ALL BABIES born in November will receive a handmade purple toque courtesy of social workers from the Ministry of Children and Family Development to raise awareness about Shaken Baby Syndrome.
Four social workers made the 30 toques, which were given to Penny Henderson at Mills Memorial Hospital to give out.
The colour purple was chosen for Purple Crying, a time where babies may cry for no reason but that doctors say is perfectly normal even if parents cannot do anything to soothe their baby.
BC Chlidren's Hospital explains Purple Crying as peaking around two-months-old and then decreasing at three-months-old to five-months-old.
Crying comes and goes for no apparent reason, continues despite all soothing efforts by caregivers and infants look like they are in pain even when they're not.
It can last as much as five hours a day and occurs more in late afternoon and evening.
Caregivers can try several things to stop Purple Crying: carry, comfort, walk and talk with the infant; if the crying is too frustrating it's okay to walk away after the infant is put in a safe place, allowing the caregiver to take a couple minutes to calm down before returning to the baby; and to remember to never shake or hurt an infant.