Knitters Unite: Department Of Health Needs Your Help To Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Can you knit a hat? Do you have, or can you acquire, purple yarn?

Then this story is for you.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health is trying to raise awareness about shaken baby syndrome, and it needs 5,000 baby-sized purple hats by October 1.

The Oklahoma Department of Health and the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome have a grassroots public education campaign called "CLICK for Babies," click meaning the sound knitting needles make.

The campaign involves recruiting knitters to make the purple hats, which are "collected and then distributed to birthing hospitals and public health units where they are distributed to families with their copy of the PURPLE program through the months of November and December," according to the campaign website.

The PURPLE program helps awareness about shaken baby syndrome. PURPLE is an acronym for describing the period of infancy in which babies can cry seemingly nonstop at times.

Marilyn Barr, founder of the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome (NCSBS), says the Period of Purple Crying is a normal part of infant development. The PURPLE acronym helps parents understand this time in their baby's life.

According to the PURPLE program, the number one reason a child is shaken -- which can lead to head trauma and death -- is that a parent or caregiver becomes frustrated with the baby's crying.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) says that volunteers who do not knit or crochet can still donate by donating yarn or hosting community knit-a-thons.

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