Tiny Hats for Tiny People - Raising Awareness for the Period of PURPLE Crying

Is there anything more adorable than a newborn baby wearing their first hat?  Nope, I couldn't think of anything, either!  So I am very excited to be knitting up a batch of those "first hats" for a meaningful awareness initiative that will be taking place this November in British Columbia.

To coincide with Canada's National Child Day, many babies born in BC the week of November 15 will be given a hand-knit purple hat to take home from the hospital.  These hats are being knit by volunteers across the province to raise awareness of shaken baby syndrome and The Period of PURPLE Crying.  I have been reading mentions of this campaign throughout blogland for several months; then a few weeks ago my friend Tasha of Fiber Rox sent me an invitation to join the Facebook group for this event.  Her invite was just what I needed to get started on a new fall project, so I clicked "Attending," bought some purple baby yarn, and started knitting an itty bitty hat (thanks for the pattern, Tasha!).  This article from the Vancouver Mom website gives a great summary of the event as well as the address volunteers can send hats to. 

Not being a parent (to a human, anyway) I hadn't heard of The Period of PURPLE Crying prior to the purple hat campaign.  I have since visited their website and it is a great resource not only for parents, but for anyone who wishes to understand what parents are going through when their new baby won't stop crying.  I encourage you to check it out  here.  PURPLE is an acronym for:

P - Peak of Crying

U -Unexpected

R - Resists Soothing

P - Pain-Like Face

L - Long Lasting

E - Evening

In short, all babies experience the PURPLE crying period between the age of 2 weeks to 3 to 4 months.   During this time, a baby may cry inconsolably for hours at a time.  For many years this condition has been vaguely described as "colic" however the website stresses that this is a normal developmental phase that all babies go though, some more dramatically than others.  It also provides some great suggestions for coping.  

Tonight, I finished my first wee purple hat!  I will continue working away on tiny purple hats until the end of October. It's going to be a great way to try out some patterns that I would otherwise not make, and I'm hoping to find a few fun, funky patterns to try. Hey, I'm giving someone their first accessory, it's got to be good!  If you knit or crochet and want to participate, I think that's great!  Regardless, check out The Period of PURPLE Crying website; you may learn something that could help you or someone you care about.

Have a great day!  See you on Wednesday!