department, said babies can cry for hours, and that that is normal.
"It doesn't always mean something is wrong," she said.
The cap distribution campaign is part of a program called the Period of PURPLE Crying, with each letter in purple standing for a word or phrase.
"P" is for peak of crying, which usually occurs at about two months.
"U" is for unexpected, as crying can come and go, and parents may not know why.
"R" is for resists soothing, a reminder that babies can keep crying no matter what you do.
The second "P" is for painlike face. Babies might look like they are in pain when they are not.
"L" is for long-lasting, because crying can last for five or more hours a day.
"E" is for evening, when babies are most likely to cry.
If the baby has fever or is showing other symptoms of illness, the crying can indicate a problem that needs to be addressed.
Benson said volunteers can choose any pattern and any shade of purple for the caps, as long as they use baby-soft yarn.
Anything attached to the cap should be secured tightly so it doesn't become a choking hazard, she said.
Shaking a baby can cause bleeding that can create pressure and cut off oxygen to the brain. Shaking is particularly dangerous for babies because their brains are smaller and have more room to move around in their skulls and, because their brain matter is softer, can break apart easily.
Also, their neck muscles are less developed, said Keri Lyons, director of the Never Shake a Baby program at the Parent Child Center of Tulsa, which is helping with the cap distribution.
"They're just more susceptible to injury because of the way their anatomy is," she said, adding that shaking a baby for two to three seconds can cause severe injury.
The Parent Child Center goes to five participating Tulsa hospitals year-round to educate parents about babies' crying habits and pass out a DVD that can be shared with other caregivers, Lyons said.
"It's basically to help them understand what's going on and deal with it," she said.
Last year, the center's employees visited with 13,000 people and during November and December distributed about 1,200 purple caps, she said.
Their goal is to collect at least 1,500 caps this year, Lyons said.
Between 2001 and 2010 in Oklahoma, 93 babies - including 11 in Tulsa - died from shaking. They ranged in age from 1 month to 3 years.
How you can help
Mail purple caps for babies to:
Parent Child Center of Tulsa
1421 S. Boston Ave.
Tulsa, OK 74119
Oklahoma Child Death Review Board
111 N. Lee Ave., Suite 500
Oklahoma City, OK 73103
Shannon Muchmore 918-581-8378
shannon.muchmore@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Knitters, crocheters sought for purple-cap campaign
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