Northern Health seeking knitting volunteers for education program

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Northern Health is recruiting volunteer knitters and crochet enthusiasts as it looks to revive a program for people raising newborns.

The health authority is reviving its Period of Purple Crying Program, an education initiative for parents meant to reduce instances of shaken baby syndrome (SBS), a serious brain injury often caused by frustrated caregivers shaking infants and toddlers.

The program provides parents with techniques for safely soothing crying infants, information on the times in a baby’s life where crying is at its most frequent and coping strategies for how to emotionally handle the stress of raising someone during the first weeks and months of their life.

As part of the initiative, hand-knitted purple caps created by volunteers are given to families during the winter by healthcare providers in hospitals and community settings.

According to a Facebook post from Northern Health, new volunteers are needed across northern B.C. 

A file containing guidelines from the health authority’s website says the caps should be at least 50 per cent purple, roughly 14 inches in circumference and about six inches tall in total.

Hats also need to stay smoke-free, although pet hair is fine as they’ll be washed before distribution, and volunteers are urged not to include buttons, strings or removable decorations.

After the hats are completed, volunteers can email Northern Health for a drop-off location near them or a mailing address to send the caps to.

The Period of Purple Crying Program is operated by Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome BC (PSBSBC), an arm of the BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit focused on preventing traumatic brain injuries in infants caused by maltreatment and abuse.

Resources for new parents to learn from are available on the PSBSBC website.

To see the guidelines for creating a cap, look below.